Event Capturing Systems (ECS)
Today ECS, Inc. is the leading manufacturer of industrial video solutions for the paper, packaging and related converting industries and has over 450 installations worldwide. It developed the foundation for this technology in the early 1990's and was the first company to bring to market a digital based event capture solution. This solution provides valuable insight into high speed manufacturing downtime as well as real-time image processing tools to determine product quality and centerlining standards. |
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New Camera System Technology ECS makes full use of new camera transmission standard has emerged that does not have many of the limitations of NTSC (analog) and other digital standards (Camera Link, Firewire) - it's called GigE. This technology sends the camera information as an Ethernet digital signal from camera to processing computers. Coaxial cable is replaced by Ethernet or fiber optic. Systems that use this architecture have the following advantages:
- Higher Resolution
- Higher Frame Rate
- Cost Effect Upgrade Path
- No Specialized Hardware
- Low Total Cost of Ownership (low cost repair with stand off-the-shelf computer components)
- Lossless Camera Signal Transmission
- Simplicity of System Architecture - Increased System Uptime Availability of Advanced Software Features
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The ECS LED Advantage
ECS has incorporated LED technology as its primary light component. LED technology has several distinct advantages as compared to incandescent (halogen/high intensity discharge - HID) and high frequency fluorescent. Key to the ECS design is to pulse the LED light to a high frequency synchronized to a setting that is controlled by the frame rate and shutter speed of the camera. This is called 'flashing' and the LED is only on from 10% to 25% of the time just as a camera is only exposing the chip (CCD) for a fraction of a second (to achieve stop action clarity). If the camera only needs light for a one millisecond burst - why use a constant-on light source? This flashing minimizes the duty cycle of the LED, increases life, eliminates the need for specialized heat dissipation concerns, allows for a smaller power supply and provides for a small form factor light that can easily outperform traditional high wattage HID lighting systems. This synchronization between camera and light requires a cable between the two components.
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