PLC driven camera

surferb

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How would you go about allowing a PLC to trigger still camera pictures at approx 40 locations around the plant? Best case, they would be written as .JPGs to a network share or database. The secondary objective is being able to view realtime video.

The best I can come up with is using webcams and some really clever scripting in a software package, an idea that's: complicated, requires a PC when it shouldn't, and is questionable at best.

My other thought was using a CCTV system for video. It might even support snapshots, but tying in PLC "hooks" seems impossible.

Is there an obvious hardware solution that I'm missing?
 
This is a little on the $$$ side but the Banner Camera do send out .JPG or maybe a .BIT. I use my PLC 5, SLC, MLX, CLX & a modbusTCP Master to trigger them over E-net. If you do go with this set up you can store 10 images in the camera. Banner has some sample VB that will store the Images that have been sent from the camera.

We have a system that needed to record a web that is running at 65" wide & 1000' fpm. When the line would crash we could look at the video and do a CSI. I used the NTSF ( Video out) of the camera to hook up to a DVR from a security system. A generic camera could do the same thing but I already had a Banner in place so we took advantage of it.
 
Why not just use IP cams? They can be setup on the network to send pics or stream video to any server/PC on the network. Or is it pertinent that the PLC trigger the picture event?
 
I used network cams to send pictures constantly to ftp server and then screen images with a php script based on time posted and other events such as scaning a barcode etc.
 
Nate couple questions
1. Are the cameras triggered to record a part of the production process? Which explains why the PLC triggers.
2. Are you going to record / review at one central location?
3. Will the central location ie Master Control or whatever determine what the scanning interval will be or will that be handled by the machine and the machine PLC?
4. After you get all these pictures what are you going to do with the information???



Dan Bentler
 
As you are ready to invest in CCTV kind of system for 40 cameras, going for IP cameras is more cost effective and better solution. IP cameras are cost effective over CCTV for cameras more than 20 number. (I do not remember the source of this information but it was some engineering magazine)

# Advantages of IP cameras over Analog cameras and CCTV
01. DVR is propritory need to pay very high amount for the storage in future if image storage demand increases cost of DVRs is very high.
in IP cameras you may use genric opne storage available from Dell or HP

02. Need to run Coax cable for camera and power cable seperately. May use IP cameras with POE. (cost of camera would be about 20% higher than the Anaglog CCTV compatible cameras)

03. May leverage existing network infrastructure for the network cables and Ethernet Ports.

04. Video survilance softwares have Activex components or SDK to develop activex components. You may embed these Activex Components in existing HMI at various plance in Plant to have same front end for Plant control as well as Video Survilance.

For using IP cameras you may use following :

01. Some Video Surivlance software like Stanley Intivid VIP or Genetech. (http://www.intivid.com/MainFrame.aspx)
- Must have SDK availabe for the image click or Activex components for use in custom programs.
- IP Cameras need to be configured at this Video Survialnce software.
- Images and videos can be stored at local workstation or networked workstation.

02. IP Cameras
-May use Axis as they are cheap with good image specifiacations or may use Bosch, Pelco, Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba. (http://www.axis.com/products/video/camera/index.htm)

03. PLC with OPC / DDE server and its activex or SDK
- May use any Rockwell Automation PLC, RSLinx has SDK availabe for data transfer to custom programs( say custom program is developped in VB)

04. Custom progam
- May write in VB or C++ .NET or C# .NET
This program need call Activex components of the Video Survilacne software. This activex componet need to triggerd for Image capture or Video capture start-stop as per value in PLC register read thru OPC or DDE.

Good Luck!

Thanks
- Makarand
 
Thanks all for the prompt replies. I'm gathering info for a customer, but will answer the specific questions to the best of my ability. Dan, to answer your questions:

1. The cameras are triggered at irregular intervals during the production process.
2. Images will be reviewed on a distributed HMI system. This is the easy part as long as they are stored on a network share or db.
3. The PLC will know when to trigger camera snapshots.
4. As I understand, the pictures need only be viewable by a reviewing human. Low speed, for people - nothing like optical recognition sensors.

My idea was to use cheap IP based webcams. They satisfy many of the requirements, except are tricky to trigger from the PLC. I can accomplish the task with custom code running on a PC that's polling the PLC - but there are a number of challenges there.

I have quite a bit of CCTV experience, but they don't quite fit here. I was just making sure that I wasn't overlooking some simple hardware solution that would simplify my problem.

leitmotif said:
Nate couple questions
1. Are the cameras triggered to record a part of the production process? Which explains why the PLC triggers.
2. Are you going to record / review at one central location?
3. Will the central location ie Master Control or whatever determine what the scanning interval will be or will that be handled by the machine and the machine PLC?
4. After you get all these pictures what are you going to do with the information???

Dan Bentler
 
Makarand - thanks for confirming my hunch. That's the direction I was going.
makarandsn said:
As you are ready to invest in CCTV kind of system for 40 cameras, going for IP cameras is more cost effective and better solution. IP cameras are cost effective over CCTV for cameras more than 20 number. (I do not remember the source of this information but it was some engineering magazine)
 
surferb said:
Makarand - thanks for confirming my hunch. That's the direction I was going.

If you are looking for very cost effective solution you may try following.

Use some 2/ 3 MP cameras with PC connectivity over USB. (commertial cameras would cost about USD40-50 for 2-3MP). (note that IP camer from Axis will cost at least USD 150) Take out the click button of the camera replace it with a relay.

Use PLC Digital output to operate the relay to capture image.

The image can be access from computer. Write some script to copy images form the Camera Memory to storate with desired names (camera NO, Time stamp, PLC request NO).

Cheers!

Thanks
- Makarand
 
That is creative! Unfortunately, I don't think that PC and USB cabling implications would allow this to work for this scenario. Also, it doesn't sound nearly robust enough.

makarandsn said:
If you are looking for very cost effective solution you may try following.

Use some 2/ 3 MP cameras with PC connectivity over USB. (commertial cameras would cost about USD40-50 for 2-3MP). (note that IP camer from Axis will cost at least USD 150) Take out the click button of the camera replace it with a relay.

Use PLC Digital output to operate the relay to capture image.

The image can be access from computer. Write some script to copy images form the Camera Memory to storate with desired names (camera NO, Time stamp, PLC request NO).

Cheers!

Thanks
- Makarand
 

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