Recommend a camera for 1d barcodes (3mil)

[zperkins]

I have tried a few webcameras around our office (1.2 and 2mp) and haven't had any luck getting the resolution I need to read our barcodes. Is anybody using cameras vs. barcode scanners in a manufacturing environment that may have a suggestion?

We are considering going this route because the operators have 7 barcodes to scan, and we think this could increase the output (and the chance the operator is scanning a different just to get the tests to run).

Thanks,

Zac

[Joe D.]

Hi Zac,

There are quite a few camera that NI Vision supports. Take a look at the Industrial Camera Advisior . You will also need to figure out what bus to use in order to select the correct camera here is a link to the Choosing the Right Camera Bus Developer's Zone.

NI also offers product called the NI smart camera that is a combination camera with vision processing on board. You can take a look at here.

[BruceAmmons]

Seven barcodes in the same field of view, or different views?  What is the total field of view?  What is smallest bar width in the bar codes?

To read a barcode, you will need two or three pixels for the smallest width bar in the code.  If you can measure that, you know what resolution you need (pixels/inch or pixels/mm).  Then you just need to find the right camera and lens to get the resolution you want.  For a given pixels/mm, the sensor resolution of the camera determines the maximum area in mm (field of view, FOV) you will be able to capture.  The lens just determines the distance the camera will need to be from the part to get that field of view.

If the barcodes are spread out, a linescan camera might work for your application.  You can get much higher resolution images if you are able to scan the camera over the object or vice versa.

Bruce

[zperkins]

7 in the same field of view.  Within a 6x6" area.  The smallest bar width is .007"

This sounds like something you have done before.  Do you find it a reliable way of reading 1d barcodes?

Thanks for your response.

Zac

[BruceAmmons]

That is a tiny barcode in a large area.

With the smallest bar = 0.007", a pixel size of about 0.002" should work okay.  That gives you 500 pixels per inch, and 6"x6" turns into 3000x3000 pixels.  Therefore, you need a camera with a minimum resolution of 3000x3000 pixels.

Last time I tried it, the 1d barcode reader in the Vision module was fairly weak.  It does not have the ability to automatically locate the barcode(s), and you need to know the orientation as well.  If the orientation is always the same, you could develop a simple tool to locate each barcode, then use the reader to read it.

Bruce