Five times more data throughput, five times faster 3D scans and Laser Link Connector: With the new C7 triangulation camera, AT Sensors is setting a clear technological milestone in industrial 3D measurement technology. As the first product in the newly developed C7 series, the camera is equipped with an NBASE-T interface with up to 5 Gigabits/s. It has a resolution of 3072 pixels per profile and is thus specifically designed for data-intensive, high-resolution inline applications where conventional 1-GigE interfaces have been the limiting factor up to now.
The internal image sensor itself is not operated faster; the decisive advance lies in data transmission: the significantly increased bandwidth makes it possible to transmit up to five times more features in parallel or to read out existing features five times faster. This means that, for the first time, multiple data types such as 3D profile data, intensity, reflectance, or scatter information can be output simultaneously and without loss of quality. This provides a clear performance gain in production processes with high cycle rates and overcomes the previous bottleneck in the data pipeline.
In combination with AT’s proprietary WARP technology, an on-sensor data chip process in which measurement data is processed and preselected directly in the image sensor, the new camera achieves profile speeds of up to 95 kHz. This is achieved with a usable region height of 50 lines, which corresponds to a typical measurement task. This makes it significantly faster than conventional sensors, whose maximum speed is often only 32 kHz.
Another key highlight is the new direct laser connection, which enables intelligent communication between the camera and the laser line projector. Via the integrated Laser Link Connector, intensity and pulse control are handled entirely via the camera’s GenICam protocol, including direct communication with the laser controller. This reduces external components, simplifies the system architecture, and makes integration significantly more efficient and robust for OEMs and integrators. At the same time, the new C7 camera remains compatible with existing AT series, so that current installations can be easily expanded or migrated.
As an additional add-on, the new camera features a TFL mount lens connection, which, thanks to its larger diameter in combination with TFL lenses, prevents vignetting at the edges of the image and thus offers clear advantages, especially in high-resolution applications. The camera also comes with a C-mount adapter, giving users maximum flexibility in their choice of optics. The camera is also available with an optional integrated Scheimpflug adapter in different angles, which ensures that the entire light section plane is consistently sharply focused on the image sensor, even with demanding measurement geometries or large height measurement ranges. For applications in harsh industrial environments with dust and moisture, a lens protection tube is also available, ensuring that the camera and optics remain IP67-compliant.
Typical applications for the new C7 3D camera can be found wherever high data volumes, parallel feature outputs, and stable measurement results are required, such as in electronics manufacturing, advanced packaging in the semiconductor industry, high-performance inline inspection processes such as wire testing in the steel industry, and road scanning and rail inspection applications.
The three biggest benefits of the new C7 camera:
- 5× higher data throughput (up to 5 Gbit/s) for parallel feature transfer or significantly faster scans
- Maximum integration freedom thanks to TFL and C-mount, optional Scheimpflug adapter, and IP67 option with lens protection
- Simplified laser integration thanks to direct connection and complete laser control via the GenICam interface
