Category: Event-based vision

Recently we introduced the IDS Imaging event-based cameras, the uEye XCP-E models. These cameras are a paradigm shift – they detect changes in pixel brightness and transmit ONLY those changes. This dramatically reduces data load, lowers latency, and improves efficiency.

Speed, speed, speed

Temporal resolution is better than 100μsec! Rapid changes can be detected – equivalent to an area scan camera operating at >10,000fps.

Paradigm shift – from “frames” to “events”

This is one of those aha moments. Too often we get jaded in believing that things only evolve incrementally – Moore’s law and electronics getting faster and less expensive, etc. Yawn. But this really is a game changer worth getting one’s head wrapped around.

The event-based vision sensor (EVS) was developed by Sony and Prophesee.

Industrial use cases

With a radically new technology, even machine vision veterans may appreciate seeing example applications already utilizing event-based imaging:

Example applications

The following are meant to be suggestive rather than inclusive. Just to whet the appetite.

Let’s enlarge that “alternatives” comparison from the above graphic:

Another class of applications

Take the guesswork out of when to do preventative maintenance. Maximize uptime. Reduce the risks of catastrophic failure. These cameras are affordable enough to let them do the vibration monitoring – just set your alert threshold!

Software for event-based imaging applications

Get it? Got it? Need it? Want it?

This is a new way of coming at machine vision applications. It may give you an edge over your competition by enabling you to improve quality, reduce costs, and/or innovate new products or services. It really is different. See the IDS Imaging uEye XCP-E event-based cameras and datasheets. Powered by the Sony IMX636 developed in conjunction with Prophesee.

Tell us more about your application, using the link below. Or just call us at 978-571-5552. We can help you determine whether event-based imaging is optimal for your application.

1st Vision’s sales engineers have over 100 years of combined experience to assist in your camera and components selection.  With a large portfolio of cameras, lenses, cables, NIC cards and industrial computers, we can provide a full vision solution!

About you: We want to hear from you!  We’ve built our brand on our know-how and like to educate the marketplace on imaging technology topics…  What would you like to hear about?… Drop a line to info@1stvision.com with what topics you’d like to know more about.

The μEye XCP-E event-based camera utilizes Sony’s Prophesee IMX636 sensor. So, by design, it captures only relevant image changes. Event-based imaging can be a game changer for certain applications. Unlike area scan or line scan imaging – which capture every pixel and render a “full image” – event imaging only senses and delivers changes.

Event-based imaging captures the changes:

Less is more

Playing on the “less is more” adage reveals key insights into event-based imaging.

The human eye is adept at delivering and entire scene, of course, and that’s how most of us imagine we see the world around us. But our overall vision perception also builds upon the eye’s ability to sense brightness changes within small segments of the overall scene..

Consider a baseball batter awaiting a pitched ball. The overall scene is relatively static: the outfield fence, bases, and foul lines aren’t moving. And the infielders are almost static – relative to the motion of the ball. But the pitched ball approaching at 80 – 90 miles per hour can be identified by a good batter, to gauge “strike or ball” and “swing or take”.

The batter’s visual processing does NOT have time to capture the full scene at each instant of “ball release”, “just released”, “mid-way”, and “arriving soon”. Rather, the ball’s trajectory is discerned as successive changes against a static background. So too with an event-based camera.

Less data -> More speed: In other circumstances, less data might seem like a handicap. For area scan applications it often would be. Finding defects on a static surface requires ingesting a lot of detail – all the pixels – in order to do edge detection, blob analysis, or other algorithmic processing. But by detecting “just the brightness changes”, transmitting less data is exactly what delivers the increased speed!

Applications example: motion detection and analysis

What is delivered are pixel motion coordinates and timestamps – NOT pixel brightness values. So you get useable results rather than having to algorithmically compute the results from a traditional area scan image. Track moving objects easily.

How much?

Already intrigued? The housed model, UE-39B0XCP-E, is available now, as this blog releases in early March 2025. Board-level models to be released soon.

Temporal resolution better than 100 μsec

Efficient data processing

IDS Imaging uEye XCP-E event-based cameras can be directly integrated with the sensor manufacturers’ software tools, called Metavision. That’s all thanks to Sony’s partnership with Prophesee. Since event-based imaging is a paradigm shift away from conventional machine vision approaches, the visualization tools, API, and training videos help you get up to speed quickly.

1st Vision’s sales engineers have over 100 years of combined experience to assist in your camera and components selection.  With a large portfolio of cameras, lenses, cables, NIC cards and industrial computers, we can provide a full vision solution!

About you: We want to hear from you!  We’ve built our brand on our know-how and like to educate the marketplace on imaging technology topics…  What would you like to hear about?… Drop a line to info@1stvision.com with what topics you’d like to know more about.