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6M18 Camera User’s Manual

5

DALSA

03-32-10017-03

 1

Introduction to the 6M18

Introduction to the 6M18

Introduction to the 6M18

Introduction to the 6M18

Camera

Camera

Camera

Camera

 1.1 Camera Highlights

Features

3072 x 2048 resolution, Full-frame
CCD architecture.

18 fps four channel at full resolution,
4 x 40 MHz data rate

True 12-bit digitization

Progressive scan readout

Asynchronous image capture, externally triggerable to within 200ns.

Available with F-mount or M72x1 mount.

Selectable binning

Programmable operation via RS232, including gain  (1x and 10x) , binning, and triggering

100% fill factor

Description

The 6M18 digital camera provides high-sensitivity 12-bit images with 3k x 2k spatial resolution at
up to 18 frames per second (fps). The 6M18 is a Full Frame CCD camera using a progressive scan
CCD to simultaneously achieve outstanding resolution and gray scale characteristics. A square
pixel format and high fill factor provide superior, quantifiable image quality even at low light
levels.

Applications

The 6M18 is an outstanding performer in fast, very high resolution applications. True 12 bit
performance provides up to 4096 distinct gray levels—perfect for applications with large
interscene light variations. The low-noise, digitized video signal also makes the camera an
excellent choice where low contrast images must be captured in challenging applications.

Summary of Contents for Dalsa DS-4x-06M18

Page 1: ...DALSTAR 6M18 DS 4x 06M18 18 fps 3k x 2k CCD Camera User s Manual and Reference Document number 03 32 10017 Revision 03 ...

Page 2: ... or for information on DALSA s extensive line of image sensing products please call DALSA Sales Offices Waterloo Europe Asia Pacific 605 McMurray Rd Waterloo ON N2V 2E9 Canada Tel 519 886 6000 Fax 519 886 8023 www dalsa com sales dalsa com Breslauer Str 34 D 82194 Gröbenzell Munich Germany Tel 49 8142 46770 Fax 49 8142 467746 www dalsa com europe dalsa com Space G1 Building 4F 2 40 2 Ikebukuro Tos...

Page 3: ...ication Settings 18 2 9 TTL Trigger Input and Output 18 2 10 Integration Time 19 2 11 Timing 19 Camera Operation ______________________________________________________ 21 3 1 How to Control the Camera 21 3 3 Control Register Reference 23 3 4 Resetting the ADC boards soft reset 24 3 5 Adjusting User Gain 24 3 6 Automatic Offset Control AOC 25 3 7 Reading the Camera Type 26 3 8 Reading the Firmware ...

Page 4: ...intenance ________________________________________________ 35 5 1 Cleaning 35 5 2 Maintenance 36 Troubleshooting________________________________________________________ 37 Warranty_____________________________________________________________ 39 7 1 Limited One Year Warranty 39 Index _______________________________________________________________ 41 ...

Page 5: ...fill factor Description The 6M18 digital camera provides high sensitivity 12 bit images with 3k x 2k spatial resolution at up to 18 frames per second fps The 6M18 is a Full Frame CCD camera using a progressive scan CCD to simultaneously achieve outstanding resolution and gray scale characteristics A square pixel format and high fill factor provide superior quantifiable image quality even at low li...

Page 6: ...f pixels 3120 H x 2060 V Optical black pixels Left 20 Right 20 Timing pixels Left 4 Right 4 Dummy register cells Left 7 Right 7 Optical black lines Bottom 6 Top 6 Table 2 Sensor Cosmetic Specifications Type Allowable Blemishes Columns 1 Clusters 6 Pixels 36 Definition of blemishes Pixel defect Pixel whose signal at nominal light illumination at 50 of the linear range deviates more than 30 from its...

Page 7: ...pixels 3072x2048 Pixel Size µm 12x12 Chip Working Area mm 36 86 x 24 57 Pixel Fill Factor 100 Image Sensor Grade Industrial Grade See Table 2 Sensor Cosmetic Specifications Size mm 146x92x105 Mass kg 1 05 Power Dissipation W 27 Output Data Format LVDS 4 x 12 Bit LVDS 1 Serial Port Setup 9600 8N1 Serial Data Format Hexadecimal Lens Mount F mount and M72x1mm Cooling Fan Present Operating Ranges Unit...

Page 8: ...2 0 3 PRNU 0 5 5 4 Responsivity 530nm DN nj cm2 32 36 41 Notes Notes Notes Notes 1 Each of the 60 Pin Molex connectors contains 2 12 bit data words synchronized to 1 set of control signals 2 Max supply ripple for Performance specs 5mV 3 FPN Fixed Pattern Noise defined by the following equation FPN DNrms Std_dev Dark_image i j Dark_image i j pixel by pixel average of a statistically significant num...

Page 9: ...amera User s Manual 9 DALSA 03 32 10017 03 Dark_average i j pixel by pixel average image of a statistically significant number of data frames in darkness Std_dev standard deviation mean mean of all pixels i j ...

Page 10: ...6M18 Camera User s Manual 10 DALSA 03 32 10017 03 ...

Page 11: ...Power Input 5 Inspect all cables and connectors prior to installation Do not use damaged cables or connectors or the camera may be damaged 6 Connect data serial interface and power cables 7 After connecting cables apply power to the camera The POST power on self test LED on the back of the camera should glow green after one second to indicate that the camera is operating and ready to receive comma...

Page 12: ...A T A 1 D A T A 2 P O W E R 2 3 LED Status Indicators There are three LED s visible on the rear cover of the camera that indicate the status of the camera Table 4 LED Functions LED Label Color LED ON LED OFF POST Green Camera Power On Self Test successful Camera failed Power On Self Test BIN Green Camera is operating in a binning mode Camera is operating unbinned 1x1 MODE Green Camera is in an ext...

Page 13: ...t or disconnect cable while power is on Do not use the shield on a multi conductor cable for ground Keep leads as short as possible to reduce voltage drop Use high quality linear supplies to minimize noise Table 6 6M18 Power Requirements V DC Max Ripple mV I A 15 0 5 5 0 40 5 0 5 5 3 25 5 0 5 5 0 55 Note Performance specifications are not guaranteed if your power supply does not meet these require...

Page 14: ...ector Pinout 15 1 16 30 45 31 46 60 Molex Part 70928 2000 or equivalent Table 7 DATA1 Connector Pinout Pin Symbol Pin Symbol Pin Symbol Pin Symbol 1 DA0 16 Reserved 31 DB8 46 GND 2 DA0 17 DA7 32 DB8 47 DB11 3 DA1 18 DA7 33 DB7 48 DB11 4 DA1 19 DA8 34 DB7 49 DB10 5 DA2 20 DA8 35 DB6 50 DB10 6 DA2 21 DA9 36 DB6 51 DB9 7 DA3 22 DA9 37 DB5 52 DB9 8 DA3 23 DA10 38 DB5 53 Reserved 9 DA4 24 DA10 39 DB4 5...

Page 15: ... DC1 19 DC8 34 DD7 49 DD10 5 DC2 20 DC8 35 DD6 50 DD10 6 DC2 21 DC9 36 DD6 51 DD9 7 DC3 22 DC9 37 DD5 52 DD9 8 DC3 23 DC10 38 DD5 53 Reserved 9 DC4 24 DC10 39 DD4 54 Reserved 10 DC4 25 DC11 40 DD4 55 VSYNC 11 DC5 26 DC11 41 DD3 56 VSYNC 12 DC5 27 DD0 42 DD3 57 HSYNC 13 DC6 28 DD0 43 DD2 58 HSYNC 14 DC6 29 DD1 44 DD2 59 PIXCLK 15 Reserved 30 DD1 45 GND 60 PIXCLK WARNING Care must be taken when conn...

Page 16: ...utput Data is valid on the falling edge Note that data and PIXCLK frequency is dependent on binning mode Reference section 3 12 Triggering Integration and Frame Rate Overview HSYNC HSYNC Horizontal sync true and complement Output HSYNC high indicates the camera is outputting a valid line of data The number of valid lines in a frame depends on binning mode Reference section 3 12 Triggering Integrat...

Page 17: ...e camera are configured as DTE Data Terminal Equipment devices requiring the TXD and RXD lines to be swapped when interconnecting the two note that pin 4 normally the yellow wire is not used on the RJ 11 That is the TXD pin represents DATA OUT and the RXD pin represents DATA IN on both devices so that one device s TXD line must connect to the other device s RXD line and vice versa Figure 6 25 Pin ...

Page 18: ...w profile RJ 11 modular connector The connector is a 6 position model but only the center four positions are populated with contacts It will mate with either the 4 position or 6 position cable plugs This type of connector typically requires special assembly tools complete cable assemblies are available from suppliers such as Digi Key Digi Key 701 Brooks Ave South Thief River Falls MN 56701 1 800 3...

Page 19: ...strobed 2 11 Timing The 6M18 pixel clock runs at 40 MHz so each pixel clock cycle will be 1 40 000 000 or 25 Ns The following diagram and tables describe the correct timing requirements for the 6M18 camera Figure 9 6M18 Timing Table 11 HSYNC Pixel Timing Horizontal Binning Mode A B C D E F 1x 11 26 1536 13 518 0 2x 5 16 768 4 539 0 4x 3 6 384 3 550 0 VSYNC HSYNC PIXEL CLOCK 1 2 3 A B C C E D F IMP...

Page 20: ... rising edge of VSYNC to the rising edge of HSYNC B represents the number of falling clock edges prior to the first word Pre Scan pixels C represents the number of words per line D represents the number of falling clock edges between the last word and the falling edge of HSYNC Post Scan pixels E represents the number of falling clock edges between a falling HSYNC and a rising HSYNC F represents th...

Page 21: ... RS 232 compatible signals Camera commands are divided into two basic sets ADC commands which apply to the electronics that process and digitize the video These include gain and offset ADC commands are board specific and changing all four channels requires commands to be sent to both ADC boards Control Register commands which apply to the electronics that drive the image sensor These include clock...

Page 22: ...h 00 0011 3h 01 0011 A or C MS byte of 16 bit ll bl 6h 00 0110 6h 01 0110 B or D LS byte of 16 bit ll bl Gain 7h 00 0111 7h 01 0111 B or D MS byte of 16 bit user controllable gain Ah 00 1010 Ah 01 1010 A B or C D AOC Set Point Bh 00 1011 Bh 01 1011 A B or C D LS byte of AOC initial value Ch 00 1100 Ch 01 1100 A B or C D MS byte of AOC initial value AOC Dh 00 1101 Dh 01 1101 A B or C D AOC Loop Gai...

Page 23: ... The Read Control Register command allows interrogation of the camera to determine current configuration of the control register Table 15 Control Register Bit Definitions Register Write Command Read Command Bit Function Default Reset 80h NA 7 0 Resets all registers to default values NA Camera Type NA C3h 7 0 Read camera type 4Dh Firmware Rev NA C5h 7 0 Read firmware revision Fxh 7 Integration Mode...

Page 24: ...just powered up This causes the dark reference control loop to restart at its initial values before settling in to the calibrated dark reference level of approximately 50 counts This is useful because under some conditions issuing a soft reset to the ADC board s microprocessor after camera operating conditions have changed will improve the rate at which the offset control loop pulls into the calib...

Page 25: ...nary 0101 0011 0101 0010 Hex 53 52 Note At any gain setting the CCD imager is subject to blooming when it is over illuminated To remedy over illumination reduce the integration time or select a higher f stop value 3 6 Automatic Offset Control AOC The AOC defines the digitized value of black for the camera An ideal camera no dark current no shot noise etc in total darkness produces an image with al...

Page 26: ...ibble is the revision number for the clock board firmware and the upper nibble is undefined The ability to read this value may assist in customer support issues Example Read the firmware version Command Binary 1100 0101 Hex C5h 3 9 Resetting the Camera hard reset This is the only other write command that is not followed by a data byte This command resets all clock board and ADC board registers to ...

Page 27: ...cal dimension Horizontal and vertical binning can be controlled independently e g this allows combinations such as 2v x 1h or 1v x 4h The default value for the binning is 1x1 To enable binning you must write a command 85h to Register 2 followed by a data byte that defines how many horizontal and vertical pixels to bin The binning command must be followed by a data byte where bits 0 through 2 H nib...

Page 28: ...tion unless something is done to prevent this In order to prevent this by default the camera flushes the image area clean by performing a rapid transfer of the charge out of the imaging area of the CCD immediately before the start of each integration period This transfer requires approximately 1 2 mS of time Under some conditions this 1 2 mS time delay before the start of the integration period is...

Page 29: ...on The 6M18 allows you to control integration also known as exposure time in five ways Programmed Integration Free Running default The camera free runs with the internally programmed integration time and frame rate Programmed Integration SMA Trigger The camera will integrate for the internally programmed time when triggered by a TTL high pulse on the SMA connector Programmed Integration Serial tri...

Page 30: ...med integration time The camera s default integration time value is 5 ms which achieve 18 fps Example Set integration time to 1000ms 1 Using the command 82h set bit 7 of the data byte to 0 Integration Mode Internal and bit 3 of the data byte to 0 Trigger Mode Internal NOTE All bits within the register are written at one time Ensure the correct value for all bits are used when changing camera modes...

Page 31: ... in External Integrate SMA mode a TTL rising edge on the TRIGGER IN or SYNC signal triggers the camera to acquire one frame of data Integration begins within 200 ns after the rising edge and stops within 550 ns after the falling edge After that single frame acquisition the camera outputs the just acquired frame and re arms thus waiting for a new External Trigger signal to trigger a new frame acqui...

Page 32: ...e section 3 13 Controlling Integration Mode Free Running This mode is the camera s default The camera will operate at the maximum frame rate for the programmed integration time Reference section 3 13 Controlling Integration External Trigger Programmed Integration This is the same as External Integrate SMA Trigger Mode Reference to section 3 13 Controlling Integration Mode Example Set the Frame Rat...

Page 33: ...cal Optical and Mechanical Optical and Mechanical Optical and Mechanical Considerations Considerations Considerations Considerations 4 1 Mechanical Interface Figure 11 Camera Dimensions An M72 F mount adapter is available from DALSA Contact DALSA sales for more information ...

Page 34: ...20 Mechanical Tolerances Additional Dimensions Center of sensor with respect to lens mount 025 Planarity of lens flange to sensor 010 Rotation of sensor 3 4 3 Mounting the Camera The 6M18 can be mounted via the3 8 deep 1 4 20 threaded tripod mount located on the bottom of the camera ...

Page 35: ...highly non uniform response when affected by charge build up with some pixels displaying a much higher response when the sensor is exposed to uniform illumination The charge normally dissipates within 24 hours and the sensor returns to normal operation Preventing ESD Damage To prevent ESD damage DALSA advises you to take the following handling precautions 1 Ground yourself prior to handling CCDs 2...

Page 36: ...sary Oil is usually introduced during handling Touching the surface of the window barehanded will leave oily residues Using rubber fingercots and rubber gloves can prevent contamination However the friction between rubber and the window may produce electrostatic charge that may damage the sensor To avoid ESD damage and to avoid introducing oily residues only hold the sensor from the edges of the c...

Page 37: ...6M18 Camera User s Manual 37 DALSA 03 32 10017 03 6 Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Troubleshooting ...

Page 38: ...6M18 Camera User s Manual 38 DALSA 03 32 10017 03 ...

Page 39: ...A or by hardware software interfacing or peripherals not provided by DALSA DALSA shall have no obligation to modify or update products once manufactured This warranty does not apply to DALSA Software Products Note if the camera has a non standard cover glass e g taped the warranty is void on the CCD How to Obtain Service for Your Equipment If you want to return your product for repair contact DALS...

Page 40: ...6M18 Camera User s Manual 40 DALSA 03 32 10017 03 ...

Page 41: ...Revision 26 Frame Rate 32 G Gain adjusting 25 Gain Range 7 H hard reset 26 HSYNC 16 I Image Sensor 6 Installation Overview 11 Integration Mode 30 L LED Status Indicators 12 M Mass 7 MODE LED 12 O Operating Ranges 7 Operating Temp 7 P parity 18 Physical Characteristics 7 Pinout 13 15 16 PIXCLK 16 Pixel Size 7 POST LED 12 Power Dissipation 7 R Resetting 24 Resolution 7 RJ 11 17 S Serial Communicatio...

Page 42: ...6M18 Camera User s Manual 42 DALSA 03 32 10017 03 V Video Timing 19 VSYNC 16 W Warranty 43 ...

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