Article From: 3/27/2009 Production Machining
LMI Technologies Inc.’s Maestro allows engineers to rapidly design, install and start up any machine vision equipment while reducing time, materials and costs using only two universal Maestro modules for all installations.
The equipment is comprised of two modules. The P800 module is the master controller that interfaces with the encoders and the I/O, but also delivers microsecond synchronization, power and safety on CAT5E cables for as many as eight or more cameras and light sources, all from a single power supply. All timing, triggering, synchronization, sorting and reject activations are completed by this module.
As a result, all devices are slaves to the controller, including the host computer that performs the image processing. Camera image data is delivered directly to the host computer with standard interfaces, such as GigE Vision, FireWire and so on, with all timing dictated by the P800 and communicated to the host computer via Gigabit Ethernet.
The connecting piece to the module is the C12 module, which is a camera and light controller cable. The C12 module powers and triggers any camera while providing synchronized configurable high current pulses for LEDs or lasers.
The combination of the P800 and C12 modules is compatible with all cameras, light sources, I/O and machine vision software libraries to provide rapid design and installation of virtually any type of machine vision application from single cameras to multi-camera web inspection systems.
Additionally, the Maestro enables the integration of the company’s FireSync, Sensors that See and HexSight components with standard camera and lighting components.
