Emergent Vision Technologies launches Eros 10GigE cameras

High-speed machine vision components provider Emergent Vision Technologies recently introduced its Eros small and low-power lineup of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GigE) cameras.

Initially introduced as a 5GigE camera series, Eros was demonstrated at VISION 2024 in Stuttgart, Germany. The 10GigE Eros measures 29 x 29 millimeters (about 1.14 x 1.14 inches).

Low power options for heat dissipation

Emergent’s Eros 10GigE cameras feature BaseT/RJ45 Power over Ethernet (PoE) and SFP+ fiber interface options. The camera can operate within the following power ranges:

• 4.8 Watts 10GBaseT with PoE
• 4.0 Watts with 10GBaseT without PoE
• 3.0 Watts on SFP+ single-mode fiber

“Many machine vision camera companies want to make their cameras small, but small form-factor cameras can run at temperatures exceeding 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Farenheit), making them hot to the touch. With smaller enclosures, it becomes difficult to dissipate heat,” said John Ilett, Emergent Vision Technologies president and CTO. “Emergent now offers 10GigE cameras in both fiber and PoE options based on a groundbreaking firmware design that enables power consumption lower than any 5GigE camera in the market, including those without PoE.”

Zero-copy technology for multiple-camera integration

The Eros 10GigE cameras will offer the same full features as Emergent’s HR 10GigE cameras. For robot developers requiring lower speeds, Emergent said its Eros BaseT/RJ45 can auto-negotiate to 5GigE, 2.5GigE, or 1GigE while offering the same support for zero-copy imaging and GPUDirect.

“Like all other camera models, Eros will benefit from Emergent’s zero-copy imaging technology, which is critical even at 5GigE and lower speeds, particularly for customers who want to integrate many cameras into a single PC for challenging machine vision applications,” Ilett said. “Cameras utilizing GigE Vision 3.0 with RoCEv2 will not have this zero-copy imaging capability at speeds lower than 10GigE, which can make multi-camera applications leveraging 5GigE cameras or below quite challenging.”

Sony sensors to include ultraviolet, polarized, and short-wave infrared

Eros 10GigE cameras will incorporate Gen4 Sony Pregius S sensors, ranging from the 0.5 Megapixel (MP) Sony IMX426 up to the 24.47 MP IMX540 CMOS image sensor. Frame rates for Eros cameras will range from 35 frames per second (fps) up to 1586 fps.

In addition, Eros cameras will offer models which capture images in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) range - 400 to 1700 nanometers - based on Sony’s SenSWIR CMOS image sensors. These cameras target the detection of materials and substances invisible to the naked eye, which Emergent said makes them suitable for a new range of inspection applications for industries including food and beverage, agriculture, and semiconductor electronics manufacturing.

The following SWIR models will be available:

• HE-300-S-I (0.33 MP Sony IMX991, 260 fps)
• HE-1300-S-I (1.31 MP Sony IMX990, 135 fps)
• HE-3200-S-I (3.14 MP Sony IMX993, 170 fps)
• HE-5300-S-I (5.24 MP Sony IMX992, 130 fps)

Eros cameras will also be available in polarized sensor models based on Sony Polarsens CMOS sensors including:

• 5 MP Sony IMX250MZR (mono)
• 5 MP Sony IMX250MYR (color)
• 12 MP Sony MX253MZR (mono)
• 12 MP Sony MX253MYR (color)

Additionally, Eros cameras will offer an ultraviolet camera based on the 8.1 MP Sony IMX487 sensor.