Exposure Overlap Time Max

The Exposure Overlap Time Max camera feature allows you to optimize overlapping image acquisition.

Using this parameter is especially useful if you want to maximize the camera's frame rate, i.e., if you want to trigger at the highest rate possible.

The parameter is only available if you operate the camera in Trigger Width or Trigger Controlled exposure mode.

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Using the Feature

Prerequisites

How It Works

You can use overlapping image acquisition to increase the camera's frame rate. With overlapping image acquisition, the exposure of a new image begins while the camera is still reading out the sensor data of the previous image.

In Trigger Width and Trigger Controlled exposure mode, the camera doesn't "know" how long the image will be exposed before the trigger period is complete. Because of that, the camera can't fully optimize overlapping image acquisition.

To avoid this problem, enter a value for the ExposureOverlapTimeMaxAbsExposureOverlapTimeMax parameter that represents the shortest exposure time you intend to use (in µs). This helps the camera to optimize overlapping image acquisition.

If you have entered a value for the ExposureOverlapTimeMaxAbsExposureOverlapTimeMax parameter, make sure to never apply a trigger signal that is shorter than the given parameter value.

Setting the Exposure Overlap Time Max

To optimize the camera's frame rate in Trigger Width or Trigger Controlled exposure mode, enter a value for the ExposureOverlapTimeMaxAbsExposureOverlapTimeMax parameter that represents the shortest exposure time you intend to use (in µs).

Example: Assume that you want to trigger the camera to apply exposure times in a range from 3000 μs to 5500 μs. In this case, set the camera’s ExposureOverlapTimeMaxAbsExposureOverlapTimeMax parameter to 3000.

Additional Parameters

On some camera models, the ExposureOverlapTimeMode parameter is available.

If the parameter is available, you can set it to one of the following values:

If the parameter is not available, the camera always operates in the "Manual" mode.

Specifics

Camera Model

ExposureOverlapTimeMode Parameter Available

All ace 2 GigE camera models No
All ace 2 USB 3.0 camera models No
acA640-90gm No
acA640-90gc No
acA640-120gm No
acA640-120gc No
acA640-121gm Yes
acA640-300gm Yes
acA640-300gc Yes
acA720-290gm Yes
acA720-290gc Yes
acA780-75gm No
acA780-75gc No
acA800-200gm Yes
acA800-200gc Yes
acA1280-60gm No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1280-60gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1300-22gm No
acA1300-22gc No
acA1300-30gm No
acA1300-30gc No
acA1300-60gm No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1300-60gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1300-60gmNIR No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1300-75gm Yes
acA1300-75gc Yes
acA1440-73gm Yes
acA1440-73gc Yes
acA1600-20gm No
acA1600-20gc No
acA1600-60gm No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1600-60gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1920-25gm No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1920-25gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1920-40gm Yes
acA1920-40gc Yes
acA1920-48gm No
acA1920-48gc No
acA1920-50gm Yes
acA1920-50gc Yes
acA2000-50gm No
acA2000-50gc No
acA2000-50gmNIR No
acA2040-25gm No
acA2040-25gc No
acA2040-25gmNIR No
acA2040-35gm Yes
acA2040-35gc Yes
acA2440-20gm Yes
acA2440-20gc Yes
acA2500-14gm No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA2500-14gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA2500-20gm No
acA2500-20gc No
acA2500-20gmMED No
acA2500-20gcMED No
acA3088-16gm No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA3088-16gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA3800-10gm No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA3800-10gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA4024-8gm No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA4024-8gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA4096-11gm Yes
acA4096-11gc Yes
acA4600-7gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA5472-5gm No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA5472-5gc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA640-750um Yes
acA640-750uc Yes
acA640-90um No
acA640-90uc No
acA640-120um No
acA640-120uc No
acA720-520um Yes
acA720-520uc Yes
acA800-510um Yes
acA800-510uc Yes
acA1300-200um Yes
acA1300-200uc Yes
acA1300-30um No
acA1300-30uc No
acA1440-220um Yes
acA1440-220uc Yes
acA1600-20um No
acA1600-20uc No
acA1920-25um No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1920-25uc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1920-40um Yes
acA1920-40uc Yes
acA1920-40umMED Yes
acA1920-40ucMED Yes
acA1920-150um No
acA1920-150uc No
acA1920-155um No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1920-155uc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1920-155umMED No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA1920-155ucMED No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA2000-165um No
acA2000-165uc No
acA2000-165umNIR No
acA2040-55um Yes
acA2040-55uc Yes
acA2040-90um No
acA2040-90uc No
acA2040-90umNIR No
acA2040-120um

Yes

acA2040-120uc Yes
acA2440-35um Yes
acA2440-35uc Yes
acA2440-35umMED Yes
acA2440-35ucMED Yes
acA2440-75um Yes
acA2440-75uc Yes
acA2440-75umMED Yes
acA2440-75ucMED Yes
acA2500-14um No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA2500-14uc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA2500-60um Yes
acA2500-60uc Yes
acA3088-57um No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA3088-57uc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA3800-14um No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA3800-14uc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA4024-29um No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA4024-29uc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA4096-30um Yes
acA4096-30uc Yes
acA4096-30umMED Yes
acA4096-30ucMED Yes
acA4096-40um Yes
acA4096-40uc Yes
acA4096-40umMED Yes
acA4096-40ucMED Yes
acA4112-20um Yes
acA4112-20uc Yes
acA4112-20umMED Yes
acA4112-20ucMED Yes
acA4112-30um Yes
acA4112-30uc Yes
acA4112-30umMED Yes
acA4112-30ucMED Yes
acA4600-10uc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA5472-17um No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
acA5472-17uc No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
All boost CXP-12 camera models tbd
All dart BCON for LVDS camera models No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
All dart BCON for MIPI camera models No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
All dart USB 3.0 camera models No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported
All pulse USB 3.0 camera models No, Exposure Overlap Time Max feature not supported

Sample Code

// Set the maximum overlap time between sensor 
// exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds
camera.ExposureOverlapTimeMaxAbs.SetValue(10000.0);
// Set the maximum overlap time between sensor 
// exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds
camera.ExposureOverlapTimeMax.SetValue(10000.0);
INodeMap& nodemap = camera.GetNodeMap();
// Set the maximum overlap time between sensor
// exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds
CFloatPtr(nodemap.GetNode("ExposureOverlapTimeMaxAbs"))->SetValue(10000.0);
// Set the maximum overlap time between sensor
// exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds
CFloatPtr(nodemap.GetNode("ExposureOverlapTimeMax"))->SetValue(10000.0);
// Set the maximum overlap time between sensor
// exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds
camera.Parameters[PLCamera.ExposureOverlapTimeMaxAbs].SetValue(10000.0);
// Set the maximum overlap time between sensor
// exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds
camera.Parameters[PLCamera.ExposureOverlapTimeMax].SetValue(10000.0);
// Set the maximum overlap time between sensor
// exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds
Pylon.DeviceSetFloatFeature(hdev, "ExposureOverlapTimeMaxAbs", 10000.0);
// Set the maximum overlap time between sensor
// exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds
Pylon.DeviceSetFloatFeature(hdev, "ExposureOverlapTimeMax", 10000.0);
/* Macro to check for errors */
#define CHECK(errc) if (GENAPI_E_OK != errc) printErrorAndExit(errc)
GENAPIC_RESULT errRes = GENAPI_E_OK;  /* Return value of pylon methods */
/* Set the maximum overlap time between sensor */
/* exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds */
errRes = PylonDeviceSetFloatFeature(hdev, "ExposureOverlapTimeMaxAbs", 10000.0);
CHECK(errRes);
/* Set the maximum overlap time between sensor */
/* exposure and sensor readout to 10000 microseconds */
errRes = PylonDeviceSetFloatFeature(hdev, "ExposureOverlapTimeMax", 10000.0);
CHECK(errRes);

You can also use the pylon Viewer to easily set the parameters.