User`s manual

Features AW00098504000
178 Basler ace Camera Link
10.6.1 Considerations When Using Binning
Increased Response to Light
Using binning can greatly increase the camera’s response to light. When binning is enabled,
acquired images may look overexposed. If this is the case, you can reduce the lens aperture,
reduce the intensity of your illumination, reduce the camera’s exposure time setting, or reduce the
camera’s gain setting.
Reduced Resolution
Using binning effectively reduces the resolution of the camera’s imaging sensor. For example, the
sensor in the acA2000-340km camera normally has a maximum resolution of 2048 (H) x 1088 (V)
pixels. If you set this camera to use horizontal binning by 3 and vertical binning by 3, the effective
maximum resolution of the sensor is reduced to 682 (H) by 362 (V). (Note that the dimensions of
the sensor are not evenly divisible by 3, so we rounded down to the nearest whole number.)
Possible Image Distortion
Objects will only appear undistorted in the image if the numbers of binned lines and columns are
equal. With all other combinations, the imaged objects will appear distorted. If, for example, vertical
binning by 2 is combined with horizontal binning by 4 the widths of the imaged objects will appear
shrunken by a factor of 2 compared to the heights.
If you want to preserve the aspect ratios of imaged objects when using binning, you must use
vertical and horizontal binning where equal numbers of lines and columns are binned, e.g. vertical
binning by 3 combined with horizontal binning by 3.
Binning’s Effect on AOI Settings
When you have the camera set to use binning, keep in mind that the settings for your area of interest
(AOI) will refer to the binned lines and columns in the sensor and not to the physical lines in the
sensor as they normally would. Another way to think of this is by using the concept of a "virtual
sensor." For example, assume that you are using an acA2000-340km camera set for 3 by 3 binning
as described above. In this case, you would act as if you were actually working with a 682 column
by 362 line sensor when setting your AOI parameters. The maximum AOI width would be 682 and
the maximum AOI height would be 362. When you set the Width for the AOI, you will be setting this
value in terms of virtual sensor columns. And when you set the Height for the AOI, you will be setting
this value in terms of virtual sensor lines.
For more information about the imaging area of interest (AOI) feature, see Section 10.3 on
page 160.