News archive

Here you can find a list of former news entries of our two business divisions Machine Vision and Eye Tracking

January 2014Product information: Scanning Ruler
ScanningRuler

New Product information for Scanning Ruler.


The ScanningRuler is the perfect tool for 3D imaging in robot picking applications. It provides accurate and reliable 3D measurements of stationary objects. The data that is acquired can be used to locate parts in random bin picking applications and to calculate the best robot gripping position.

For more information, please visit sickinsight-online.de

Product informationen


November 2013New Product: Subjective Visual Vertical (C-SVV)
C-SVV

Chronos Vision introduces new device to check the function of the otolith organs for the diagnosis of the vestibular apparatus


The new mobile C-SVV system allows a simple functional testing of the utricles for the diagnosis of vertigo patients. It consists of a light-occluding head unit for displaying a luminous line, and a hand-held device for the vertical orientation of the line to the patient. The line position is compared with the actual tilt angle of the head and determines the deviation as a result of a Subjective Visual Vertical. The clinically-proven software allows the physician the control and evaluation of the individual measurements and the printing of a report sheet. The ease of use abets the fast completion of the examination and thanks to the integrated battery and the radio transmission to the PC, the device offers maximum freedom of movement for doctor and patient.

For more information, please visit our product page

Product information


October 2013New Halcon image acquisition interface released for SICK 3D cameras
Halcon

New Halcon-interface for the 3D Camera SDK is now available


Updated revision 4.14 / 5.7 of the HALCON 10 / 11 SICK-3DCamera interface released which provides an updated documentation regarding the usage of the LUT file in combination with the calibration filter.

For more information, please visit the website of MVTec

July 2013New Halcon image acquisition interface released for SICK 3D cameras
Halcon

New version of Halcon Interface released.


New revision 4.13 / 5.6 of the HALCON 10 / 11 SICK-3DCamera interface released which has been adapted to the new SICK icon API 4.4 with support of static port allocation. Furthermore, the new interface revision allows the use of Ranger C cameras under 64-bit Windows and provides a new parameter to solve an internal camera problem in case of Ethernet devices.

Full details can be obtained from HALCON

July 2013Farewell to Prof. Clarke



Farewell Clarke

In June of this year Prof. Clarke retired on his own initiative from his position as Technical Director of Chronos Vision.


As co-founder Prof. Clarke has contributed substantially to many aspects of the company’s development since its inception in 1998.
Drawing from his extensive experience in medical research and his creative energy, he has been instrumental in the design and development of the numerous medical devices manufactured by Chronos Vision.

Everyone here wishes him the best in his future endeavours, which we know he will embrace whole-heartedly, just as he did during his years at Chronos Vision.

May 2013SICK 3D Camera SDK 4.4 released
SICK Camera SDK 4.4

The latest version of the SDK for the 3D Camera is now available.


A new version of the 3D Camera SDK (4.4) has been released.The main benefit of this release is that it now includes a .NET version of the iCon API with the same functionality as the existing C and C++ APIs. The new iCon .NET API will allow you to develop software applications in programming languages such as C#, Visual Basic .NET, C++/CLI.
The new SDK also comes with an updated High Performance driver, new drivers for Ranger C cameras with support for Windows 7 64-bit, and some general improvements and stability enhancements.
Additional the new high resolution 3D algorithm "Hi3D DCMOPT" is available.

March 2013New Halcon image acquisition interface released for SICK 3D cameras
Halcon

New version of Halcon Interface released.


New revision 4.11/5.4 of the HALCON 10/11 SICK-3DCamera interface released which includes a new parameter and a new HDevelop example program to show how to use the internal queue of buffers. Furthermore, the new revision fixes bugs regarding the use of mark data, the initialization of the calibration filter, and regarding the range images in case that the rectification filter is disabled.

Full details can be obtained from HALCON

February 2013New product: Inspector PIM60, High-speed positioning and inspection
Inspector PIM60

SICK expands its portfolio of vision sensors


The Inspector PIM60 is a vision senor for high-speed positioning, inspection and measurement. The sensor includes an expanded toolbox for diameter, angle and flexible distance measurement. This multi-functional vision toolbox offers smart camera-level performance but with sensor ease-of-use. The image calibration ensures reliable inspection results on moving and rotated objects in tilted setups, or when using wide angle lenses. The vision sensor is optionally available with a white ring light or IR LED ring light (850 nm).

Product information

October 2012New product: PLB-500, The Scanning RULER for part localization
Scanning Ruler

SICK expands its portfolio of vision systems


SICK’s PLB vision system is designed for precise localization of randomly orientated parts in bins and boxes. Blanks, casted or forged metal parts are easily located and loaded in various automotive applications. A laser deflection on rotating mirror inside the PLB housing allows a laser line triangulation measurement without movement.
It enables the easy introduction of new parts into existing work cells and short part changeover time by using CAD-based 3D shape matching part localization software. The vision system consists of a 3D camera, part localization software and tools for easy integration and communication (e.g. robots).

Product information

October 2012CHRONOS VISION at the VISION 2012

Visit us at the VISION 2012


The leading international trade fair for machine vision celebrates silver jubilee.
We invite you to visit us at the VISION Exhibition from the 6th through the 8th of November, 2012. You can find us in hall 1, booth B62.

With the "Medical Discovery Tour" the fair offers exhibitors the opportunity to show image processing components or solutions for the medical technology. CHRONOS VISION will present as part of the Medical Discovery Tour the high-speed pupil tracker OneK+ for the refrative surgery.

Our product specialists are waiting to discuss your applications and solutions with you.

Demo applications at our booth:
+ ColorRanger E
+ IVC-3D Smart Camera
+ Inspector vision sensor
+ OneK+ camera with integrated DeyeRECTOR pupil tracking module.

May 2012CHRONOS VISION at the International Space Station Utilisation symposium
ISS Symposium Clarke Krikaliev

ISS Krikaliev

The International Space Station Utilisation symposium was organised by the European Space Agency in Berlin in May 2012.

ISS Symposium Logo

The symposium brought together senior scientists and heads of the five International Space Station partners to present ground-breaking researchs and to discuss future projects.

CHRONOS VISION was represented by Prof. Clarke. During the Symposium Prof. Clarke had the opportunity to discuss CHRONOS VISION's products with Sergei Krikaliev, who had cooperated with Prof. Clarke's research team during his stay on the ISS. Dr. Krikaliev now heads the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City "Swjosdny Gorodok" near Moscow.


Read more ›

May 2012New definition of partnership with CHRONOS VISION from SICK
SICK premium partnership logo

CHRONOS VISION operates as Premium Partner - Vision Competence & Distribution of the Marketing Division of the SICK AG. This designation is awarded to affiliated companies for their excellence and know-how in the field of industrial image processing and their long-standing fulfilment of the quality stqndards of the SICK AG.

For over ten years Chronos Vision has cooperated as sales & distribution partner for the SICK machine vision products and commands extensive knowledge of 2D and 3D image processing, as well as diverse techniques for the measurement of eye movements and medical devices.

In particular Chronos Vision supports the SICK Marketing Division as consultant for demanding and sophisticated camera solutionsin the areas of 3D data processing, calibration, machine-vision software and developement of algorithms for 2D and 3D applications.

In close cooperation with the SICK development engineers Chronos Vision provides support and consultation for both first-time as well as experienced users. In this way each customer is provided with appropriate assistance throughout the application development from the initial idea to the completed solution.

April 2012DeyeRECTOR ® : OEM components for applications in refractive surgery
DeyeRECTOR

CHRONOS VISION introduces modular concept for OEM components, which were specially developed for eye tracking applications in ophthalmic surgery.


The DeyeRECTOR ® was designed as software packet, combined with the tracking camera OneK+ of CHRONOS VISION. The modules provide the following:
+ High Speed ??Pupil tracking with minimal latency
+ Robust and accurate determination of the cyclorotation
+ Detecting the rotation around the vertical and the horizontal axes.

Read more

March 2012CHRONOS VISION at the CONTROL 2012 fair
Control 2012

Visit us at the CONTROL 2012


We invite you to visit us at the CONTROL Exhibition from the 8th through the 11th of May, 2012. You can find us in Hall 1, Booth 1633.
CONTROL is the leading international trade fair for quality assurance. All QA-related technologies, products, subsystems and complete solutions in hardware and software are available at the exhibition program.

Our product specialists are waiting to discuss your applications and solutions with you.

Demo applications at our booth:
+ ColorRanger E
+ IVC-3D Smart Camera
+ Inspector vision sensor
+ H3-D jure tyre measuring system of our OEM partners Procontour

March 2012New VisionPro-interface for the 3D Camera SDK is now available
VisionPro-Interface

The new VisionPro-Interface 4.3.1 based on the iCon-API 4.3.


It supports both Windows 7 (32/64 bit) and Windows XP (32/64 bit) and has improved support for the MultiScan configurations of the SICK cameras. It can be used with all Ranger E/D and Ruler E variants with exception for calibrated data and color filters.

You can get the interface from Chronos Vision.

March 20123D Camera SDK for Linux
ColorRanger

Although not new, but still relevant. The 3D Camera SDK for Linux.


Chronos Vision offer a software development kit (SDK) for Linux for Ranger E/D and Ruler E cameras. The SDK source code is largely compatible with the iCon API for Windows. With few adjustments you can fit the source code examples so that they also apply to a Linux operating system. With appropriate code encapsulation, you can develop applications for Windows and Linux in parallel and use the same source code for the Ranger interface.

The Linux interface is based on version 4.0 of the 3D Camera SDK and it supports the "Easy 3D camera calibration".

You can get the SDK from Chronos Vision.

February 2012New development: The first functional model of the mobil SVV in clinical trials
SVV

In collaboration with the vestibular research laboratory of the Charité Berlin CHRONOS VISION has developed a compact measuring device for testing the function of the otolith organs.


This procedure is an important part of clinical vestibular research. The system consists of a light-proof video goggle and a handheld device for aligning the illumination line for the patient. The integrated rechargeable battery and wireless communications to the PC offer maximum freedom of movement in practice.

The new moblie Subjectiv Visual Vertical (SVV) is currently in the vestibular research laboratory of the ENT clinic of the Charité Berlin and in the laboratory of the ENT clinic of the UK Aachen for clinical trials. First experiences show that the investigation process is significantly simpler and less complex.

Informations

December 2011Two new ColorRanger E variants released
ColorRanger

SICK expands its portfolio of ColorRanger cameras


The two new ColorRanger E models allow easier integration, if high-quality 3D and color images are required simultaneously. The cameras are equipped with a high-pass filter on the 3D region of the sensor (lines 100 to 511). The filters reduce interference in the 3D data that may result from the additional white light illumination. By using an IR laser for 3D data measurement and a white light illumination without IR portion for the color information is less effort required for a mechanical separation of lights. This can now be handled by the spectral separation at sensor level.

Online datasheets

October 2011Custom-designed search coil with scleral markers
Scleral Marker

Special design


On customer request we have produced a series of 3D search coils with integrated scleral markings. This design enables the customer to measure three-dimensional eye movements with the classic magnetic-field induction technique and additionally the ocular torsion by means of video-oculography by tracking the positions of the two markers. Using a procedure patented by CHRONOS VISION - originally for artificial markings made directly on the sclera - this facilitates online tracking of the three-dimensional eye position.

This design is now available to all customers.

October 2011New product: the Inspector PI50, a high-performance vision sensor
Inspector PI50

SICK expands its portfolio of vision sensors


The Inspector PI50 combines the proven features – Object Finder, Pixel Counter, Edge Pixel Counter, Pattern Recognition – with the Polygon Tool, which facilitates recognition of the orientation of corners and edges, as well as the evaluation of the edge features, e.g. for identification of fractures. Additional tools enable exact definition of learned and free-form objects (Binary Large Objects – BLOBs). The integrated image calibration enables the output of position coordinates in millimeters – ideal for guidance control of handling machines and robots.

Product information

October 2011New Halcon image acquisition interface released for SICK 3D cameras
Halcon

New version of Halcon Interface released.


MVTec's latest release (4.7) of the software interface supports SICK's 3D Camera SDK 4.3. The eBus driver is compatible with 64 bit Windows systems. Those errors that were caused by problems with the message boxes - generated by SICK's Error Handler - have been eliminated. The loss of data packets caused by parameter setting has been corrected. Camera status can be read out, a socket driver can be used and camera initialisation can be delayed by parameter. In addition the parameters "redundancy feature" and "heartbeat interval" can be set with the operator "open-framegrabber".

Full details can be obtained from HALCON

October 2011Two new high-resolution IVC-2D smart cameras
IVC-2D

The portfolio of the IVC-2D smart camera models now also include cameras with a resolution of 1.9 megapixels.


The IVC-2DM1131 UXGA Standard and IVC-2DM1132 UXGA Reader are the new models of the IVC-2D smart camera. The UXGA resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels and the flexibility of the IVC-2D allows an optimal adaptation for high-resolution and individual applications. The new models offer a high attention to detail and high reproducibility. They can be used with IVC Studio version 3.2. Compared with the standard version you can use the Reader Model to perform additional type identification with OCR, barcode and 2D code tools.

Product informationen

September 2011New product: Inspector I40-IR Flex
Inspector I40-IR Flex

The SICK portfolio now includes the I40-IR Flex Inspector Sensor.


The new I40-IR Inspector features an integrated IR illumination source with optional daylight filter. This provides a simple and cost-effective solution for those applications subject to fluctuations in lighting conditions. The IR illumination reduces the influence of colors on inspection performance. Also, less reconfiguration is required for inspection of different products.

Together with efficient image processing tools, e.g. the powerful Object Finder, component inspection can be performed at high speed with VGA resolution. Finally, network compatible, FTP image storage and Ethernet/IP communication facilitate production control.

Product information

August 2011SICK IVC Studio Version 3.2 released
Inspector I40-IR Flex

The latest version of the IVC-Studio is now available.


The new release of the IVC Studio supports Windows 7 and the coming UXGA (1.9 MP)
IVC-2D variants. It includes new correlation-based pattern matching tools for applications such as label inspection, keypad inspection and fiducially mark positioning.

July 2011SICK Camera SDK 4.3 released
SICK Camera SDK 4.3

The latest version of the SDK for the 3D Camera is now available.


The new SDK release (Version 4.3) includes high performance GigE drivers for Windows 7 (32/64 bit) and Windows XP (32/64 bit). The release now supports network boards and provides for simpler installation and configuration of network interfaces. Also included are the iCon API - useful for development of vision applications - and the Ranger Studio. The Ranger Studio software permits evaluation of the camera and its features and facilitates camera configuration and visualization of acquired data. The camera parameters can be optimised for specific tasks.

July 2011VisionPro Adapter 3.1.0 for Ranger camera released
VisionPro Adapter 3.1.0 for Ranger

A new version of the VisionPro Adapter for the SICK Ranger cameras has been released


VisionPro is a robust image processing library that supports a variety of cameras and frame grabbers. The new VisionPro Adapter (3.1.0) supports the multiscan function of the Ranger cameras and the parallel use of several Ranger cameras. In addition the new release permits direct access to the camera parameters.