Smart gantry camera uses Firewire to follow the action

A group of companies including Philips, the Dutch motion control specialist Nyquist, and the gantry supplier Technobis, have teamed up to build a demonstration system which shows how gantry operations can be accelerated and enhanced using "smart" cameras and high-speed Firewire communications.

In the demonstration, a Philips camera with on-board processing is connected via Firewire, directly to a Nyquist motion controller. Images are processed in the camera rather than using a separate PC, saving time and making the machine faster and more adaptable, according to the developers.

The controller supervises four maxon motors fitted to a Technobis gantry carrying the camera. In the demonstration, the camera follows an arbitrary drawn outline.The developers say that the system can react to exceptional behaviours by changing its movements on the fly. So for example, if the drawn shape is moved, the gantry follows suit immediately.