JAI AD-080CL User manual

www.jai.com
JAI’s new 2-CCD camera
AD-080 CL
provides simultaneous images of both the visible and near-infrared light spectrums
In certain machine vision applications, the ability to see in-
side an object is just as important as the ability to capture
its outward appearance. For years, imaging professionals
have struggled to combine imaging in both regions – but
the solutions were either too costly or too difcult to de-
ploy and maintain. The launch of JAI’s new multi-spectral
camera ushers in a new era of affordable imaging.
The AD-080CL is a cost-efcient camera that simultaneous-
ly measures visible and near-infrared (NIR) light spectrums
through a single lens using two channels. The rst channel
has a Bayer mosaic color imager that only captures visible
light, while the second has a monochrome imager for NIR
light.
This multi-spectral imaging solution brings a new, essential
dimension to a number of vision inspection applications.
The visible light channel captures the red, green and blue
bands of conventional imaging – or those visible to the
human eye. The NIR channel, on the other hand, “sees”
below the surface of organic and other materials to detect
imperfections the human eye cannot see.
Many imaging applications require only monochrome cam-
eras that work in the visible spectrum, or between 400
and 700 nanometers (nm). But certain applications require
other parts of the spectrum to capture critical data. The
quality of food, currency, and metals, for example, de-
pends not only on their outward appearance – but also on
the condition of tissue that may be below the surface or
simply invisible to the human eye. Cameras that capture
non-visible signals below 400 nm and above 700 nm are
able to enhance details and see below the surface. The
result is more thorough vision inspection, better quality
verication – and, ultimately, higher quality products.
The advantages of 2-CDD technology compared to
traditional multi-spectral technology
Although the imaging industry has used multi-spectral ap-
plications for a number of years, the traditional solutions
have remained costly and difcult to deploy.
One solution has been to simultaneously use two cameras:
one for the visible spectrum and another for the NIR. Al-
though seemingly simple from the user’s point of view, the
two-camera solution is not only expensive, but also inef-
cient and potentially inaccurate, as the cameras need
to be carefully and frequently aligned to ensure the same
eld of view. Moreover, working with twice the equipment
– two cameras, lenses, sets of cables, and so on – adds
to the complexity of the application and decreases reli-
ability.
Previously, the best alternative has been to use high-end
multi-spectral 4-CCD: four-channel cameras that capture
red, green, blue, and NIR spectrums. Although these com-
plex cameras provide excellent results, they are expensive
to buy and maintain.
New application possibilities thanks to easier deploy-
ment, greater accuracy and lower costs
JAI’s new 2-CCD technology not only enables users to mea-
sure both visual and NIR light with a single camera, but
also offers easy set-up and alignment. Practical and cost-
efcient, the AD-O80CL is ideally-suited for a large variety
of applications, including:
•Inspection and sorting of food, such as fruit, vegetables,
nuts, meat, and grains – including the ability to check the
contents under printed packages
•Print inspection of packaging, such as cosmetics and
food packaging
•Surface inspection of textiles and other flat products
•Print board inspection
•Electronics inspection
•Security print inspections including currency, checks,
airline tickets, lottery tickets, and passports
•Advanced surface property and quality inspection of
wood, metal, and other materials
AD-080 CL multi-spectral 2-CCD solution features
1/3” progressive scan camera
1024 (h) x 768 (v) pixels
Up to 30 frames/second
Continuous or triggered operation
Channel balancing by gain or by exposure time (individual)
Camera Link® interface and GigE Vision™ interface
NIR cut-off at 760 nm

Visit our web site on www.jai.com
Company and product names mentioned in this datasheet are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. JAI A·S cannot be held responsible for any technical or typographical errors and reserves the right to make changes to products and documentation without prior notification.
Europe, Middle East & Africa
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Asia Pacic
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]
Americas
Phone (Toll-Free) 1 800 445 5444
Phone [phone]
The camera’s spectral separation provides critical image
information across a wide range of inspection tasks. In food
inspection applications, for instance, the visible spectrum
channel captures clear images of the surface properties and
checks for ripeness, while the NIR channel checks for early
signs of decay, mechanical bruising and pest damage below
the surface. If a fruit is the right color, most of the light
from the NIR signal bounces back. When one area of the
fruit absorbs more light than the others, it’s likely that the
area’s cell structure is different from the rest of the fruit –
indicating internal decay or damage.
In many cases, human eyes cannot distinguish between defects
and natural color variation. The NIR channel allows the
AD-080CL to easily pick out imperfect items.
The NIR channel detects hard-to-see aws hidden in fabrics –
in this case, a human hair.
The technology behind JAI’s multi-spectral breakthrough
Though many camera manufacturers produce prism-based
cameras, the ability to customize the prism optics to cre-
ate a robust 2-CCD solution has proved a challenge. JAI’s
unique research and development capabilities, combined
with its multi-prism camera expertise, have enabled the
company to be the rst to bring the much-needed solution
to market.
JAI has developed unique manufacturing equipment that en-
ables high-precision bonding of image sensors onto the prism
assembly. This makes the AD-080CL more cost-efcient to
produce than other solutions on the market – and allows JAI
to offer the camera at a more competitive price.
The 2-CCD AD-080CL is based on the technology found in
JAI’s 3-CCD solutions – but is specically designed to man-
age visible and NIR light information. These two spectral
bands are fully separated in the prism by diachronic coat-
ings, so they do not affect one another. The result is true
multi-spectral information from each channel.
The AD-080CL aligns the visible and NIR images within one
fourth of a pixel (a level of precision that’s not possible with
two separate cameras) and maintains this stable alignment
throughout its lifetime.
These spectral curves show the lters’ spectral behavior. The
diachronic coatings on the prism separate the color and NIR light
information.
Greater exibility for broader applications
The AD-080CL, the rst camera in JAI’s AD-080 series, inte-
grates seamlessly with the CameraLink™ interface. JAI is
planning to release models compatible with GigE Vision™ and
other interfaces in the near future.
Designed to bring inspection capability to previously inacces-
sible places on the processing line, the AD-080 CL features a
1/3” prism that allows for a small camera housing design of
55H x 55W x 80L mm. For the best imaging results, the camera
features standard C-mount lenses, which give a higher degree
of lens exibility and further reduce production costs.
The choice between continuous and triggered operation means
the camera can either produce a continuous stream of images
in free-running mode – or can be triggered to capture single
images. And separate exposure time for each channel allows
the channels to be adjusted to one another without changes
in the gain – maintaining a consistent signal-to-noise ratio at
all times.