IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH - Experts & Thought Leaders

IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH has joined IPAI in Heilbronn as a partner. The industrial camera manufacturer is contributing its expertise to the network, particularly in the areas of computer vision and edge AI. At the same time, IDS aims to engage with companies, research institutions and technology partners to develop new AI applications together, share experience and discuss current issues surrounding artificial intelligence. IPAI is an innovation platform for applied artificial intelligence and supports companies and institutions in their AI transformation. With the AI campus currently being developed in Heilbronn, IPAI aims to create Europe’s leading centre for applied artificial intelligence. Wide range of fields The ecosystem brings together expertise from a wide range of fields and provides an environment in which new ideas and approaches can be explored and advanced. Through the partnership, IDS aims to draw on the experience and inspiration provided by the network to further develop the use of AI within the company. In addition, the image processing specialist wants to actively share its own know-how as an "expert for the eyes" with the community and play a key role in topics relating to computer vision. The focus is on questions that are crucial to many industrial AI applications: How can visual data be used effectively for AI? What requirements does AI place on camera technology? And how can AI methods be used directly on or close to the camera? AI-based image processing "For us, artificial intelligence is not just a topic for the future. It is already an integral part of specific developments and applications today. At the same time, there are still many questions that we, as a company, do not want to and cannot answer in isolation. What matters is collaboration: learning from one another, exploring approaches together and using them to develop solutions that deliver real added value in practice.” "IPAI offers an exciting environment for this," says Jan Hartmann, Managing Partner at IDS. IDS specifically focuses on formats that combine knowledge transfer with hands-on experimentation. The new “AI Vision Circle” gives IPAI members an opportunity to exchange ideas on AI-based image processing and further develop them together. With a Vision Readiness Check and computer vision hackathons, the industrial camera manufacturer supports participants in identifying potential and testing concrete solutions. Testing concrete solutions In addition, they can borrow IDS cameras for their projects and receive expert advice on their use. Exploring new requirements and applications together also helps IDS look beyond today’s use cases. From a technology perspective, IDS has also been working with artificial intelligence for many years. With IDS NXT, the company offers a complete system for deploying intelligent cameras. This expertise is now increasingly being incorporated into the uEye Live portfolio for industrial process monitoring. AI-enabled monitoring cameras allow AI-based image analysis on-the-edge. Powerful neural networks from IDS partner DENKweit handle typical tasks such as rapid object and position detection, precise parcel handling and efficient code reading. Development of future cameras For IDS, the partnership also opens up new perspectives on future requirements for cameras and machine vision. Dialog with stakeholders from industry, research and technology helps the company identify new fields of application at an early stage and understand how technological developments, such as vibe coding or quantum computing, may change applications and business models. IDS intends to incorporate the insights gained into the development of future cameras and computer vision components.

Strong reflections, changing light conditions, or large brightness differences complicate many applications ofindustrial image processing. High Dynamic Range (HDR) extends the measurable dynamic range and reveals details that may be lost in overexposed or underexposed areas of an image. Since different applications have different requirements, choosing the appropriate HDR method is an important step. Depending on the application, the focus may be on dynamic range, resolution or motion tolerance. Combining softwares Accordingly, IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH combines various HDR technologies within a singlesoftware environment. This allows users to compare, test, and integrate the respective features into theirapplications more easily. With Clear HDR, Quad HDR, and Sequence HDR, IDS supports three HDR modes for different requirements regarding dynamic range, resolution, and motion. HDR-capable IDS cameras can be configured, output data captured, and HDR results processed and visualized via IDS peak. Authority comment "Users want to use HDR and not develop HDR," says Heiko Seitz, Product Marketing Manager at IDSImaging Development Systems. "That is why we combine various HDR technologies as end-to-end Softwaresupport from capture to the finished HDR result in IDS peak. This simplifies evaluation, reduces integrationeffort, and accelerates the path to the right solution." Integration of softwares HDR is more than just a function of the image sensor. Only the interaction of the sensor and the camerafirmware with the image processing on the PC makes the additional image information practically usable.That is why IDS integrates central functions such as camera acquisition control, various image data formats,as well as the merging of HDR sensor data and tone mapping algorithms directly into the IDS peak SDK. Users thus gain access to individual HDR exposures as well as to calculated HDR and LDR results. The IDSpeak Cockpit allows users to explore and test the entire HDR toolchain and to visualize the resulting HDRimages. All of this is possible without prior programming. Source code samples further simplify integrationinto users' own applications. Numerous industrial image processing applications benefit from this approach. These include quality controlof reflective components, logistics and OCR applications, robotics and automation, welding processes, aswell as traffic and outdoor applications. In medical technology and microscopy, too, HDR can be used tomake more image information from high-contrast scenes usable.

Dust, moisture and high-pressure cleaning place high demands on cameras used for industrial process monitoring. With the new uEye SFA, IDS Imaging Development Systems GmbH is expanding its uEye Live monitoring range with an especially robust model designed for challenging operating conditions. The camera combines an IP69K-rated housing and high image quality with flexible streaming functions. The uEye SFA has been developed for applications that require reliable live images, even in harsh environments. Its housing protects against dust ingress and withstands high-pressure water jets during cleaning processes. Flexible streaming functions Screw-lock connectors provide additional operational reliability. Thanks to Power over Ethernet (PoE), both data and power are transmitted via a single cable over distances of up to 100 metres. "With the uEye SFA, we offer users a rugged monitoring camera that is easy to integrate and delivers reliable live images even under demanding conditions," explains Marcus Rembold, Product Manager at IDS. "Its 8-megapixel IMX678 sensor from Sony's STARVIS 2 series ensures excellent image quality, even in low light environments." Like all models in the series, the uEye SFA is designed for standalone operation. It supports video streaming, hardware-accelerated encoding, and event-based recording. Multiple streams can be configured and operated in parallel, providing additional flexibility when different stream settings are required for process monitoring. The uEye Live family also includes the compact uEye SCP, featuring the industrial standard format of 29 x 29 x 29 mm, and the uEye SLE, a space-saving single-board camera measuring just 45 x 45 mm. IDS therefore offers a range of camera designs for flexible live monitoring applications in industrial processes