Acquisition & saving with smart camera

[MichaelMadaris]

We have a need, to use a camera (smart camera) to acquire an image of Shot Shell patterns on targets.  could a smart camera and vision software accomplish this?  We would fire a round at the target, and then acquire the image, in order to count pellet hits/locations, and pattern size, as well as shot density on the target.  Then, we would need to capture and store the image for inspection and record keeping.

[azp7]

You can check this link to choose the software

https://knowledge.ni.com/KnowledgeArticleDetails?id=kA00Z000000P6OASA0&l=en-US

You can check this link to choose the camera

https://www.ni.com/en/shop/choosing-the-right-hardware-for-your-vision-applications.html

https://www.ni.com/en-us/shop/category/machine-vision.html?productId=118861

[1100fps]

The answer is yes, generally.  

The devil is in the details.   Just about any smart camera could be programmed to capture an image, count the holes, and generate statistical data about the spread and number of pellet hits.  Pellets that share a hole can be edged out based on size of hole.

You would need to have a camera / Lens combination that allows full view of the target, and I'm assuming you want the target up range. 

A smart camera only has digital output.  You could program it to show an image of the target, an overlay it with crosshairs on each hole, and put statistical info on the screen.  You may wish to have an input that logs the shooter, shell type, and other information. 

The system could be smart enough to figure out when holes suddenly appeared in the target.

If you want to get away from a smart camera, a single PC could run several cameras and watch multiple targets. 

I'm not confident that NI will keep smart cameras in their product lineup for much longer.  

Depending on the target, color may be useful.

Sounds like a fun project.