Hardware specification

Note

The following hardware specifications are provided here as a general reference; differences with the product may exist.

Scope of delivery

Standard delivery for an rc_visard includes the rc_visard sensor and a quickstart guide only. The full manual is available in digital form and is always installed on the sensor, accessible through the Web GUI, and available at http://www.roboception.com/documentation.

Note

The following items are not included in the delivery unless otherwise specified:

  • Couplings, adapters, mounts
  • Power supply unit, cabling, and fuses
  • Network cabling

Please refer to Accessories for suggested third-party cable vendors.

A connectivity kit can be purchased for the rc_visard. It contains an M12 to RJ45 network cable, 24 V power supply, and a DC plug to M12 power adapter. Please refer to Accessories for details.

Note

The connectivity kit is intended only for initial setup, not for permanent installation in industrial environment.

The following picture shows the important parts of the rc_visard which are referenced later in the documentation.

_images/rc_visard_65_parts.png

Fig. 2 Parts description

Technical specification

The common technical specifications for the rc_visard variants are given in Table 1. The rc_visard 160 is available with two different types of lenses: 4 mm and 6 mm focal length. The rc_visard 65 is only available with 4 mm lenses.

Table 1 Common technical specifications for both rc_visard baselines
  rc_visard 65 / rc_visard 160
Image resolution 1280 x 960 pixel, color or monochrome
Field of view
4 mm lens: Horizontal: 61°, Vertical: 48°
6 mm lens: Horizontal: 43°, Vertical: 33°
IR Cutoff 650 nm
Depth image
1280 x 960 pixel (Full) @ 1 Hz (with StereoPlus license)
640 x 480 pixel (High) @ 3 Hz
320 x 240 pixel (Medium) @ 15 Hz
214 x 160 pixel (Low) @ 25 Hz
Egomotion 200 Hz, low latency
Computing unit Nvidia Tegra K1
Power supply 18 V to 30 V
Cooling Passive

The rc_visard 65 and rc_visard 160 differ in their baselines, which affects depth range and resolution as well as the sensors’ size and weight.

Table 2 Differing technical specifications for the rc_visard variants
  rc_visard 65 rc_visard 160
Baseline 65 mm 160 mm
Depth range 0.2 m to infinity 0.5 m to infinity
Size (W x H x L) 135 mm x 75 mm x 96 mm 230 mm x 75 mm x 84 mm
Mass 0.68 kg 0.84 kg

The combination of baselines and lens types leads to different resolutions and accuracies.

Table 3 Resolution and accuracy of the rc_visard variants in millimeters with full resolution stereo matching and random dot projection on non-reflective and non-transparent objects.
  distance (mm) rc_visard 65-4 rc_visard 160-4 rc_visard 160-6
lateral resolution (mm)
200
500
1000
2000
3000
0.2
0.5
0.9
1.9
2.8
-
0.5
0.9
1.9
2.8
-
0.3
0.6
1.3
1.9
depth resolution (mm)
200
500
1000
2000
3000
0.04
0.2
0.9
3.6
8.0
-
0.1
0.4
1.5
3.3
-
0.06
0.3
1.0
2.2
Average depth accuracy (mm)
200
500
1000
2000
3000
0.2
0.9
3.6
14.2
32.1
-
0.4
1.5
5.8
13.0
-
0.3
1.0
3.9
8.8

The rc_visard can be equipped with on-board software modules such as SLAM for additional features. These software modules can be ordered from the Roboception and require a license update.

_images/rc_visard_65_general.png

Fig. 3 Overall dimensions of the rc_visard 65

_images/rc_visard_160_general.png

Fig. 4 Overall dimensions of the rc_visard 160

CAD models of the rc_visard can be downloaded from http://www.roboception.com/download. The CAD models are provided as-is, with no guarantee of correctness. When a material property of aluminum is assigned (density of \(2.76\mathrm{g\over{cm}^3}\)), the mass properties of the CAD model are within 5% of the actual product with respect to weight and center of mass, and within 10% with respect to moment of inertia.

Environmental and operating conditions

The rc_visard is designed for industrial applications. Always respect the storage, transport, and operating environmental conditions outlined in Table 4.

Table 4 Environmental conditions
  rc_visard 65 / rc_visard 160
Storage/Transport temperature -25 °C to 70 °C
Operating temperature 0 °C to 50 °C
Relative humidity (non condensing) 20 % to 80 %
Vibration 5 g
Shock 50 g
Protection class IP54
Others
  • Free from corrosive liquids or gases
  • Free from explosive liquids or gases
  • Free from powerful electromagnetic interference

The rc_visard is designed for an operating temperature (surrounding environment) of 0 °C to 50 °C and relies on convective (passive) cooling. Unobstructed airflow, especially around the cooling fins, needs to be ensured during use. The rc_visard should only be mounted using the provided mechanical mounting interface, and all parts of the housing must remain uncovered. A free space of at least 10 cm extending in all directions from the housing, and sufficient air exchange with the environment is required to ensure adequate cooling. Cooling fins must be free of dirt and other contamination.

The housing temperature depends on the processing load, sensor orientation, and surrounding environmental temperatures. When the sensor’s exposed housing surfaces exceed 60°C, the LED at the front will turn from green to red.

Warning

For hand-guided applications, a heat-insulated handle should be attached to the sensor to reduce the risk of burn injuries due to skin exposure to surface temperatures exceeding 60°C.

Power-supply specifications

The rc_visard needs to be supplied by a DC voltage source. The rc_visard’s standard package doesn’t include a DC power supply. The power supply contained in the connectivity kit may be used for initial setup. For permanent installation, it is the customer’s responsibility to provide suitable DC power. Each rc_visard must be connected to a separate power supply. Connection to domestic grid power is only allowed through a power supply certified as EN55011 Class B.

Table 5 Absolute maximum ratings for power supply
  Min Nominal Max
Supply voltage 18.0 V 24 V 30.0 V
Max power consumption     25 W
Overcurrent protection Supply must be fuse-protected to a maximum of 2 A
EMC compliance see Standards

Warning

Exceeding maximum power rating values may lead to damage of the rc_visard, power supply, and connected equipment.

Warning

A separate power supply must power each rc_visard.

Warning

Connection to domestic grid power is allowed through a power supply certified as EN55011 Class B only.

Wiring

Cables are not provided with the rc_visard standard package. It is the customer’s responsibility to obtain the proper cabling. Accessories provides an overview of suggested components.

Warning

Proper cable management is mandatory. Cabling must always be secured to the rc_visard mount with a strain-relief clamp so that no forces due to cable movements are exerted on the rc_visard’s M12 connectors. Enough slack needs to be provided to allow for full range of movement of the rc_visard without straining the cable. The cable’s minimum bend radius needs to be observed.

The rc_visard provides an industrial 8-pin A-coded M12 socket connector for Ethernet connectivity and an 8-pin A-coded M12 plug connector for power and GPIO connectivity. Both connectors are located at the back. Their locations (distance from center lines) are identical for the rc_visard 65 and rc_visard 160. The location of both connectors on the rc_visard 65 is shown as an example in Fig. 5.

_images/rc_visard_connect.png

Fig. 5 Locations of the electrical connections for the rc_visard 65, with Ethernet on top and power on the bottom

Connectors are rotated so that standard 90° angled connectors will exit horizontally, away from the camera (away from the cooling fins).

_images/rc_visard_pinout.png

Fig. 6 Pin positions for power and Ethernet connector

Pin assignments for the Ethernet connector are given in Fig. 7.

_images/ethernet_cable.png

Fig. 7 Pin assignments for M12 to Ethernet cabling

Pin assignments for the power connector are given in Table 6.

Table 6 Pin assignments for the power connector
Pin Assignment
1 GPIO In 2
2 Power
3 GPIO In 1
4 GPIO Gnd
5 GPIO Vcc
6 GPIO Out 1 (image exposure)
7 Gnd
8 GPIO Out 2

GPIOs are decoupled by photocoupler. GPIO Out 1 by default provides an exposure sync signal with a logic high level for the duration of the image exposure. All GPIOs can be controlled via the optional IOControl module (IO and Projector Control). Pins of unsused GPIOs should be left floating.

Warning

It is especially important that during the boot phase GPIO In 1 is left floating or remains low. The rc_visard will not boot if the pin is high during boot time.

GPIO circuitry and specifications are shown in Fig. 8. The maximum rated voltage for GPIO In and GPIO Vcc is 30 V.

_images/rc_visard_gpio.png

Fig. 8 GPIO circuitry and specifications – do not connect signals higher than 30 V

Warning

Do not connect signals with voltages higher than 30 V to the rc_visard.

Mechanical interface

The rc_visard 65 and rc_visard 160 offer identical mounting-point setups at the bottom.

_images/rc_visard_mounting.png

Fig. 9 Mounting-point for connecting the rc_visard to robots or other mountings

For troubleshooting and static applications, the sensor may be mounted using the standardized tripod thread (UNC 1/4”-20) indicated at the coordinate-frame origin. For dynamic applications such as mounting on a robotic arm, the sensor must be mounted with three M4 (metric standard) 8.8 machine screws tightened to 2.5 Nm and secured with a medium-strength threadlocking adhesive such as Loctite 243. Maximum thread depth is 6 mm. The two 4 mm diameter holes may be used for positioning pins (ISO 2338 4 m6) to ensure precise repositioning of the sensor.

Warning

For dynamic applications, the rc_visard must be mounted with three M4 8.8 machine screws tightened to 2.5 Nm torque and secured with threadlocking adhesive. Do not use high-strength bolts. The engaged thread depth must be at least 5 mm.

Coordinate frames

The rc_visard’s coordinate-frame origin is defined as the exit pupil of the left camera lens. This frame is called sensor coordinate frame or camera coordinate frame. An approximate location for the rc_visard 65 is shown in the next image.

Note

The correct offset between the sensor/camera frame and a robot coordinate frame can be calibrated through the hand-eye-calibration procedure

The mounting-point frame for both rc_visard devices is defined to be at the bottom, centered in the tripod thread, with orientation identical to that of the sensor’s coordinate frame. Fig. 10 shows approximate offsets.

_images/rc_visard_frames.png

Fig. 10 Approximate location of sensor/camera coordinate frame (inside left lens) and mounting-point frame (at tripod thread) for the rc_visard 65

Approximate locations of sensor/camera coordinate frame and mounting-point frame for the rc_visard 160 are shown in Fig. 11.

_images/rc_visard160_frames.png

Fig. 11 Approximate locations of sensor/camera coordinate frame (inside left lens) and mounting-point frame (at tripod thread) for the rc_visard 160