Basler sprint 2k and 4k mono line scan cameras have successfully made the transition from their start up phase to full series production. Just as with other Basler cameras, each sprint is assembled using an optimized production process in a clean room environment. And each camera is subjected to a suite of sophisticated tests in Basler’s Camera Test Tool (CTT+) to ensure the highest quality. The CTT+ includes calibration routines for the camera's sensor and startup parameters as well as numerous other tests.

The Basler sprint has been very successful and has gained great market acceptance in just a short time after the product launch. The cameras exhibit outstanding performance in high speed applications or where light is limited. The maximum line rate of the sprint does not decrease at higher resolutions and remains at 140 kHz for both the 2k and 4k models. To achieve adequate exposure with the extremely short integration times seen at very high speeds, the sprint's sensor was designed to have exceptionally sensitive pixels. Due to its very low noise level, the sprint provides a very high SNR (signal-to-noise ratio). This means that sprint cameras can perform well under conditions where most conventional line scan cameras would output a signal that is mainly noise.

The cameras in the sprint family include powerful features such as an AOI (area of interest) with linear speed increase, shading correction, test images, line stamps, configuration sets, and error condition detection. Two types of shading correction (PRNU and DSNU correction) will let users correct for image variations that may result from optics, lighting, or sensor performance. The more homogeneous behavior provided by shading correction can be a major advantage for many vision applications. Also worth mentioning is a time delayed Line Sum feature that can double the camera’s sensitivity and increase the SNR by up to 3 dB. This is achieved by using the two lines in the sensor to scan each area on the object twice and then combining the collected information.

In the third quarter of 2008, the Basler sprint series will be extended even further. Monochrome cameras with a resolution of 8k and color versions in all standard resolutions will be introduced.

Basler Components designs and manufactures digital cameras for industrial, medical, and traffic system applications, and also for the video surveillance market. Products include color and monochrome line scan, area scan, and intelligent cameras as well as innovative and flexible IP cameras. Basler has more than 20 years of experience in image processing. We have designed and manufactured high quality digital cameras for over 10 years. Product designs are driven by industry requirements and offer easy interfacing, compact size, and a strong price/performance ratio.

Courtesy of Basler