NOVEMBER 30--A new set of 1394b-equipped industrial cameras from leading global vendors were highlighted at the 2005 VISION Show in Stuttgart, Germany, earlier this month. VISION 2005 featured the latest systems for various industrial applications. Machine vision applications represent a growing niche market for the IEEE 1394 audio-video standard, due to the significant performance premium 1394 offers over Ethernet, according to James Snider, executive director, 1394 Trade Association.
"1394 is now everywhere in this important, growing market," Snider said. "An overwhelming majority of camera manufacturers now are providing 1394-equipped products, and they are penetrating several important applications." Several multinational leaders exhibited cameras featuring the most advanced version of the standard, 1394b, which provides bandwidth up to 800 Megabits/second. Among them were Sony Corporation, which featured color and mono versions; Toshiba Teli; and Hamamatsu. Also, smaller technologically advanced companies such as Point Grey Research, Basler Vision Components, and Allied Vision Technologies also are now delivering 1394b cameras.
At VISION 2005, Fraunhofer-IPMS demonstrated a 1394b camera development platform based on Texas Instruments' DSP and an OHCI Link Layer Controller. It delivers images with a spatial resolution of 1312 x 1032 pixels at a 15-Hz frame rate, limited by the CMOS image sensor. The system includes a high-level protocol IIDC and integrates a TI DSP so basic image-processing functions can be carried out inside the camera.
In a booth hosted by Newnex Corp., a Point Grey 1394b camera was connected through a pair of 1394b optical repeaters. In another demonstration, Newnex 1394-over-CAT 5 repeaters were used to connect a Sony 1394b camera to an Apple Mac.
Expected market growth of 1394b-enabled cameras is strong. In 2006, a total of 100,000 1394b-equipped cameras will ship, growing to 160,000 units in 2007, and 280,000 cameras in 2008.
VISION has expanded quickly since its inception, with more than a third of visitors traveling from outside Germany. Some 41 countries were represented from countries such as Australia, Canada, the USA, Russia, China, and Japan. For information about the 1394 standard and the 1394 Trade Association, visit www.1394ta.org.