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Omron Automation introduced a line of affordable and compact board-level cameras designed specifically for embedded vision applications. The Omron B Series GigE Vision cameras are full-featured cameras that do not need an enclosure.

Featuring Sony’s Pregius and Starvis CMOS sensors with resolutions up to 20 megapixels and frame rates up to 282.8 FPS, the cameras aim to address the problem, Omron said, of traditional vision systems that are often too bulky, complex or expensive for some projects.

Measuring 1.25 inches (38 mm) per side, the cameras are small and lightweight enough to integrate into embedded systems without having to redesign, Omron said. The camera systems support Microsoft Windows, Apple iOS, Linux, and single-board computer operating systems.

Omron said the small form factor and flexible imaging capabilities give designers new options to add vision to a broader range of products and processes. Up to 100 cameras can be installed on a single network, and can be powered using Power over Ethernet or with an external power supply. All of the cameras meet the IEEE 1588 standard, which allows for the use of Precision Time Protocol, P2P, and more, the company said.

The B-Series is designed for use in highly industrialized and high speed applications, specifically in the machine vision, life science, automotive, semiconductor and automation industries. Some of the applications that are ideal for the B-Series are: embedded vision, vision-guided robotics, defect analysis, medical diagnostics, inspection and much more.

Omron said its Sentch software development kit is free, and includes easily modifiable samples of common functions. A full datasheet can be downloaded here.