Remotely triggered camera?

This may be kind of an odd question, but does anyone know of a cheaper digital camera that can be remotely triggered using a discrete output?

The intent is to set it up to monitor intermittent problems that an average technician won't sit around waiting for and the operators won't remember to document. We are shooting for a <= .1% failure rate on some processes, and would love to be able to take pictures of each of the failures and review them at the end of the day.

I've looked around, but all I can find are high end digitals with add on componenets for this purpose. I'm almost to the point of purchasing an outdated digital camera, disassembling it, de-soldering the shutter button, and replacing it with a relay that I can hook up for this purpose.

Is there a computer close by? if so you can setup a web cam to take pictures at certain times.

moltra said:

Is there a computer close by? if so you can setup a web cam to take pictures at certain times.

Click to expand...

I have used this method in the past. While the PC is kind of bulky you can get a cheap web cam that uses USB and with extension cables (USB repeaters) mount it 20 to 30 feet away from the PC. On the PC you can create a simple application that makes use of an output from the PLC. I used an ASCII input from my PLC to my PC to fire my camera. Also with the Pc you have storage for your pics.

if you would rather hack around PLC instead of PC, you could simply use solenoid or valve and small cylinder to press the button on any camera.

panic mode said:

if you would rather hack around PLC instead of PC, you could simply use solenoid or valve and small cylinder to press the button on any camera.

Click to expand...

This is assuming that the camera does not have a time out feature and turn off. I know that mine does that. It may have a setting to turn this feature off, but I don't mess around with it much.

Does it have to be a digital camera? The old cameras were mostly mechanical. Press the button and the shutter was released. No On/Off, no timing out and shutting off, no batteries unless you need the flash. You do need actual film, and it was manually wound to the next unexposed frame.

Pretty knarly request either way you do it. How much time do you have to capture the picture from when you detect the condition? A few considerations:

1. PLC "controlling" camera via relays - strikes me as "mechanically jankey".
a. As Oakley pointed out, you'll have to deal with powering on the camera and auto-shutoffs. You'll also need to have a power adapter or deal with batteries.
b. Transferring pictures - are you planning on having someone move a memory card each day? Keep a USB cord permanently attached?
c. Digital cameras often require holding down the button softly to focus then clicking to take the picture.

2. Clay's suggestion of using the PC wired to a webcam then "create(ing) a simple application that makes use of an output from the PLC". Good idea, but I can't figure out how it'd work.

a. I'm curious as to how this would work. I can't think of a simple way to reliably do it. The only way I can fathom (besides writing an app from scratch) is with a utility that replays keyboard/mouse macros, which is terribly clunky.
b. Ensure that your system is fast enough to catch the problem condition.
c. PC wired directly to the webcam via USB extension cords may or may not work for your setup.

My approach would be to use an IP based webcam. Any computer on the network could record all video - or at least all video based on motion detection. That software is included with the webcam and it's simple to use. You would then have the PLC track specific problem date/times. I would use whatever HMI/SCADA system you have to record and display these values, preferably utilizing an SQL database for long term analysis. You'd then have a history of downtime and operators would be able to view the problem. The downside of my approach is a disconnect between log and video that operators would have to correlate. The advantage is that both video/pictures and logs would be stored so timing works out. You also wouldn't have to mess around with custom programming on the software end (#2) or weird hardware rigging (#1).

I'd appreciate feedback - I'm sure to have missed important details.

Check out CHDK on wikipedia, there is a remote trigger for some of the Canon cameras.

Axis has an IP webcam that has a digital input. This particular one is a higher resolution than most of their cameras. However, a regular digital camera would be higher resolution than this.
http://www.axis.com/products/cam_207mw/index.htm

I haven't used them before, but I believe it can be set to upload a still picture (or possibly a video clip) when the input is triggered. I'm not sure on exactly how to set this up, but it sounds like it would be possible.

Brian

We have a D link camera that has an output for turning on lights etc. It also has a motion input. I don't know what type of input it is but you may be able to make it work.

http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=295&sec=0


I just got this out of the manual

The​

​

DCS-5300 provides a general I/O terminal block with one digital input and​

one relay switch for device control. Pin 1 and pin 2 can be connected to an​

external sensor and the state of voltage will be monitored from the initial state​

‘LOW’. The relay switch of pin 3 and pin 4 can be used to turn on or off the​

external device.​

The I/O connector provides the physical interface for digital output (DO) and​

digital input (DI) that is used for connecting a diversity of external alarm devices​

to the Internet Camera such as IR-Sensors and alarm relays.​

1 DI+ INPUT (Max. 50mA, 12VDC)


​

2 DI- INPUT (Initial state of DI is low)​

3 SW_COMMON OUTPUT (open from SW_OPEN at initial state)​

(close with SW_OPEN when set DO to ON)​

4 SW_NOPEN OUTPUT (Max. 1A, 24VDC or 0.5A, 125VAC)​

The digital input is used for connecting external alarm devices and once triggered


​

images will be taken and e-mailed.

Click to expand...

I've used an Axis and a similar Panasonic webcam with that feature. It's pretty easy - that's a setting in software.

Charles' idea sounds best so far.

Brian123 said:

Axis has an IP webcam that has a digital input. This particular one is a higher resolution than most of their cameras. However, a regular digital camera would be higher resolution than this.
http://www.axis.com/products/cam_207mw/index.htm

I haven't used them before, but I believe it can be set to upload a still picture (or possibly a video clip) when the input is triggered. I'm not sure on exactly how to set this up, but it sounds like it would be possible.

Brian

Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks a ton for the suggestions. I'm going to check out both the D-Link and Axis products. The D-Link looks like it might be the better fit for what I want to do. There are plenty of network connections available, but not many windows based PCs. A stand alone network appliance like this would work quite nicely.

Luckily for the scenarios I need it the most, high speed and high resolution are not needed.

[edit] actually it looks like either will work quite well.[/edit]

I can see great applications for this. Have thought of video to record relative motion of a box being folded while traveling on a chain on a box machine.

I would like to hear how this works out.

Question
instead of turning on the camera
what if camera operated all the time
BUT the recorder was triggered to record the event or should we call it the misadvent??

Dan Bentler

Try looking at Cognex cameras. These have ethernet ports built-in are very rugged and will be the supreme answer to your problems. I have used one recently and was very impressed with both the camera and the software that came with it. I actually used it to measure the diameter of plastic bottles and reject if out of spec.

panasonic network camera

It can be triggered by sound, movement and input contacts. We connect this in a tcp/ip network and the computer is placed in a normal office. We have the version with a SDmemory card installed it can alse operate stand alone.