"Clean Eye Camera Link Cable"

KANAGAWA, Japan, December 1, 2009 - OKI Electric Cable (TSE5815) today announced the launch of "Clean Eye Camera Link Cable™". Combination of the company's state- of-the-art low skew(*1) cable and the newly developed unique and low power consumption equalizing technology(*2) (patent pending) enables up to 20m data transmission at 85MHz which is twice the distance specified in Camera Link interface standard. This halves the power consumption as compared to a conventional repeater. The company plans to commercialize this product in January 2010.

Today, visual inspection method has changed from human eyes to automated optical inspection(AOI)(*3) using high-end digital cameras, that have higher data volume and faster transmission speed . For example so far,conventional LCD panel inspections with cameras can be covered by a 10m cable - this length is specified for the Camera Link interface standard. However, since the size of the LCD panel has become larger, and the longer than 10m cables are now required. If conventional cables are used to transmit high-speed data over distances greater than 10m, the eye pattern(*4) will be 'crushed', which results in transmission errors.

For this reason, a repeater unit(*5) has typically been placed between the two cables to extend the transmission distance by connecting the 10m length cables. However, when using this method, with a movable device, there are very few locations where the repeater can be sensibly located. The power line to the repeater also becomes long, which causes a range of problems including noise. Further more, the repeater ,when placed in the middle, obstructs the camera which moves along the edge of the cables.

The new product, "Clean Eye Camera Link Cable" facilitates wiring using one 20m cable by placing the repeater unit on the frame grabber(*6) side, instead of in between the two cables. Also, the repeater can be placed anywhere. The power consumption of the repeater unit is 0.5W(TYP) which is 1/2 of value for the ordinary repeater units, made possible with the help of the company's unique equalizing technology. This low power scheme has great advantage when using ithe Power over Camera Link (PoCL)(*7) application, which requires low power consumption. In addition, the low skew smooth sliding camera link cable(*8) retains many of the outstanding characteristics of current OKI's camera link cables, such as non-degradation of electrical characteristics caused by bending.

The product will be showcased at the International Technical Exhibition on Image Technology (http://www.adcom-media.co.jp/ite/eng/index.html) and Equipment to be held in Yokohama, Japan between December 2-4.

"OKI Electric Cable will continue in the future to develop and provide high-end products, over and above industrial standard, to the worldwide market," says Takashi Hattori, President of OKI Electric Cable. "We believe our Clean Eye Camera Link Cable is fulfilling an important industry need for innovative solutions that deliver high-quality inspection capabilities, capable of providing long-distance transmission at high speeds and low levels of power consumption."

Main Specifications

Items	Spec
Transmission method	Base configuration
Transmission speed (clock speed) X distance	85MHz x 20m
Power consumption	0.5W(TYP)
Power supply	Power supplied from flame grabber, compatible with PoCL. Non-PoCL is in development
Environment	Temp : 0 to 40°C, humidity, 20 to 80%Rh, no condensation
Weight (repeater unit itself)	Approximately 250g
Dimensions (repeater unit itself)	57mm(W)*18mm(H)*85mm(D)

Example of Connection

Part number

Sales plan

January 2010.

Sales target

More than 300 million yen for fiscal year 2010.

Glossary

• *1:Low skew

  A technology to reduce the difference in time delay between signals.

• *2:equalizing technology

  A technology to recover attenuated signals.

• *3:AOI (automated optical inspection)

  An equipment to inspect the target with camera-captured image.

• *4:Eye pattern

  Signal waves are taken as samples, which are then superimposed and displayed.
  

• *5:Repeater unit

  Connection box with wave form correction devices embedded, which is used to extend the cable.

• *6:Frame grabber

  A board to capture the picture frame data from the camera.

• *7:PoCL Power over Camera Link

  A method to transmit over the power line and signal line, using just one cable.

• *8:Low skew smooth-sliding camera link cable

  Reduces the time delay difference between signals. It remains strong even when bent.

About Oki Electric Cable Co., Ltd.

Established in 1936, Oki Electric Cable Co., Ltd. provides various advanced communications cables, optical cables, and related electronic parts and equipment to the worldwide market. As a member of the OKI Group, Oki Electric Cable Co., Ltd. plays a major role in the group. The company's website is located at http://www.okidensen.co.jp/english/e_home.htm

• * Clean Eye Camera Link Cable is a trademark of Oki Electric Cable Co., Ltd.
• * Names of companies and products are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies and organizations.

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