Click HERE to see a great example of Machine Vision applied to a common "motor skills" game, where the user maneuvers a marble through a maze full of holes.  Alacron traditionally works on applications that are used in the fields of medicine, manufacturing and military.  But, by studying this simplified application, the viewer can understand how a robotic device could perform better and more accurately than the human hand/eye coordination.  Add sensor technology to the high speed analysis of visual images dictating robotic responses, and the possibilities are endless.  An example of sensor technology in this same "Marble Navigation Box" application would be if the floor of the box had sensors in it.  As the marble progressed through the maze, the sensors could be programmed to signal the knobs to turn appropriately to help the marble avoid falling through the holes.

OR....the sensors could trigger "blocks" to pop up, or the holes to close up.  But, then, that would be cheating. 

 

 

Excerpt from an article in AIA by Winn Hardin:

"Like other frame grabber manufactures, Alacron has responded to constant need for more image processing power on its frame grabbers by offering boards with megagate field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and high-speed microprocessors. “We also have a very programmable front end,” adds [CEO Joseph] Sgro. “We can accept Camera Link, or digital, or analog signals, and the pixels don’t have to be in sequential order, because many new systems don’t use a raster scan output methodology anymore. All of this power and flexibility allows OEMs to match a frame grabber or vision processor’s capability to their unique needs and sensors.”

 Alacron is also looking at the new class of accelerated processing unit (APU), such as AMD’s Fusion APU, which combines a central processing unit (CPU) core with a graphics processing unit (GPU) on the same die. “Tilera’s TileGX-3100 APU with 100 cores is another example,” explains Sgro. “We expect to increase our floating point calculations by 4 to 10 times in the near future. That’s where we see the future of frame grabbers for x-ray and other demanding imaging applications.” Other future developments include a move from PCI to PCIexpress, and the use of GPU mezzanine cards to enhance the performance of a frame grabber PCIe card. “These cards give you more flexibility and offer longer lifetime support so you’re not having to adopt to a new architecture every 6 months,” Sgro concludes.

 Frame grabber and x-ray system designers can expect to continue to get help from improved sensor designs, while striving to keep up with higher-dynamic range images with larger pixel counts. Next generation CMOS imagers with extremely low dark noise in the single-digit electrons will make detecting a low-energy x-ray signal easier. But it will take the combined effort of sensors, processing power, and software designers to keep up with the growing utility and demands of x-ray imaging systems"

Do you need the most comprehensive PCI frame grabber? You can find the right frame grabber at Alacron. You can get a PCI express frame grabber.  If you aren’t which one is right for you, Alacron's team of experts can help evaluate your needs and will make recommendations.  We have built our business by helping customers make decisions not based on what is best for Alacron's short term gains, but on what is best for our customer's specific application. Not every application requires the most expensive solution.

Go Straight to the Source for Your PCI Frame Grabber

Save time and educate yourself. Go to www.alacron.com to learn more about the world of frame grabbers.  If you are looking specifically for a PCI frame grabber, the data sheet and manual for Alacron's PCI frame grabber is just a few clicks away. We have been serving our customers since 1985, and have an impressive list and history of satisfied customers in the fields of medicine, military and manufacturing, who have used our products in cutting edge prototypes as well as commercial vanguard applications.

FastX1703 frame grabber Series was designed to address the most extreme I/O (Input/Output) demands, high bandwidth, complex image processing and real-time, high speed storage.  One application provides very high speed QA inspection of glass during a manufacturing process.

The FastX1703 frame grabber series is a cost effective platform for users who anticipate a demand for extreme I/O requirements and/or higher bandwidth, complex image processing.  The FastX1703 interfaces to the host computer through a 8x or 4xPCIe interface for state-of-the-art data acquisition.  The base FastX1703 is a full length raw form factor PCIe board with 6 CL, UXGA or digital LVDS options. The front-end data is preprocessed by a FPGA before being sent to the memory subsection, up to four PNX 1702 500 MHz processors, or to the PCIe interface.

Excerpt from Science Daily (with input from Jet Propulsion Laboratory):

ScienceDaily (July 11, 2012) — Neurosurgeons and researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute are adapting an ultraviolet camera to possibly bring planet-exploring technology into the operating room.

If the system works when focused on brain tissue, it could give surgeons a real-time view of changes invisible to the naked eye and unapparent even with magnification of current medical imaging technologies. The pilot study seeks to determine if the camera provides visual detail that might help surgeons distinguish areas of healthy brain from deadly tumors called gliomas, which have irregular borders as they spread into normal tissue.

"Our goal is to revolutionize the way neurological disorders are treated. Ultraviolet imaging is one of several intraoperative technologies we are pursuing," commented Keith L. Black, MD, chair of the Department of Neurosurgery.

From a notice of a new market research report: "The Industrial Automation Equipment (IAE) report consists of top-level coverage of 42 product markets, compiled from over 25 syndicated IMS Research reports. Unit shipments have been included for the first time, as well as coverage of several products within the power transmission equipment section. The IAE report presents each product market by major geographic region, and discusses overarching trends for the total IAE market, motors & motor controls, automation equipment, and power transmission equipment. The study also presents market shares by these categories on a global level and by major geographic region. A few key findings from the report include:

• The global IAE market was estimated to be worth $145.9 billion in 2011, and is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% between 2007 and 2015 to reach $204.7 billion in 2015.
• In terms of unit shipments, the global industrial automation equipment market was estimated to comprise 482.5 million units. Due to slight increases in the pricing of certain product types, unit shipments are forecast to grow slower, at a CAGR of 5.0% between 2007 and 2015.
• All regions grew by double-digit rates in 2011 for total industrial automation, with EMEA, Americas, and Asia Pacific growing by 11.0%, 11.8%, and 13.8% respectively."

EXCERPT FROM VSD MAGAZINE:

The following article highlights a prototype of a security product that uses parts made by Alacron, Inc.

The back side imager utilizes JPL's patented delta doping process.  This technology plays a vital role in the semiconductor industry.  From the "Semiconductor Glossary," delta doping is defined as: "formation of the doped layers which are atomic-layer thick, formed in the course of Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) of multilayer structures such as superlattices."  

Enabling semiconductor manufacturers to better inspect their delicate product with microscopic parts has long been a primary goal of the machine vision industry. (Click HERE to read a relevant 2009 article in VSD Magazine.)  The semiconductor industry, which began around 1960, has grown to over $350 billion in 2010.   Alacron's new Backside Imager is an extremely valuable improvement on existing technology for manufacturers in this industry.  It will allow for better, faster and less expensive inspection of semiconductors, enabling much better detection of abnormalities in their atom-thin layers.

A collaborative new product from Alacron and FastVision, LLC, the new FC 300 utilizes the new CMOS sensor from Panavision Imaging. “Panavision Imaging now offers one of the quietest CMOS sensor designs in the world,” says Dr. Joseph Sgro, CEO of Alacron, Inc. and FastVision, LLC. “Our new FC300 camera reflects many advantages of this new sensor including low cost and high speed of 3.2 megapixels running at 180 frames per second.”

Sgro explains that this technology can be made into a back-side imager (BSI) with delta doping (DD) and anti-reflective (AR) coating. The FC 300 incorporates Jet Propulsion Laboratory's patented delta doping process.

Possible applications for the new camera include medical, military (used for NIR -- near infrared), and manufacturing, as well as outer space exploration.  "With it's anti-reflective coating, the new camera can survive the rigors of outspace, while producing clear images in very low light situations," Sgro explains.