3D imaging is ideal where height, shape, or volume is of importance for the production process. However, to make a complete quality or grading decision, it is often necessary to also consider the color of the parts produced. This is, for instance, common in grading of fruits and vegetables, shape and baking degree verification of baked goods, board grading in the wood industry, quality assurance of electronic assemblies, and fill level and color verification in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. By considering both 3D and color, more reliable inspections can be performed, thus improving product quality and reducing waste. Replacing several different cameras for the same task, the ColorRanger E 3D camera product line, from SICK, provides high resolution RGB color at up to 3072 pixels/channel with a separate row of pixels for each color. With simultaneous 3D and color information at more than 11 kHz, multiple inspections can be performed in parallel at full production speed. The 3D technology used is based on laser triangulation, using a separate laser source. Combining the functionality of a 3D and a line-scan color camera, ColorRanger with the proprietary MultiScan technology can be configured to provide several simultaneous measurements such as 3D shape, laser scatter, color, and monochrome, according to the exact need of each specific application. This reduces the system size as well as the cost of hardware, integration, and maintenance. In addition, since the different measurements come from the same camera system, it is easier to combine the data for analysis. The camera delivers high-quality 3D and multi-linear color data, including RGB, near IR, and monochrome without IR content, on a Gigabit Ethernet communication interface. The color quality is ensured by well separated color filters with high spectral response, on-chip white balancing, and spatially corrected color channels output. In addition, to eliminate interference from different light sources used for 3D and color imaging, there is a filter option for light source separation.
Edited by: Teoman Tugsuz
