Point Grey's Grasshopper3 USB3 Vision camera first to feature Sony global shutter CMOS

RICHMOND, CANADA: Point Grey, a world-leading designer and manufacturer of innovative, high-performance digital cameras, announced the addition of a new 2.3 megapixel global shutter CMOS model to its Grasshopper3 family of USB3 Vision cameras.

The Grasshopper3 GS3-U3-23S6M-C model uses the monochrome IMX174, Sony's ground-breaking new global shutter CMOS sensor for the machine vision market. The fast and extremely sensitive IMX174 is a 1/1.2" Exmor CMOS that offers an image resolution of 1920x1200 and frame rates up to 162 FPS.

Global shutter CMOS technology allows images of fast-moving objects to be captured without the motion distortion characterized by rolling shutter sensors, and without the smear inherent with CCDs. The IMX174 supports many features required for industrial and scientific applications, such as high-speed triggering and region of interest (ROI) functionality. The ROI feature allows users to select smaller HD 1080p or 720p image sizes that run at faster frame rates.

To achieve optimal imaging performance, Sony's special "analog memory" perfectly stores and shields the light collected in the photodiode. This technology minimizes common global shutter CMOS artifacts such as fixed pattern noise and dramatically lowers read noise levels to just 7 electrons (e-). The IMX174 sensor further boasts saturation (full well) capacity of 32,000 electrons (e-), dynamic range of 73 dB, and peak quantum efficiency of 76 percent at 525 nm†.