Basler aviator Camera Link Setup Guide
Basler aviator Camera Link cameras are high-performance industrial cameras designed for demanding imaging applications. With their advanced features and exceptional image quality, they are ideal for a wide range of industries, including factory automation, medical imaging, and scientific research. Their compact size, robust design, and flexible connectivity make them suitable for integration into various systems.
ಜಾಹಿರಾತು
ಜಾಹಿರಾತು
Basler aviator
INSTALLATION AND SETUP GUIDE FOR
CAMERA LINK CAMERAS
Document Number: AW000832
Version: 06 Language: 000 (English)
Release Date: 15 January 2015
For customers in the USA
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
You are cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void your authority to operate this equipment.
The shielded interface cable recommended in this manual must be used with this equipment in order to comply with the limits for a computing device pursuant to Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC
Rules.
Export compliance
The pylon Camera Software Suite is not listed on the U.S. Commerce Control List (CCL) and does not require a license to be exported or re-exported. It does not have a specific export control classification number (ECCN) and is therefore designated as EAR99.
For customers in Canada
This apparatus complies with the Class A limits for radio noise emissions set out in Radio
Interference Regulations.
Pour utilisateurs au Canada
Cet appareil est conforme aux normes Classe A pour bruits radioélectriques, spécifiées dans le
Règlement sur le brouillage radioélectrique.
Life support applications
These products are not designed for use in life support appliances, devices, or systems where malfunction of these products can reasonably be expected to result in personal injury. Basler customers using or selling these products for use in such applications do so at their own risk and agree to fully indemnify Basler for any damages resulting from such improper use or sale.
Warranty note
Do not open the housing of the camera. The warranty becomes void if the housing is opened.
All material in this publication is subject to change without notice and is copyright
Basler AG.
Contacting Basler Support Worldwide
Europe
Basler AG
An der Strusbek 60 - 62
22926 Ahrensburg
Germany
Tel. +49 4102 463 515
Fax +49 4102 463 599 [email protected]
The Americas
Basler, Inc.
855 Springdale Drive, Suite 203
Exton, PA 19341
U.S.A.
Tel. +1 610 280 0171
Fax +1 610 280 7608 [email protected]
Asia
Basler Asia Pte. Ltd.
35 Marsiling Industrial Road 3
# 05 - 06
Singapore 739257
Tel. +65 6367 1355
Fax +65 6367 1255 [email protected]
www.baslerweb.com
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
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Basler aviator Camera Link 1
Table of Contents
2 Basler aviator Camera Link
AW00083206000
1 Introduction
Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras
The installation procedures in this guide assume that you want to get your camera operational and begin capturing images as quickly and as simply as possible. Accordingly, the procedures describe a desktop installation for one camera. The procedures also assume that you will be using the Basler pylon Camera Software Suite to set the parameters on your camera and that you will only have
Camera Link cameras connected to the computer.
1.1
General Preparations
Make sure that the following items are available before starting installation:
A Basler aviator Camera Link camera.
A power supply for the camera. Make sure that the power supply meets all of the requirements listed in the aviator Camera Link user’s manual (AW000830).
An appropriate C-mount lens.
If you already know which lens you will be using in your application, use this lens. Otherwise, we suggest that you use a zoom lens for your initial testing and setup. If you need assistance in determining the best lens for your application, contact Basler technical support. The contact numbers appear in the title pages of this guide.
A PC equipped with a Camera Link frame grabber.
The PC must be equipped with a 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1 operating system.
The frame grabber must support at least the base Camera Link configuration. It also should be able to handle a camera with a 65 MHz Camera Link pixel clock.
An appropriate AC power cable (see the camera user’s manual).
An appropriate Camera Link cable (see the camera user’s manual).
An appropriate cable for connecting the camera’s I/O lines if desired (see the camera user’s manual).
A copy of the Basler pylon Camera Software Suite.
You can download the Basler pylon Camera Software Suite free of charge from the Basler website: www.baslerweb.com
You should perform the hardware installation first and the software installation second.
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1.2
Frame Grabber Preparations
The following procedures assume that you have installed a Camera Link frame grabber in your PC, that you have properly installed all software included with the frame grabber, and that you understand how your frame grabber operates.
To correctly use a Camera Link camera, you must be thoroughly familiar with the operation of your frame grabber.
All aviator camera models have a default Camera Link clock speed of 65 MHz, however, not all frame grabbers are compatible with a clock speed this high. You should check the documentation for your frame grabber and make sure that it can operate at a 65 MHz pixel clock speed. If it cannot, the clock speed of the camera can be changed to 20 MHz, 32.5 MHz, 40 MHz, or 48 MHz. For more
information about changing the Camera Link pixel clock speed, see Section 4 on page 15
.
1.2.1
Location of the Serial Port File
All Camera Link compliant frame grabbers must be supplied with a dll file which describes the characteristics of the serial port that is built into the frame grabber. This serial port is used for communication between your PC and your camera via the Camera Link interface.
The name of the file supplied by the frame grabber manufacturer will have the form clser***.dll
where *** is determined by the manufacturer of the grabber and usually represents the manufacturer’s name. For example, a frame grabber made by the "Acme" company may supply a file called clseracme.dll
.
By default, your frame grabber’s clser***.dll
will be located at the following path: %Program
Files%\CameraLink\Serial
The frame grabber software should take care that the dll file is located correctly for the PC-tocamera communication via the serial port. If no communication can be established, check whether the dll file is located at the path specified by the Windows registry key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CameraLink\CLSerialPath . If the dll file is not at this location, contact the frame grabber vendor.
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AW00083206000 Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras
1.2.2
Frame Grabber Camera Files
For your camera to operate properly with your frame grabber, you must install the correct frame grabber camera file. In essence, the camera file informs the frame grabber about how the pixel information coming from the camera will be ordered and about the bit depth of the pixel data.
Depending on the frame grabber supplier, there can be a separate camera file for each combination of camera model and pixel data format or a camera file may cover several different camera models.
Typically, each frame grabber supplier has a different naming scheme for their camera files. For example, Matrox refers to the camera files for their grabbers as "Digital Configuration Files" or DCF files and National Instruments refers to theirs as "Interface Camera Descriptors" or ICD files.
Camera files appropriate for the aviator must be supplied by your frame grabber manufacturer. If you don’t have the camera files for your frame grabber, you can usually find them on the supplier’s website.
Once you have the camera files, there are three things you must keep in mind:
The camera file that you obtain and install must be appropriate for the pixel data format setting that you will be using on your camera. See the aviator Camera Link user’s manual
(AW000830) for information about available pixel data formats.
The camera file must be installed in the correct location on your PC. This location varies depending on your frame grabber supplier. See the documentation for your frame grabber to determine where the camera files should be installed.
The camera must be set for your desired pixel data format. You can set the camera’s pixel data format using the pylon software you will be installing later in this guide.
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AW00083206000 Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras
2 Hardware Installation
2.1
Avoiding EMI and ESD Problems
The cameras are frequently installed in industrial environments. These environments often include devices that generate electromagnetic interference (EMI) and they are prone to electrostatic discharge (ESD). Excessive EMI and ESD can cause problems with your camera such as false triggering or can cause the camera to suddenly stop capturing images. EMI and ESD can also have a negative impact on the quality of the image data transmitted by the camera.
To avoid problems with EMI and ESD, you should follow these general guidelines:
Always use high quality shielded cables. The use of high quality cables is one of the best defenses against EMI and ESD.
Try to use camera cables that are the correct length and try to run the camera cables and power cables parallel to each other. Avoid coiling camera cables. If the cables are too long, use a meandering path rather than coiling the cables.
Avoid placing camera cables parallel to wires carrying high-current, switching voltages such as wires supplying stepper motors or electrical devices that employ switching technology. Placing camera cables near to these types of devices may cause problems with the camera.
Attempt to connect all grounds to a single point, e.g., use a single power outlet for the entire system and connect all grounds to the single outlet. This will help to avoid large ground loops.
(Large ground loops can be a primary cause of EMI problems.)
Use a line filter on the main power supply.
Install the camera and camera cables as far away as possible from devices generating sparks.
If necessary, use additional shielding.
Decrease the risk of electrostatic discharge by taking the following measures:
Use conductive materials at the point of installation (e.g. floor, workplace).
Use suitable clothing (cotton) and shoes.
Control the humidity in your environment. Low humidity can cause ESD problems.
The Basler application note Avoiding EMI and ESD in Basler Camera Installations provides much more detail about avoiding EMI and ESD.
The application note can be downloaded at: www.baslerweb.com
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2.2
Installation Procedure
2.2.1
Precautions
NOTICE
Applying incorrect power can damage the camera.
The camera’s nominal operating voltage is +12 VDC (± 10 %). If the voltage applied to the camera is greater than +13.2 VDC, severe damage to the camera can result. If the voltage is less than
+10.8 VDC, the camera may operate erratically.
Make sure that the polarity of the power applied to the camera is correct. Applying power with the wrong polarity can result in severe damage to the camera.
NOTICE
Making or breaking connections incorrectly can damage the camera.
Be sure that all power to your camera and to your host PC is switched off before you make or break connections to the camera. Making or breaking connections when power is on can result in damage to the camera or to the frame grabber.
NOTICE
On color cameras, the lens thread length is limited.
Color models of the camera with a C-mount lens adapter are equipped with an IR cut filter mounted inside of the adapter. The location of this filter limits the length of the threads on any lens you use with the camera. If a lens with a very long thread length is used, the IR cut filter will be damaged or destroyed and the camera will no longer operate. Do not use a lens with a thread length greater than 7.5 mm.
NOTICE
Avoid dust on the sensor.
The camera is shipped with a plastic cap on the lens mount. To avoid collecting dust on the camera’s IR cut filter (color cameras) or sensor (mono cameras), make sure that you always put the plastic cap in place when there is no lens mounted on the camera.
Every time you remove or replace the plastic cap, a lens, or a lens adapter, make sure that the camera is pointing down.
Never apply compressed air to the camera. This can easily contaminate optical components, particularly the sensor.
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AW00083206000 Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras
2.2.2
Installation
To install the camera hardware, follow these steps:
1. Make sure that your camera power supply is not connected to the camera and that the power to your host PC is switched off.
2. Remove the cap from the lens mount on the camera and mount a lens on the camera.
3. Mount the camera in your test setup.
4. Plug one end of a Camera Link cable into the MDR connector on the camera and the other end of the Camera Link cable into the connector on your frame grabber that is designated as the base configuration connector.
26-pin
MDR connector
5. Make sure that the connectors on the cable are securely fastened to the camera and to the frame grabber. If the connectors are loose, they WILL cause problems with your images.
6. Switch on the power to your host PC and let the PC boot up.
7. If you obtained the power supply for your camera directly from Basler: a. Connect the plug on the power supply’s output cable to the 6-pin power connector on the camera.
b. Plug the power supply into an AC outlet.
If you are using a power supply that was not obtained from Basler: a. Refer to the Interface chapter in your camera user’s manual and locate the information regarding the camera input power. Make sure that your power supply can meet the input power requirements.
b. In the Interface chapter, locate the information regarding the power connector on your camera. Make sure that the output cable on your power supply is correctly wired and that the cable is terminated with the proper type of plug.
If the cable is miswired or the incorrect plug is used, severe damage to the camera can result.
c. Connect the plug on the power supply’s output cable to the 6-pin power connector on the camera.
d. Plug the power supply into an AC outlet.
Hardware installation is complete. Go to the software installation procedure that starts on the next page.
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AW00083206000 Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras
3 Software Installation
3.1
Installing the Basler pylon Camera
Software Suite
To install the Basler pylon Camera Software Suite:
1. If you have old Basler pylon software installed on your system, make sure to uninstall the software.
2. Close all open Windows based applications on your computer. We most strongly recommend that you close all open applications now .
3. Download the appropriate installer from the Basler website ( www.baslerweb.com
) to a local directory on your computer:
If you are using a 32-bit Windows operating system, download the installer
Basler pylon x86 x.x.x.xxxx.exe
.
If you are using a 64-bit Windows operating system, download the installer
Basler pylon x64 x.x.x.xxxx.exe
.
4. Close all open applications.
5. Launch the downloaded installer.
6. In the Setup Wizard , on the Welcome page, click Next .
7. On the License Agreement page, accept the agreement and click the Next button.
8. On the Customer Information page, enter the appropriate information and click the Next button.
9. On the Destination Folder page, determine the directory where you want to install the software to and click the Next button.
10. On the Custom Setup page, a list of program features is displayed. a. Deselect the features of the pylon software that you do not want to install. b. Only select those features of the pylon software you want to install.
The example shown below assumes that you install the 64-bit version of the Basler pylon software, that you will only use Camera Link cameras, and that your applications and software development only use C++.
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The deselected software features will not be installed. However, if you want you can easily install them later.
11. Click the Next button.
12. On the Ready to Install the Program page, click the Install button.
13. On the Setup Wizard Completed page, click the Finish button.
The installation program has added a shortcut on the desktop for the pylon Viewer .
14. Check the installed software features:
Windows 7: Click Start > All Programs > Basler > pylon 4 Camera Software Suite .
Windows 8 or 8.1: Right-click on the bottom-left corner of the screen, then click Search to open the Apps view. You can find the installed software features in the Basler group.
The Basler pylon software installation is complete.
For more information about installing the Basler pylon Camera Software Suite, see the Installation and Setup Guide for Cameras Used with Basler pylon for Windows (AW000611).
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AW00083206000 Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras
3.2
Configuring the Camera Link Serial Port
To communicate with the camera, the pylon Camera Software Suite uses a serial port that is built into the Camera Link interface on your frame grabber. Before the pylon software can communicate with the camera, you must configure the serial port.
To configure the Camera Link serial port:
1. Open the pylon CL Configurator:
Windows 7: Double-click the pylon CL Configurator icon on your desktop.
Windows 8 or 8.1: Click the pylon CL Configurator icon on the Start screen.
2. A pylon CL Configurator window will open as shown below. The following figure shows the pylon CL Configurator window for the 64-bit version of the Basler pylon software as an example.
A list of ports that are supported by the Camera Link interface will be displayed in the window.
If you use a 64-bit operating system:
The CL Configurator and pylon Viewer in use and the clser***.dll
files must match. Otherwise the ports will not be displayed:
If 32-bit versions of your frame grabber’s clser***.dll
files are installed, you must run the 32-bit versions of the CL Configurator and Viewer.
If 64-bit versions of your frame grabber’s clser***.dll
files are installed, you must run the 64-bit versions of the CL Configurator and Viewer.
If, for example, you are running the 32-bit version of the CL Configurator and the ports are not displayed, run the 64-bit version of the CL Installer to display ports that are related to 64-bit versions of clser***.dll
files.
3. Determine which port will be used for communication between the PC and the camera.
Usually, this will be the port that is built into the frame grabber. For the port on the frame grabber, you will typically see the name of the frame grabber manufacturer included as part of
Basler aviator Camera Link 11
Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras AW00083206000 the port name. In the example shown below, we are using a frame grabber from the "Acme" company, and "Acme" is included as part of the port name.
Select the port that you want to use as shown below.
In the following step, you will be probing ports to see if cameras are attached.
We suggest that you only probe the port(s) that you will be using to communicate with a Camera Link camera running with Basler pylon software.
Probing a port that has a device other than a Camera Link camera running with
Basler pylon connected to it may change the configuration of the port and may cause the device to stop operating correctly.
4. In this step, you will probe the selected port(s) to see if a camera is connected to the port.
When the port is probed, the port configuration will be changed as required and the CL
Configurator will attempt to establish communication with any camera connected to the port.
To probe the selected port(s), click the Probe Enabled Ports button.
(You can also probe an individual port by right clicking on a port ID in the list and clicking on
Probe this port from the menu that appears.)
5. The selected port(s) will be probed which may take up to approximately one minute for each port.
During the probing the CL Configurator will test whether data can be reliably transmitted from the camera at the maximum possible baud rate supported by the frame grabber.
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If a camera is detected, it will be indicated in the pylon CL Configurator window.
If an error is detected, the test will be repeated at successively lower baud rates until a maximum baud rate is found where all data are reliably transmitted. When this is achieved, a warning message will open informing that data is not reliably transmitted at the maximum possible baud rate:
If the warning message has opened, take the following steps to ensure the most efficient data transmission: a. Check connectors and cable of the serial connection.
b. Obtain, if available, an updated clser***.dll
file from the frame grabber manufacturer.
You need administrative privileges to change the baud rate in the next step.
c. Click Yes . This will automatically set a maximum baud rate for the port where reliable data transmission is ensured. If you click No , the maximum possible baud rate supported by the frame grabber will be used but reliable data transmission is not ensured.
d. If you want to set the baud rate manually, click the Advanced...
button in the pylon CL
Configurator window.
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You need administrative privileges to use the Advanced Baud Rate
Settings window.
The Advanced Baud Rate Settings window opens.
Select a frame grabber manufacturer in the left pane and set a maximum baud rate in the right pane. The set maximum baud rate will apply for all ports related to the selected manufacturer.
Click OK to save the settings and close the window.
6. Click the Save button to save the port configuration and click the Close button to close the CL
Configurator.
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AW00083206000 Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras
4 Acquiring Your First Images
Before attempting to acquire images, make sure that the camera hardware and software have been installed as described earlier in this guide.
To adjust your camera settings, we suggest that you use the Basler pylon Viewer. The pylon Viewer will give you the most complete access to your camera’s parameters. The steps below assume that you are using the pylon Viewer.
The pylon Viewer cannot display the images acquired by Camera Link cameras (this is due to the proprietary methods used by frame grabbers to assemble the image data captured by the camera).
To view the images you are acquiring, we strongly suggest that you use the software supplied with your frame grabber. Most frame grabbers include software for viewing acquired images. If you have not already done so, you should install this software now, and you should review the instructions for how to use it. The procedure below assumes that you are using your frame grabber’s software to view captured images.
Note that when a new aviator camera wakes up, it will be loaded with a default set of parameters and will be set for "free run". This means that as soon as you apply power to the camera and the camera finishes booting up, it will begin acquiring images and transmitting pixel data.
At wake up, the camera will also have automatic gain adjustment, automatic exposure time adjustment, and automatic white balance adjustment (on color versions of the camera) enabled by default. So assuming that you have sufficient illumination, you should see images of reasonable quality immediately.
Check the Camera Link Clock Speed Compatibility
All aviator camera models have a default Camera Link pixel clock speed of 65 MHz. Not all frame grabbers are compatible with a clock speed this high. Check the documentation for your frame grabber and see whether it can handle a 65 MHz clock speed.
On aviator cameras, the clock speed can be changed to 20 MHz, 32.5 MHz, 40 MHz, or 48 MHz. If you need to set a lower clock speed for your camera so that it will be compatible with your frame grabber, do it now. The easiest way to change the clock speed is to use the pylon Viewer. To use the Viewer to change the clock speed:
Follow steps 1 through 3 in the "Getting Started with the pylon Viewer" procedure that starts on
In step 3, expand the Transport Layer group instead of the Analog Controls group.
Look for the Pixel Clock parameter and set it to your desired value.
Go on with the "To Get a First Look at the Acquired Images" section on the next page.
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To Get a First Look at the Acquired Images
1. If you have not already done so, mount the camera in your test setup. The test setup should mimic as much as possible the way that you intend to use the camera in your system.
).
3. Make sure that the object your are viewing is properly illuminated. If you need assistance in determining the optimum illumination for your application, contact Basler technical support.
The contact numbers appear in the title pages of this manual.
4. Start the viewing software that is included with your frame grabber and make sure that you can view acquired images.
You will probably need to focus the lens and you may need to adjust the lens aperture to obtain images of reasonable quality at this point.
On some systems, you will not be able to operate your frame grabber’s image viewing software and the Basler pylon Viewer at the same time. If you see errors when you try to use both at the same time, you will need to close the grabber’s image viewing software when you are using the pylon Viewer and close the pylon
Viewer when you are using the grabber’s image viewing software.
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4.1
Getting Started with the pylon Viewer
In this section, we introduce using the pylon Viewer to adjust the camera’s parameters. One of the main objectives of this section is to familiarize you with how three particular settings - gain, black level, and exposure time - impact image quality.
When the camera is switched on, automatic gain and automatic exposure time control are both enabled. As part of this procedure, we will disable automatic gain and exposure time control. This will let you adjust the gain and exposure time manually.
By default, the auto gain, auto exposure, and auto white balance (on color cameras) will become enabled whenever the camera is switched on or reset.
You can change this behavior by modifying the camera’s configurations sets. See the camera user’s manual for detailed information about auto functions and configuration sets.
To disable automatic gain and exposure time control using the pylon Viewer:
1. Double-click the pylon Viewer icon on your desktop. The pylon Viewer will open as shown below.
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2. Click on the aviator camera’s name in the device tree to select the camera. A camera
Features pane will open in the pylon Viewer as shown below.
Notice the user level selector drop down box that now appears in the lower left corner of the
Features pane. You can select the Beginner , Expert , or Guru user level. For the Beginner level, the Features pane will display only the most basic camera settings. For the Expert level, the Features pane will display all of the most commonly used camera settings. And for the Guru level, the Features pane will display all camera settings including the most advanced settings.
3. In the Features pane of the pylon Viewer, click the + icon beside your camera’s name. A list of setting categories will appear.
Click the + icon beside the Analog Controls category to expand the category. The controls for setting several camera parameters will appear as shown below.
Use the drop down box for the Gain Auto parameter to set the parameter value to Off as shown below.
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4. Click the icon beside the Analog Controls category to collapse the category, and click the
+ icon beside the Acquisition Controls category to expand the category. The controls for setting several camera parameters will appear as shown below.
Use the drop down box for the Exposure Auto parameter to set the parameter value to Off as shown below.
5. Click the icon beside the Acquisition Controls category to collapse the category, and click the + icon beside the Analog Controls category to expand the category.
You have now disabled the gain and the exposure time auto controls and you will be able to adjust these parameters manually.
To get an initial feel for how to adjust your image quality, you will make adjustments to the camera lens and you will use the pylon Viewer to make adjustments to the camera’s gain, black level, and exposure time settings. You should also use your frame grabber software to capture images and to see what they look like.
To adjust the gain, black level, and exposure time settings using the pylon Viewer:
1. Open the lens aperture "halfway" by choosing an intermediate f-number.
2. In the Analog Controls category of the pylon Viewer: a. Make sure that the Gain Selector is set to All .
b. Change the Gain Raw setting to its lowest allowed value. You can set the Gain Raw by using the slider that appears next to the value box, by using the up/down arrows that appear next to the value box, or by typing a new value into the box.
c. Make sure that the Black Level Selector is set to All .
d. Change the Black Level Raw setting to a value between 16 and 32.
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3. Click the icon beside the Analog Controls category to collapse the category, and click the
+ icon beside the Acquisition Controls to expand the category. The controls for setting several camera parameters, including the Exposure Time Raw, will appear.
a. Use the slider to set the Exposure Time Raw to its lowest allowed value.
4. Use the frame grabber program to display your captured images. At this point, the images should be very dark or completely black.
Gradually increase the Exposure Time Raw setting so that the image brightness is almost at the desired level.
5. Adjust the focus ring on the lens so that the image is properly focused.
6. If required, increase the Gain Raw setting slightly to improve the contrast.
7. Adjust the lens aperture to fine tune the overall image brightness. Also take note of the depth of focus in the acquired images. Adjusting the aperture affects the depth of focus.
8. Adjust the Black Level Raw setting to ensure that detail in the dark parts of the acquired images is still visible.
9. Continue making adjustments to the Exposure Time , Gain Raw , and Black Level Raw until you are comfortable with these settings and you have improved your images as much as possible.
Now that you have made the basic adjustments to your image quality, go on to the next chapter of this guide. The next chapter provides more detailed information about making adjustments to achieve the best image quality.
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5 Adjusting Image Quality
In the following descriptions, image quality is discussed in terms of focus, depth of focus, brightness and contrast. You can adjust image quality with regard to these criteria by choosing appropriate settings. However, the "best" image quality will depend on the specific requirements of your application and therefore no generally applicable "best" settings can be recommended.
The adjustments will involve the following:
Adjusting the brightness of the illumination
Adjusting the focus
Setting the lens aperture
Setting the gain
Setting the black level
Setting the exposure time
We recommend carrying out all fine adjustments with the illumination that you will be using in your actual application.
You should be aware that your choice of lens is a major factor in determining image quality.
Using a high quality lens will give you much better images than using a low quality lens. If you need assistance in determining the best lens for your application, contact Basler technical support. The contact numbers appear in the title pages of this manual.
Focus
You will obtain a focused image only if the lens is correctly mounted on the lens adapter of the camera and if the glass surfaces are clean. The object to be imaged must be within the range of focus of the lens.
You can obtain a focused image by turning the focal ring on the lens.
Depth of Focus
If the objects you want to image are located at different distances from the camera, you must consider depth of focus. The depth of focus must be sufficiently deep to allow all objects to appear focused in the image.
You can change the depth of focus by turning the aperture ring on the lens. Closing the lens aperture (turning the aperture ring to higher f-numbers) increases the depth of focus and vice versa.
Note that closing the aperture also decreases the amount of light reaching the camera’s sensor and therefore results in a darker image.
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Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras AW00083206000
Brightness
Among the factors determining the brightness of an image are the intensity of the illumination, the setting of the lens aperture, and the settings for exposure time, gain, and black level.
We recommend that you choose the brightest illumination possible. This will prevent you from needing to operate the camera using extreme settings. Bright illumination is of central importance to achieving good image quality.
If illumination of sufficient brightness is not available, you can select a lens that is optimized for light utilization.
Opening the lens aperture will allow more light to reach the camera’s sensor and will therefore increase the brightness of the image.
Opening the lens aperture can also increase the effects of optical aberrations. This can cause image distortions and the intensity of light to decrease towards the ends of the sensor (vignetting). In addition, the depth of focus decreases.
You can increase the brightness of the image by increasing the camera’s exposure time setting. With this method, brightness is increased by increasing the amount of photons collected for pixel readout.
Note that increasing the exposure time setting may reduce the camera’s maximum allowed frame acquisition rate.
Increasing the gain will also increase image brightness.
Increasing the gain too much, however, can cause a loss of detail in the brightest portions of the image. Unless your application requires extremely high contrast, you should make sure that detail remains visible in the brightest portions of the image when increasing gain.
In the captured images below, notice how brightness increases as the gain increases. Also notice that at very high gain, detail can be lost in the brightest areas of the image.
22
Low Gain Normal Gain Very High Gain
Basler aviator Camera Link
AW00083206000 Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras
You can increase the brightness of the image by increasing the camera’s black level setting.
Normally, you should increase the black level setting only as much as is necessary to make detail visible in the darkest portions of an image. Increasing the black level too much may cause a loss of contrast in the image.
In the captured images below, notice how brightness increases as the black level increases.
Also notice that at very high black levels, the overall image loses contrast.
Low Black Level Normal Black Level Very High Black Level
Exposure Time
The exposure time setting determines the time interval that the sensor is exposed to light during each frame acquisition. Increasing the exposure time is a good way to increase brightness. But keep in mind that increasing exposure time may reduce the camera’s maximum allowed frame acquisition rate.
Gain
Gain amplifies the values output by the pixels in the camera’s sensor.
Increasing gain will increase the image brightness.
You can also increase the contrast in the image by increasing the camera’s gain setting.
Unless your application requires extreme contrast, make sure that detail remains visible in the brightest portions of the image when increasing gain.
Set the gain only as high as is necessary.
Because the gain function amplifies the signal and the noise proportionately, increasing the gain does not improve the signal-to-noise ratio.
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Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras AW00083206000
Contrast
Strong contrast in an image is obtained when objects of different brightnesses are represented by very different grey values. For most applications, optimum contrast is achieved when the image displays a wide range of gray values with fine detail remaining visible in the darkest and brightest parts of an image. Some applications, however, may require extreme contrast.
You can increase the contrast in the image by increasing the camera’s gain setting.
High black level settings will prevent high contrast.
Closing the lens aperture not only decreases image brightness but also increases contrast towards the edges of an image.
If you must use a low level of illumination and this results in dark images, you may notice the blurring influence of noise. If you operate the camera near the high end of its specified temperature range, the effects may be particularly noticeable. You can increase contrast by lowering the operating temperature of the camera.
Since increasing the gain will increase both signal and noise in equal proportion, increasing the gain does not improve the signal-to-noise ratio.
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Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras AW00083206000
6 Next Steps
We assume that you have succeeded in acquiring images and setting the camera’s basic parameters using the pylon Viewer and that you were able to optimize the image quality.
To meet the requirements of your application, you will likely need to change additional camera settings and to modify earlier camera settings.
Refer to the Features chapter in your camera user’s manual for details about additional camera settings.
Contact Basler technical support if you need more assistance. The contact numbers appear in the title pages of this manual.
If you have not already done so, implement the typical conditions of operation as required by your application before proceeding with the next steps. In particular, choose the lens and the illumination required by your application.
Before making the additional camera settings, you must know the requirements for your application regarding depth of focus, image acquisition rate, size of the AOI, and contrast. And you must know what the priority of the requirements are since some of the settings depend on each other or have opposite effects.
Your next steps will involve some or all of the following:
Selecting the pixel data format.
Selecting a triggering scheme and an exposure control mode.
Fine tuning the exposure time.
Defining an image AOI.
Enabling and parameterizing other features available on your specific camera model.
Configuring the camera from within your application program using the pylon API or via direct register access.
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Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras AW00083206000
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AW00083206000
Revision History
Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras
Doc. ID Number Date Changes
AW00083201000 14 May 2009 Initial release of this document. Applies to prototype cameras.
AW00083202000 16 Jul 2009 Initial release of this document for series production cameras.
AW00083203000 15 Dec 2009
Added information to Section 1.2 on page 2
about setting the Camera Link pixel clock speed.
Added information to Section 4 on page 15 about frame grabber and pixel
clock speed compatibility.
AW00083204000 21 Apr 2010
Updated the bullets in Section 1.1 on page 1
to indicate that the camera should be used with pylon 2.2 or higher and also added the note box to this section.
Updated the screen shot in Section 3.1.
Updated the screen shots in Section 3.2.
Updated the screen shots in Section 4.1.
AW00083205000 17 Dec 2010 Revised the document title.
AW00083206000 15 Jan 2015 Updated email addresses for technical support.
Updated Basler contact address for Asia.
Added export compliance information.
Updated pylon 4-related language conventions.
Removed Microsoft Windows XP and Vista as supported operating systems.
Added Microsoft Windows 8 and 8.1 as supported operating systems.
Added document identification number in the headers.
Added the 20 MHz pixel clock information in Section 1.2 on page 2
, in
.
Updated information regarding location of clser***.dll in Section 1.2.1 on page 2
.
Updated screen shots of the pylon software in Section 3 on page 9 and
.
Updated screen shots and instructions related to the software installation in
.
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Installation and Setup Guide for Camera Link Cameras AW00083206000
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