Axiomtek AI starter kit supports USB webcam, IPCAM, and GENICAM compliance vision camera. But how do we know which camera is suitable for our AI application? To answer this question, we need to understand the characteristic of these cameras.
A USB webcam is a camera that connects to a computer through a USB cable. USB webcams are compatible with a variety of operating systems including Windows, Mac, Linux, and even some gaming systems like the Sony PlayStation but please double-check the camera datasheet if you are developing your AI application in Linux. USB webcams are generally used for multi-person meetings, video chats, online teaching, etc. Therefore, examples of AI applications that use USB webcam are human/object detection and face recognition. Most of the USB webcam support autofocus, which means the USB webcam will automatically adjust the camera focus when the object is out of focus. But sometimes we might experience the USB webcam cannot focus on the object very well. The three most important factors influencing autofocus are the light level, subject contrast, and camera or subject motion. For human detection or face recognition, slightly out of focus does not affect the deep learning model performance. However, for smart manufacturing, we do not recommend using an autofocus enabled USB webcam to perform defect detection on the product on a moving conveyor belt especially when the defect area is small. This is because the USB webcam might keep adjusting the camera focus when the object is on the moving conveyor belt and resulting in all captured images being blurred.
An Internet Protocol camera or IPCAM is a type of camera that sends images or video streams to the computer through a wireless (WiFi) or wired network (Ethernet cable). Unlike a USB webcam that needs to gain power from the computer USB port, IPCAM can be powered up through a power adapter or PoE (Power over Ethernet) port. RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) is the most common communication protocol used by IPCAM to send video streams to other devices. There is an RTSP server running inside the IPCAM and all the devices that receive video stream is known as RTSP client. IPCAM usually can support 5 to 20 RTSP clients simultaneously depending on camera brand and model. The first thing that comes to our mind when talking about IPCAM is it is a camera that is used for surveillance & security purpose. Therefore, examples of AI applications that use IPCAM are human/object detection, person search, vehicle detection, license plate recognition, etc. For smart manufacturing, if the camera needs to operate in an extreme temperature environment, IPCAM will be a better choice compared to a USB webcam.
Two types of vision cameras are commonly used in machine-vision applications: area-scan and line-scan. Area scan vision camera is like a USB webcam and IPCAM which use an imaging sensor with width and height for example 1920 × 1080 pixels. A line-scan camera uses a sensor that is long and very narrow for example 8000 × 1 pixels. Axiomtek AI starter kit currently only support area-scan vision camera. Vision cameras send images or video streams through USB 3.0 or GigE (Gigabit Ethernet). USB 3.0 provides 3 times higher throughput (camera frame per second) compared to GigE but the USB 3.0 cable length is limited to 5 meters while GigE cable can go up to 100 meters. Axiomtek AI starter kit supports both USB 3.0 and GigE interface as long as the vision camera is GenICAM (Generic Interface for Cameras) compliant.
Examples of AI applications by using Axiomtek AI starter kit in smart manufacturing are defect detection (detect scratch, dings, dents, missing parts), product counting, product classification, product orientation (detect front view or back view of the product is facing to the camera), etc. Some simple tasks for example product counting can be handled by using a USB webcam or IPCAM if the object size is large. A vision camera is more suitable for handling tiny objects.
How to choose the right camera for your AI application in smart manufacturing?
Axiomtek AI starter kit supports USB webcam, IPCAM, and GENICAM compliance vision camera. But how do we know which camera is suitable for our AI application? To answer this question, we need to understand the characteristic of these cameras.
A USB webcam is a camera that connects to a computer through a USB cable. USB webcams are compatible with a variety of operating systems including Windows, Mac, Linux, and even some gaming systems like the Sony PlayStation but please double-check the camera datasheet if you are developing your AI application in Linux. USB webcams are generally used for multi-person meetings, video chats, online teaching, etc. Therefore, examples of AI applications that use USB webcam are human/object detection and face recognition. Most of the USB webcam support autofocus, which means the USB webcam will automatically adjust the camera focus when the object is out of focus. But sometimes we might experience the USB webcam cannot focus on the object very well. The three most important factors influencing autofocus are the light level, subject contrast, and camera or subject motion. For human detection or face recognition, slightly out of focus does not affect the deep learning model performance. However, for smart manufacturing, we do not recommend using an autofocus enabled USB webcam to perform defect detection on the product on a moving conveyor belt especially when the defect area is small. This is because the USB webcam might keep adjusting the camera focus when the object is on the moving conveyor belt and resulting in all captured images being blurred.
An Internet Protocol camera or IPCAM is a type of camera that sends images or video streams to the computer through a wireless (WiFi) or wired network (Ethernet cable). Unlike a USB webcam that needs to gain power from the computer USB port, IPCAM can be powered up through a power adapter or PoE (Power over Ethernet) port. RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) is the most common communication protocol used by IPCAM to send video streams to other devices. There is an RTSP server running inside the IPCAM and all the devices that receive video stream is known as RTSP client. IPCAM usually can support 5 to 20 RTSP clients simultaneously depending on camera brand and model. The first thing that comes to our mind when talking about IPCAM is it is a camera that is used for surveillance & security purpose. Therefore, examples of AI applications that use IPCAM are human/object detection, person search, vehicle detection, license plate recognition, etc. For smart manufacturing, if the camera needs to operate in an extreme temperature environment, IPCAM will be a better choice compared to a USB webcam.
Two types of vision cameras are commonly used in machine-vision applications: area-scan and line-scan. Area scan vision camera is like a USB webcam and IPCAM which use an imaging sensor with width and height for example 1920 × 1080 pixels. A line-scan camera uses a sensor that is long and very narrow for example 8000 × 1 pixels. Axiomtek AI starter kit currently only support area-scan vision camera. Vision cameras send images or video streams through USB 3.0 or GigE (Gigabit Ethernet). USB 3.0 provides 3 times higher throughput (camera frame per second) compared to GigE but the USB 3.0 cable length is limited to 5 meters while GigE cable can go up to 100 meters. Axiomtek AI starter kit supports both USB 3.0 and GigE interface as long as the vision camera is GenICAM (Generic Interface for Cameras) compliant.
Examples of AI applications by using Axiomtek AI starter kit in smart manufacturing are defect detection (detect scratch, dings, dents, missing parts), product counting, product classification, product orientation (detect front view or back view of the product is facing to the camera), etc. Some simple tasks for example product counting can be handled by using a USB webcam or IPCAM if the object size is large. A vision camera is more suitable for handling tiny objects.