LLS: A next-gen for machine vision

Laura S. Marshall, laura.marshall@laurin.com

Longer life, lower energy consumption, higher performance: These features are always in demand for machine vision components.

They also are features of the new LED light source (LLS) introduced by the fiber optics division of Germany’s Schott AG at the Vision Show at the end of March.

Schott introduced its new LED light source at the Vision Show in Phoenix. Courtesy of Schott North America Inc.

Although the LLS offers a small form factor and generates very low heat, it outputs nearly twice the intensity of light for all colors (red, green, blue and white) as compared with the previous generation.

Ethernet connectivity also was added to increase flexibility for machine vision applications, based on feedback from several of the company’s customers, said Carl VanDommelen, business manager of Schott North America Inc.’s machine vision division in Southbridge, Mass.

“The Schott LLS offers a new level of performance while preserving its advantages in longevity and low power consumption,” he said.

The light source features a fast-triggered strobe mode with a maximum 1-KHz pulse rate, a maximum pulse width of 1 ms and a duty cycle of 1/10; it is compatible with all standard ColdVision lightguides and is designed to improve industrial applications such as assembly line product quality inspection.

There are four modes of control interfaces on the new LLS: a continuous intensity control knob, Ethernet, RS-232 and analog (0 to 5 V). Autosensing inputs eliminate the need for manual mode switching. A user control lockout can be activated through Ethernet or RS-232 Schott-supplied software.

The unit’s memory is nonvolatile for storing operating parameters, enabling the light source to restore operating conditions automatically on power-up.

Schott is based in Mainz, Germany and has about 17,000 employees, producing worldwide sales of approximately $3 billion. The company’s areas of focus are the military, the household appliance industry, pharmaceutical packaging, optics and optoelectronics, information technology, consumer electronics, lighting, automotive engineering and solar energy.