Hitachi unveils small camera with big resolution

Boston, Mass. – At the Vision Show East, the Industrial Video Systems Division of Hitachi Denshi America Ltd. introduced the HV-D30, a compact, high-resolution 3 CCD interlaced-scan camera that is suitable for a wide range of industrial and general-purpose applications.

The HV-D30’s small size, robust signal-to-noise ratio, sophisticated color correction and high-performance DSP make it a logical choice for many medical, microscopy, video conferencing, and machine vision applications. For machine vision, the HV-D30 features an external trigger mode for field-on-demand operation.

‘There is a great market demand right now for small cameras with greater versatility and high sensitivity,’ said Richard Erickson, senior product manager, Hitachi Denshi America, Industrial Video Systems Division. ‘With its compact size, rich feature set and moderate price point, the HV-D30 is a tremendous value and the right camera for many demanding applications.’

The new camera measures 65 (w) x 65 (h) x 80 mm (l) and weighs 400 grams. Horizontal resolution on the HV-D30 is 800 TV lines.

The independent six-vector color corrector system is more sophisticated than that featured by most industrial grade cameras. The color corrector allows the user to adjust the saturation and hue of each of the three primary and secondary colors, ‘which makes this camera ideal for medical and microscopy applications, or any application in which color fidelity is important,’ Mr. Erickson said.

The HV-DV30 features a third-generation DSP with 12-bit analog to digital (A/D) converter, 14-bit processing, and a signal-to-noise ratio of 64 dB. The 1/3-inch CCD and single chip DSP accounts for the small size, low power consumption, and high stability of the camera.

The HV-D30 outputs 30 frames per second and offers multi-step electronic shutter. For extremely low-light operation, the camera features ultra-gain, which adds 12 dB of signal gain to any setting. Minimum illumination is 1.2 lux, which, combined with the high signal to noise ratio, means high sensitivity in almost any environment.

Like other cameras in Hitachi’s Industrial Video line, the HV-D30 has a Field-on-Demand function. An external trigger mode allows images to be captured for high-resolution viewing or processing at a selected point for any desired exposure time.

The new camera affords PC control via an RS-232C port, enabling a user to remotely control all camera functions, including Field-on-Demand. Finally, the C mount lens system allows the camera to be used with a broad range of optical systems.

The HV-D30 will be available in December at a suggested list price of $2,750.

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