One challenge for autonomous systems has been the need to see in varied lighting conditions. Photoneo s.r.o. last week introduced the third generation of its Ambient Light Suppression technology in its 3D sensors. It brings “superior scanning performance under the most challenging lighting conditions,” claimed the Bratislava, Slovakia-based company.
“Photoneo has been known as a brand of quality—a trusted developer of robust 3D sensors that are able to overcome challenges such as scanning black and shiny parts, scanning from larger distances, or having low noise and great data completeness in challenging lighting conditions, thanks to the Ambient Light Suppression [ALS] technology,” stated Marcel Svec, vice president of strategy and products at Photoneo.
“Now, we are bringing the ALS quality one level higher by introducing the third generation,” he said.
Ambient Light Suppression Gen3 works in direct sunlight
With the new technology, customers can scan scenes with high dynamic ranges, under direct sunlight, and in changing and unstable lighting in indoor environments, according to Photoneo. The technology ensures superior scanning performance under the most challenging lighting conditions and eliminates the need to install impractical blinders, darken the room, or adjust the number of light sources, it said.
Photoneo said the third generation of Ambient Light Suppression (ALS Gen3) solves three major challenges caused by lighting factors:
- Scanning outdoors under direct sunlight, which is equivalent to 100,000 lux
- Scanning indoors with irregular and changing lighting conditions
- Scanning the darkest and brightest areas of the scene simultaneously in a single scan
ALS Gen3 uses a special acquisition method that actively suppresses the effects of direct sunlight without increasing the intensity of light coming from the scanner projector, explained Photoneo. Thanks to the ability to suppress strong light sources while not harming low-light areas of the scan, the technology can also provide very high dynamic ranges, it said.
Also, Ambient Light Suppression Gen3 ensures stable scanning performance in environments with changing light intensity coming through windows, roof windows, skylights, and other light sources, Photoneo asserted. The technology can also effectively deal with shadows—a common challenge in bin-picking applications, it noted.
In addition, Photoneo said ALS Gen3 works reliably under direct sunlight, even when scanning large objects with glossy surfaces such as cars. The largest model of the company’s scanner line—PhoXi 3D Scanner XL—allows customers to scan objects from a distance of up to 4 m (13.1 ft.).
The third generation of ALS is now available with all PhoXi 3D Scanners shipped since June 1, 2023. It can also be acquired for all recently purchased scanners through an update to Firmware 1.10.
Firmware 1.10 is also compatible with Gig Vision 2.1, so customers do not need to install any driver software on their computers to operate 3D cameras from GigE-compatible software.
About Photoneo
Founded in 2013, Photoneo provides industrial 3D vision, robotic intelligence software, and automation powered by artificial intelligence. The company said its goal is to enable vision-guided robots to automate monotonous and risky tasks.
Photoneo has developed patented sensing technology and “the world's highest-resolution and highest-accuracy color 3D camera,” opening new possibilities for automation, wrote Andrea Pufflerova, public relations specialist at the company.
In combination with robust software based on machine learning, Photoneo said it helps companies improve the performance and efficiency of assembly, fulfillment, and other processes. The industries Photoneo serves include automotive, logistics, e-commerce, grocery, medical, and manufacturing.
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