Firstsight Vision can now offer multispectral cameras from JAI. These two-chip cameras are available in both CameraLink (AD-080 CL) and GigE (AD-080 GE) versions, and offer a combination of visible and near IR imaging through a single lens in one camera housing. This means that colour and NIR images are acquired simultaneously from exactly the same field of view.
The NIR image provides different information to the colour image, and is particularly important in applications in the food processing and food sorting industries, where it may reveal artifacts such as bruising or decay on produce such as fruit or pulses. In these inspections, the product is often tumbling or rolling as it passes the camera, so collecting the NIR and visible images of the same region simultaneously is of great benefit. The camera also has applications in print verification, pharmaceuticals, and parts inspection.
The colour sensor is a 1/3" progressive scan CCD with 1024 x 768 pixels. The unit also features a new flexible trigger function, which auto-switches the trigger synchronisation to ensure images are never missed when triggers are received during readout, and the best image quality is achieved when the trigger is received when the camera is idle.