Skip to main content

Sony Europe launches a new series of SXGA modules - the XCG-CG160

Sony Europe’s Image Sensing Solutions has introduced the first in a new series of SXGA modules - the Sony XCG-CG160. The camera, which features a 1/3-type IMX273 sensor, is a low-disruption way to move from CCD to GSCMOS. The manufacturers said that it is an ideal replacement for cameras using the Sony ICX445 CCD sensor. The first modules to be announced use the GigE standard, running at 75 frames per second in SXGA resolution. Black/white modules are available immediately and colour modules will ente
February 8, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
The XCG-CG160 provides a simple migration from CCD to GSCMOS
Sony Europe’s Image Sensing Solutions has introduced the first in a new series of SXGA modules - the Sony XCG-CG160


The camera, which features a 1/3-type IMX273 sensor, is a low-disruption way to move from CCD to GSCMOS. The manufacturers said that it is an ideal replacement for cameras using the 2546 Sony ICX445 CCD sensor.

The first modules to be announced use the GigE standard, running at 75 frames per second in SXGA resolution. Black/white modules are available immediately and colour modules will enter mass production this month.

A USB 3.0 module - Sony’s first - is also scheduled to enter mass production in the first quarter of 2018.

The modules are targeted at an array of markets - from print, robotics and inspection to ITS, medical and logistics. It is also suitable for general imaging, according to Sony.

The XCG-CG160 provides a simple migration path from CCD to GSCMOS without necessarily having to upgrade or change architecture, explained Matt Swinney, senior marketing manager at Sony Image Sensing Solutions. The IMX273 shares comparable sensor and pixel size characteristics with the Sony ICX445, but offers huge technological improvements in sensitivity, dynamic range, noise reduction and frame rate capability.

The XCG-CG160 delivers 75 8-bit colour or black/white frames per second and features include defect-pixel correction, shading correction with both peak and average detection and area gain to automatically adjust for the target object. Additionally, the module supports 2x2 multiregion of interest, flip and binning.

Sony’s Firmware v1.1 is certified by Cognex VisionPro and is GigE Version 2.0 compliant. This allows both hard and software triggering, with the module able to act as a an IEEE1588 (PTP) master and a slave. The firmware uniquely allows for up to 16 action cue commands, plus acquisition sequence scheduling and GPO control.

The firmware also features burst trigger and new event modes, as well as a reduced jitter function with single frame acquisition. Its asynchronous image transfer enables a memory shot and output upon user demand, and its broadcast register write function enables synchronised camera feature controls to be implemented.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Researchers trial 3D printing for both concrete and asphalt roads
    February 27, 2019
    Automated road repairs, using 3D printing, could save money and vastly reduce disruption, and researchers are already showing it’s possible - Kristina Smith reports It’s the middle of the night, and in the street below a team is busy carrying out repairs to the road surface. But there isn’t a human in sight. A road repair drone has landed at the site of a crack and a 3D asphalt printer is now busy filling in that crack. A group of traffic cone drones have positioned themselves around the repair location
  • Plant advances for asphalt production boost efficiency
    May 30, 2018
    Advances in asphalt plant technology will boost efficiency for producers, while increasing the percentage of recycled materials that can be used in the mix - Mike Woof writes. Asphalt plant technology continues to advance as the rival firms fine-tune their technologies for greater performance. New plants can give higher quality output due to new control technologies, while also allowing for recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) to be used more efficiently, while still ensuring tight mix specifications are met. A
  • Bridge and tunnel concrete testing vital for longevity
    July 9, 2012
    Modern technology is making testing more efficient and reliable, increasing productivity and reducing costs, as Patrick Smith reports A few years ago, visual inspection of an 18-year-old bridge by ARRB in Australia identified considerable cracking in the precast, prestressed deck planks as well as in the cast in situ deck overlay. Laboratory examination indicated that the deck planks and the deck overlay were suffering from a strong case of alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR). Testing of concrete cores drilled