Key Knowledge of Important Parameters for Popularizing Industrial Cameras

       To choose a suitable industrial camera, it's essential to understand its specific parameters. This enables the design of a corresponding machine vision system based on the specific usage environment.

1. Resolution:

   The number of pixels the camera captures in each image. For digital industrial cameras, this generally corresponds directly to the number of pixels in the photosensitive sensor. For analog cameras, it depends on the video format, with PAL being 768*576 and NTSC being 640*480.

2. Pixel Depth:

   The number of bits for each pixel's data. Commonly used values include 8 bits, and for digital industrial cameras, there are also options like 10 bits and 12 bits.

3. Frame Rate / Line Rate:

   The rate at which the camera captures and transmits images. For area scan cameras, it's generally the number of frames captured per second, while for line scan cameras, it's the number of lines captured per second.

4. Exposure Mode and Shutter Speed:

   For line scan cameras, exposure is done line by line, with options for fixed line frequency and externally triggered synchronous acquisition. Exposure time can be consistent with the line period or set to a fixed time. Area scan industrial cameras have several common exposure modes, including frame exposure, field exposure, and rolling line exposure. Digital industrial cameras usually offer external trigger capture functionality, and shutter speeds can be as fast as 10 microseconds, or even faster for high-speed industrial cameras.

5. Pixel Size:

   The size of each pixel, which, along with the number of pixels, determines the size of the camera's photosensitive surface. Currently, the pixel size for digital industrial cameras is generally in the range of 3-10μm. Smaller pixel sizes generally increase manufacturing difficulty and make it harder to improve image quality.

6. Spectral Range:

   Refers to the sensitivity characteristics of the pixel sensor to different wavelengths of light. The typical response range is 350-1000nm. Some cameras have a filter in front of the sensor to filter out infrared light. This filter can be removed if the system requires infrared sensitivity.