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Point Grey Research Launches the Chameleon Family of USB 2.0 Digital Cameras
September 25, 2008 - Richmond, BC, Canada - Point Grey Research® Inc., a world leader of advanced imaging products, today announced the launch of the Chameleon™ line of USB 2.0 digital cameras. The Chameleon joins Point Grey's existing line of FireWire digital imaging products.
The Chameleon camera, designed and manufactured by Point Grey Research, is an easy, cost effective, and reliable imaging solution. Featuring a high sensitivity 1.3 megapixel Sony EXview HAD CCD™, hi-speed USB 2.0 digital interface, and ultra-compact size, the Chameleon is an ideal choice for demanding imaging applications such as object and gesture tracking, test and measurement, bioscience, augmented reality, security, biometrics, and robot guidance.
"We are very excited to launch the Chameleon, a truly one of a kind product," says Vladimir Tucakov, Director of Sales and Marketing at Point Grey Research. "No other digital camera can match the Chameleon's unique combination of CCD image quality, small and lightweight housing, and affordable price point. It is extremely easy to use, and the USB 2.0 480 Mb/s interface allows the camera to be connected to virtually any computer system without adding an interface card. Also, because the image sensor is a 1/3" CCD, existing users of VGA or XGA 1/3" sensors can increase the number of available pixels without changing optics."
The Chameleon camera uses the exceptionally sensitive Sony ICX445 EXview HAD CCD and a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter to generate high quality 1296(W) x 964(H) monochrome or raw Bayer color images at 18 FPS. The camera is equipped with a CS-mount lens holder with removable glass/IR filter system, and is housed in a small and lightweight 25.5 x 41 x 44 mm plastic case. A board-level option is available for qualified OEM's. A 7-pin general purpose I/O connector can be used to synchronize the camera to external devices, such as an external trigger or light source, and its 5-pin Mini-B USB 2.0 connector enables the USB 2.0 cable (included in the Development Accessory Kit) to transfer both data and power.
A key feature of the Chameleon is the field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chip that controls all camera functionality, including gain, exposure, gamma, resolution and frame rate, user memory channels, and more. The FPGA can be updated with new functionality in the field. Other standard features include multiple trigger and strobe modes, regions of interest and pixel binning.
