Patent ID: 7791671

Claim:
A smart camera, comprising: a housing having a plurality of sides; a camera attached to the housing for acquiring an image of an object; and a programmable gate array comprised in the housing and coupled to the camera, wherein the programmable gate array is configurable to implement an image processing function; a backplane comprised in the housing operable to provide electrical communication, wherein the backplane is coupled to the programmable gate array; and one or more slots comprised in the housing, wherein each of the one or more slots includes a connector that is electrically coupled to the backplane, and wherein each of the one or more slots is adapted for receiving a function module; a first function module adapted to be placed in one of the one or more slots and to connect to the connector for electrically coupling to the backplane, wherein, during operation, the first function module performs an industrial control/automation function based on the image of the object.