Imaging sensors in the machine vision space have traditionally fit into cameras utilizing only a couple of different camera mounts. However, newer sensors are beginning to grow far too large. Lens and camera manufacturers need to collaborate to develop new mounting standards for the new, large sensor formats.

Imaging lenses are critically important components for systems deployed in all types of environments such as factory automation, robotics, and industrial inspection.

You’ve learned about light sources, lenses, cameras, camera interfaces, and image processing software. Now, you may be wondering exactly how to design and implement a complete, successful machine vision system. 

Imaging and machine vision are becoming more integrated into our daily lives. From autonomous vehicles to advanced medical diagnostics, camera and lens systems are now commonplace.

Laser Components USA manufactures high-quality custom quartz glass lenses within a very short time. At the production site in Olching, Germany, substrates with diameters from 0.5 to 2 inches can be shaped into plano-convex, plano-concave, biconvex, biconcave, and meniscus lenses with radii of curvature from 12 mm to 15,000 mm.

Lens and camera sensor technology tends to co-evolve. As cameras drive to smaller and smaller pixel sizes with growing formats, lenses need to be designed to match those higher capabilities. 

Russ Hudyma, Chief Technology Officer with Navitar, discusses the benefits of precision lens-to-sensor active alignment within the field of machine vision for high-end inspection.

Packaging, electronics, automotive, clinical diagnostics… Smart cameras have made their way into all sorts of industries and applications. Machine vision engineers never get to rest on their laurels because there’s always some new process to improve.

The term machine vision can imply a computer having a set of eyes for an inspection. To develop a complete solution for machine vision applications, vision engineers execute a series of tasks that usually fall into five categories: plan, design, build, integrate, and validate.

All machine vision systems rely on the production of an image of sufficient quality to allow the required measurements to be made.