Whether for goods inspection on conveyor belts, pick-and-place applications in robotics or collision avoidance for automated guided vehicles (AGV)—as a raw data sensor, the SmartRunner Explorer 3-D is suitable for a wide range of applications that require detailed contour detection. Due to its temperature-regulating aluminum housing, the rugged sensor with IP65 certification delivers reliable measurement results even in the most demanding applications. It is optionally available with stereo vision technology or time-of-flight (ToF) technology and generates high-precision 3-D point cloud images in addition to 2-D images.
Together with the integrated Ethernet Gigabit interface, 2-D and 3-D images can be generated significantly faster and without data loss. Thanks to the high chip resolution, even the smallest objects and their properties can be precisely mapped and transferred to a coordinate system or an individual application using the depth information in the z direction. Since the sensor is already delivered in a calibrated state, it is immediately ready for use. This reduces the time required for programming and integrating the device into the application many times over.
The integrated Ethernet TCP/IP interface and the available DLL simplify the integration of the sensor into the respective programming environment. The SmartRunner Explorer 3-D is also equipped with the universal GenICam and ROS interfaces. This eliminates the need for familiarization with manufacturer-specific interfaces. Instead, users receive standardized access to data and parameters. In addition, GenICam and ROS enable access to a variety of programming modules in software libraries. This saves time and costs when implementing image processing applications.
The sensor with stereo vision technology is equipped with two cameras with a resolution of 1.4 MP. By superimposing two 2-D images, the stereo vision version automatically determines a disparity image, which is used to create a 3-D point cloud in the end. It is ideally suited for applications with short detection ranges.
The sensor with Time-of-Flight Technology has a camera with VGA resolution (640 x 480 px) and a high measuring rate of 30 Hz. This makes it especially suitable for applications with a larger measuring range where faster response times are essential—for example in driverless transport systems. The 940-nanometer infrared light means that the ToF sensor is insensitive to ambient light and can be used equally effectively both indoors and outdoors.