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47 Robotics Cameras part1




Description

This article is from the Robotics FAQ, by Kevin Dowling nivek@cs.cmu.edu with numerous contributions by others.

47 Robotics Cameras part1

There are a large number of cameras on the market and even many
consumer products such as the smaller camcorders are inexpensive and
suitable for some imaging applications. I'll try to list some
different and unusual ones here. Note that although some of these
cameras are very small many of them are appended to a large box of
electronics via a cable that supplies power and transmits video. For
mobile applications DC power inputs may be an issue as well. I've also
included servo-lens products as well in this section.

"CCTV Corporation "

280 Huyler St. South Hackensack, NJ 07606 tel: 201.489.9595 tel:
800.221.2240 fax: 201.489.0111

CCTV makes a number of small CCD surveillance cameras. Some as small
as a pack of cigarettes that sell for less than $300. Small cameras --
'Pincam' 1.5"x1.5"x.75" pinhole camera for $200. MOD-250 and MOD-275
are all single PC board cameras with wide angle 3.6 mm lenses 514x491V
resolution, and composite outputs. Other cameras come in unique
enclosures for surveilance (e.g. cigarette packs, clocks, smoke
detectors).

"Cohu"

P.O. Box 85623
San Diego, CA 92186-5623
tel: 619.277.6700 X225
fax: 619.277.0221

Cohu makes a number of solid state cameras including board level and
remote head devices. The 1100 series is designed for OEM use. It
outputs standard RS-170 with 768x494 CCD resolution. 10cmx4.5cmx1.6cm
w/o lens. Other units include the 550 series Intensified Monochrome
CCD Camera for low-light applications. The 4110 has digital output
(eliminates pixel jitter), The 6X00 series are small monochrome remote
head cameras and the 8000 series cameras are color remote head
devices. A variety of ouputs are available includeing NTSC, RGB,
PAL/Y-C. A high resolution unit, the 8410 series, provides 1134x486
pixels (850 horz TV lines)

"DAK Industries"

8200 Remnet Ave
Canoga Park, CA 91304
tel: 800.325.0800 (ordering)
tel: 800.888.9818 (technical)
fax: 818.888.2837

DAK sells all kinds of gadgets for the home and business. One device
is a security camera that is smaller than a credit card (length and
width) and 38mm deep. B/W 251,904 pixels, 60 degree lens and built-in
microphone. Has built-in IR transmitters for seeing in total darkness.
$199 for camera, 20m cable, AC adapter and stands. Other packages
include monitors and two-camera switcher for $299 total. Extra cable
is $29.90

"Dalsa Inc"

605 McMurray Rd.
Waterloo, ON, Canada N2V 2E9
tel: 519.886.6000

Modular cameras -- you choose the entire configuration from the CCD
device to the video output format. Known for their large selection of
high speed, high sensitivity and high resolution CCD chips (up to 25
million pixels on a single chip CCD).

"Edmund Scientific "

101 E. Gloucester Pike
Barrington, NJ 08007-1380
tel: 609.573.6250 order
tel: 609.573.6260 customer service

Edmund Scientific Catalog has some very nice looking minature CCD
cameras. They have several models ranging from $230 to $495 list, b/w
and color with 1/2" or 1/3" CCD's. All are board level and require
external power supply.

"Electrim Corp. "

P.O. Box 2074
Princeton, NJ. 08543
tel: 609.683.5546
fax: 609.683.5882

Offers digitial cameras and acquisition cards in an integrated system
for use with PC's. The EDC-1000C is a complete image acquisition
system with a 751x488v resolution camera that supports 24 bit color
for $950 (including the PC interface card). The EDC-1000HR is the
monochrome version. A recently released system (11/94) offers a
ADSP2101 DSP on board the acquisition card.

"Elmo Mfg Corp "

70 New Hyde Park Rd.
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
tel: 516.775.3200
tel: 800.974.ELMO
fax: 516.775.3297

Micro-sized cameras including a 12mm color unit, the UN411E. The
ME441E is a remote head B&W ccd camera for machine vision
applications. 17mm, 14g. Wide variety of features including
electronics shuttering, field/frame modes, interlace and non-interlace
etc.

"Gateway Electronics, Inc."
8123 Page Blvd
St. Louis, MO 63130
tel: 314.427.6116

Ultra Minature Camera $149.50. 1.6" X 1.8" X 1" with a 3.6 mm wide
angle lens a 1/3 CCD sensor 380 lines of resolution and electronic
sutter time of 1/60 - 1/50,000 sec. 12 VDC Video Camera and monitor
combination 9" solid state monitor. This is a closed circuit camera
monitor system that runs on 115 VAC. There is also a microphone in the
Camera. $125.00

"Hamamatsu Corp. "
360 Foothill Road
Bridewater, NJ 08807-0910
tel: 908.231.1116
fax: 908.231.0852

Offers a linup of general purpose single CCD cameras. The C4200 is a
768x493V single CCD color camera. The C3967 is a 3 CCD remote head
color camera with 786x493V resolution. They also offer off-the-shelf
image improvement/enhancing hardware and CCD chips (1024x1024V)

"Images Company "
P.O. Box 140742
Staten Island, NY 10314
tel: 718.698.8305

Microminature B/W video camera $200.00. TV Transmitter (KIT) $45.00

"Marshall Electronics "

Culver City, CA
Contact: Steve Kraig
tel: 310.390.6608

World's smallest low-cost digital camera on a single chip; under $10
for volume users. It is the first commercially available image sensor
to have a built-in A/D converter. The Digital Video Camera Chip,
VVL1070 delivers a digitized B&W image through processor-compatible
serial and parallel ports. The IC uses a proprietary CMOS sensor
technology developed by VLSI Vision Ltd., which also is developing a
whole series of single-chip EIA cameras that will be shortly
introduced to the American market.

The chip features a 160 x 160 pixel array. Pixel size is 10.5 x 10.5
microns. All circuitry to drive and sense the array is packaged in a
single Optical Quad Flatpak. The digital converter provides an 8-bit
digital output for serial or parallel interface. Other features
include an analog output with sync pulses, wide-range electronic
exposure control for use with a variety of low-cost fixed-aperture
lenses and automatic black level circuitry. Power consumption is less
than 100mw.

An Engineering Level Evaluation Kit is available to reduce development
costs and allow designers to rapidly develop a prototype using their
own defined interface circuitry. The kit includes a fully operational
PCB using an LCC with glass lid mounted in an anodized aluminum
enclosure with both a "C" mount 12mm lens and a wide-angle 4.3mm
fixed-focus lens.

Also offers both a 330 line and 510x492v resolution miniature color
cameras.

"Micro Video Products "

16201 Osborne
St. Westminster, CA 92683
tel: 714.842.4648
tel: 800.473.0538

Mini B/W camera $179.00 2.5x2.5x5cm and 70g. 7-14 VCD and 80 milliamps
Also carry underwater cameras, and transmitter/recievers for video.

"NEC America "

1555 Walnut Hill Lane
Irving, TX 75038
tel: 214.751.7000
tel: 800.323.6656

Offers many types of general purpose monochrome cameras as well as a
811x508V resolution color camera with a variety of output formats
(RGB, NTSC, Y/C). The TI-324A is a small high-res B/W CCD camera
designed for machine vision and robotics applications. A variety of
other B/W and Color CCD cameras are also made.

"Panasonic "

tel: 201.392.4576

John Gregler - sales rep

Sells a complete line of monochrome cameras and a high performance
broadcast quality 3 CCD RGB color camera.

"Patrick McGuire"

tel: 800-335-9777

A small company (4) making cameras, wireless video transmitters.

"Pulnix America Inc. "

1330 Orleans Dr.
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
tel: 408.747.0300
tel: 800.445.5444 x127 Katie McVeigh - sales rep

Offers gereral purpose, reasonably priced CCD cameras. The TMC-7RGB is
a 768x494V resolution color camera with electronic shutter for $1100.
Many monochrome cameras are available including a high resolution
1024x1024V. The 'Card-Cam' line of cameras are small PC board cameras
with simple C-mount remote heads.

"Resources UN-LTD. "

8030 South Willow Street, Bldg 2
Manchester, NH 03109
tel: 603.668.2499

CCD Micro Camera From Chinon. $159.00 B/W 1/3" CCD with a full
250,000+ pixels. 350 lines of resolution. Auto gain control and
electronic shutter. 9 VDC at 80 milliamps. Adjustable focus 4mm, f 1.8
lens (provides 78 degree FOV, 10mm to infinity). Standard Composite
video out. Weighs 14g, IR Sensitive. Also reportedly sold by by
Creative Micro Electronics in Colorado. tel: 303.770.8928, fax:
303.796.0979

"Sony Electronics Inc. "

1200 N. Arlington Heights Road
Itasca, IL 60143
tel: 708.773.7604

Sony XC/999/999P is a nice small color CCD camera the size of a
microphone. CCD resolution is 768Hx493V. The 999 is NTSC and the 999P
is the PAL format. XC-75 has small camera head and separate
electronics. The XC711 is a nice general purpose single CCD color
camera with 768x493V resolution, but not as expensive as to XC999. The
XC-711 RR is the remote head version. An appreciable lineup of
monochrome cameras are offered as well.

"Supercircuits "

13552 Research Blvd #B
Austin, TX 78750
tel: 512.335.9777
fax: 512.335.1925
net: info@ccd.scx.com

Electronic timers and beepers, miniature cameras and transmitters.
Super Circuits specializes in affordable microvideo products. One of
the tiny cameras, the PC-9XS is about the size of a silver dollar, has
380 lines resolution, 1 lux rating at a price of only $149. Some of
the cameras go down to .2 lux. Other products include small color
cameras, ATV UHF transmitter kits, Short range transmitter sets, and
other specialty video products.

"Texas Instruments "

TI makes a full line of cameras and CCD chips includeing linear and 2D
arrays. TI makes a $35 CCD Imager, the TC-211, with 192x165
resolution. Newark Electronics sells the TC211-M for around US$50.00
See TI's Array Image Sensor Products data manual for more details.
Update: Unfortunately, Telescope Making Magazine went out of business
with the issue mentioned above and may be hard to find. Hope to find
copy and contact author wrt to posting it.

"Toshiba America "

Information and Imaging Technologies Group
1010 Johnson Drive
Buffalo Grove, IL 60089-6900
tel: 800.253.5429
fax: 708.541.1927

Toshiba IK-M40A high resolution microminiature color camera. Camera
head is 39mm long, 17mm diameter and weighs 16g. 1/2" CCD w/ 410,000
pixels, high sensitivity (5 lux at F1.6) and electronic shutter. RGB
output standard. uses cables up to 30m. Several lenses available.
About $2K.

Toshiba also makes a very small C-mount Lens color CCD camera, the
IK-C40A. It is only slight larger than a 30mm cube.

"Wintriss Engineering Corp "

6342 Ferris Square
San Diego, CA 92121
tel: 619.550.7300
tel: 800.733.8089

Wintriss makes a 2048 pixel line scan camera that can be used for
object imaging, velocity measurement and positioning with multiple
cameras. Can be used to determine spped and trajectory of objects in
flight. This has been used in archery applications. RS485 interface
with 8Mb/sec serial data rate. Can be linked directly with Wintriss
DSP boards for post-processing and communications. Price $1250.

"Xillix Technologies Corporation "

Suite 200
2339 Colombia Street
Vancouver B.C. V5Y 3Y3
tel: 604.875.6161
fax: 604.872.3356

Specializing in High-res CCD cameras. Product line includes a 12-bit
1317x1035 pixel resolution. Target market has been medical imaging.
Full computer control and compatible with a number of image capture
and display boards.

 

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previous page: 46 What Robotics related products are there?
  
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