Common Problems

1) My light level "drifts" from the selected intensity.

IF not controlled, the light-level will invariably “drift” from its selected intensity level. This change in lamp brightness can affect the target contrast and so affect the decision making ability of the vision system. A change or drift in light level always affects the camera's response to changes in the target image.

Other kinds of “regulation” are often confused with light regulation. Voltage regulation, Current regulation, Line regulation are common, but what if the lamp temperature or wire connections affects the brightness??? Only optical feedback can regulate a light source with precision... This is MERCRON's specialty!!

2) The camera sees 60 Hz ripple.

To varying degrees, ALL light sources have some “ripple”, simply by their nature. In Machine Vison Systems using 60-cycle power, Tungsten light sources have a residual 10% ripple content; Fluorescent light sources have 60%, Metal Halide & HP Sodium Arc lamps - even more!

So MERCRON not only drives, but regulates the light-level and eliminates the 60-cycle ripple for any of 6 types of light sources most commonly employed and best suited for Machine Vision Lighting applications:

• Fluorescents
• UV
• IR
• Metal Halide
• Tungsten
• (high-pressure) Sodium

3) Light source disturbances can cause "False Rejects"

Machine Vision Cameras look for variations in the target image to detect and measure the magnitude of the variation. The more stable the light source is, the smaller the variation the camera can sense. Small variations in the light source need to be eliminated to allow the camera to get the most information from the image it sees. Large disturbances in the light source can cause the camera to sense an object or variation that is not present.

Suppose an air conditioner started somewhere in the factory and
pulled down the line voltage feeding the light source. If the lamp brightness
changed significantly, the camera could interpret the in light level to be a
defect in the target object. This is called a "false reject." MERCRON lamp
controllers alert the operator if and when this happens so that false rejects
can be correctly ignored.

4) The lamp decays and the light changes as the temperature changes.

All lamps are subject to constant decay and temperature changes can particularly affect fluorescent lamps. Lamp decay will cause the gray scale to compress also. The reduction in gray scale caused by lamp decay reduces the effective sensitivity of the vision system.

MERCRON’s Illumination Control eliminates these gray scale problems by holding the light level constant over time.

5) I need to control the light automatically.

All MERCRON lamp controllers also have remote control. That means that the light can be adjusted on a real time basis. If the product color changes, it's easy to change the light level so the vision system's sensitivity stays the same.

MERCRON's Illumination Technology controls the light itself, so no matter what, the light intensity stays the same. It's automatic!

6) My camera's resolution is not good enough for the job.

If the light is increased and held to a constant brightness, the camera's resolution can be maximized, providing the most accurate image with the fewest false rejects.

Installing a MERCRON lamp controller into your machine vision system is the cheapest way to increase the resolution of your camera's images. Light is the most underestimated aspect of machine vision systems today, and now it is the easiest to fix. Do it by contacting us NOW.