Basler Frame Rate Calculator

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Basler Camera Frame Rate Calculator

Maximum Frame Rate: — fps

Understanding Basler Camera Frame Rate

The frame rate of a camera, particularly industrial cameras like those from Basler, is a critical parameter that dictates how many images the camera can capture per second. This is crucial for applications requiring high-speed monitoring, motion analysis, or capturing fast-moving objects.

Factors Affecting Frame Rate

Several factors influence the maximum achievable frame rate of a Basler camera. Understanding these components helps in selecting the right camera and configuring it optimally for your application.

  • Sensor Resolution: The number of pixels in the sensor (width and height) directly impacts the amount of data that needs to be read out for each image. A higher resolution means more pixels to process, which can reduce the maximum frame rate.
  • Pixel Clock: This is the frequency at which pixel data is transferred from the sensor. A higher pixel clock allows for faster data transfer, thus enabling higher frame rates.
  • Bits Per Pixel: The number of bits used to represent the intensity of each pixel. While not as significant a factor as resolution or pixel clock for raw frame rate, it affects the total data throughput.
  • Line Transfer Time: For line scan cameras, this is the time it takes to transfer data for a single line. For area scan cameras, related timing parameters also contribute to the overall readout time.
  • Interface Bandwidth: The camera's communication interface (e.g., GigE, USB3 Vision) has a maximum data transfer rate that can act as a bottleneck.
  • Processing Power: The internal processing capabilities of the camera and the host computer can also limit frame rate, especially when image processing is performed on-board.

Calculating Maximum Frame Rate

The theoretical maximum frame rate for an area scan camera can be estimated using the following principles:

The total number of pixels in an image is Sensor Width × Sensor Height.

The total data per line is Sensor Width × Bits Per Pixel.

The time to read out one line is approximately (Sensor Width × Bits Per Pixel) / Pixel Clock + Line Transfer Time (converted to appropriate units).

The total time to read out one frame is then approximately (Sensor Height × [(Sensor Width × Bits Per Pixel) / Pixel Clock + Line Transfer Time]). This formula can be simplified for practical estimation.

A more direct way to estimate maximum frame rate (FPS) involves calculating the total pixels per second the sensor can output and dividing by the pixels per frame:

Maximum Data Rate (bits/sec) = Pixel Clock (MHz) × 1,000,000 × Bits Per Pixel

Total Pixels Per Frame = Sensor Width (pixels) × Sensor Height (pixels)

Estimated Frame Rate (FPS) = Maximum Data Rate (bits/sec) / (Total Pixels Per Frame × Bits Per Pixel)

This calculation provides a theoretical maximum. Actual achievable frame rates can be lower due to overheads, specific camera configurations, and interface limitations.

Example Calculation

Let's consider a Basler camera with the following specifications:

  • Sensor Width: 1920 pixels
  • Sensor Height: 1080 pixels
  • Pixel Clock: 600 MHz
  • Bits Per Pixel: 10
  • Line Transfer Time: 50 ns (This is more relevant for line scan, but can be a component of the sensor readout time)

Using the simplified formula:

Total Pixels Per Frame = 1920 × 1080 = 2,073,600 pixels

Maximum Data Rate = 600 MHz × 1,000,000 bits/sec/MHz = 600,000,000,000 bits/sec

Estimated Frame Rate = 600,000,000,000 bits/sec / (2,073,600 pixels × 10 bits/pixel)

Estimated Frame Rate = 600,000,000,000 / 20,736,000 ≈ 28,935 FPS

This calculation gives us an idea of the potential performance. In practice, the actual frame rate might be constrained by other factors such as the camera's internal processing and the chosen interface.

function calculateFrameRate() { var sensorWidth = parseFloat(document.getElementById("sensorWidth").value); var sensorHeight = parseFloat(document.getElementById("sensorHeight").value); var pixelClock = parseFloat(document.getElementById("pixelClock").value); var bitsPerPixel = parseFloat(document.getElementById("bitsPerPixel").value); var lineTransferTime = parseFloat(document.getElementById("lineTransferTime").value); // Primarily for line scan, but included for completeness if a model needs it. For area scan, sensor readout time is more complex. We'll use a simplified model focusing on pixel clock and resolution for area scan estimation. var frameRateResultElement = document.getElementById("frameRateResult"); if (isNaN(sensorWidth) || isNaN(sensorHeight) || isNaN(pixelClock) || isNaN(bitsPerPixel) || sensorWidth <= 0 || sensorHeight <= 0 || pixelClock <= 0 || bitsPerPixel <= 0) { frameRateResultElement.textContent = "Invalid input. Please enter positive numbers."; return; } // Simplified calculation for area scan cameras focusing on pixel clock and resolution. // The line transfer time is usually negligible or part of a more complex sensor readout time for area scan. // We'll calculate the maximum data rate and divide by the total bits per frame. // Maximum data rate in bits per second var maxDataRateBitsPerSecond = pixelClock * 1000000 * bitsPerPixel; // Total bits per frame var totalBitsPerFrame = sensorWidth * sensorHeight * bitsPerPixel; // Estimated maximum frame rate in frames per second (FPS) var maxFrameRateFPS = maxDataRateBitsPerSecond / totalBitsPerFrame; // For a more accurate area scan model, one might consider sensor readout time per line // and number of lines. However, the core bottleneck for high frame rates is often // the total pixel data rate. This simplified model is common for initial estimations. if (isNaN(maxFrameRateFPS) || !isFinite(maxFrameRateFPS)) { frameRateResultElement.textContent = "Calculation error."; } else { frameRateResultElement.textContent = maxFrameRateFPS.toFixed(2) + " fps"; } }

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