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Machine-vision guides

How to choose and set up lenses, lights, cameras and controllers: the numbers that decide, worked examples, calculators and the parts that fit. Written by our applications team.

CalculatorsWork out the numbers before you pick the parts: focal length, resolution, depth of field, motion blur, bandwidth and line rate.

Calculators

Work out the numbers before you pick the parts: focal length, resolution, depth of field, motion blur, bandwidth and line rate.

All calculators →

Machine vision lens focal length calculatorFind the lens focal length, field of view or working distance for a machine-vision camera, with every standard lens compared at your distance.Machine vision camera resolution calculatorCalculate how many pixels a machine-vision camera needs from the field of view and the smallest feature, with the pixels-per-feature rules for each task.Machine vision depth of field calculatorCalculate the depth of field of a machine-vision lens from F-number, pixel size, allowed blur and magnification, and see where diffraction starts to cost sharpness.Line scan camera line rate calculatorCalculate the line rate a line scan camera needs from conveyor or web speed, field of view and pixels per line, plus the longest exposure and encoder setting.Camera bandwidth calculator: data rate and frame rateCalculate a machine-vision camera's data rate from resolution, pixel format and frame rate, and see which interfaces carry it: GigE, USB3, 10GigE, CoaXPress.Motion blur and exposure time calculatorCalculate motion blur in pixels from part speed, field of view and exposure time, and the longest exposure that keeps a moving part sharp.Telecentric lens magnification and field of view calculatorFind the telecentric lens magnification for your part and camera sensor, the field of view it gives and the size of one pixel on the part.

Lighting

Choosing and setting up machine-vision lights: geometry, colour, diffusion and the defects each light reveals.

Lighting guides →

Lighting · Guide Which LED colour gives the best contrast in machine vision How to pick the machine vision light color: red, blue, green, white, infrared or UV, with the colour rule, sensor response and a worked example.

Lighting · Guide Stereo depth lighting optimization for dark surfaces Stereo depth lighting optimization for dark and reflective parts: measure valid coverage, temporal stability and depth error before choosing lights.

Lighting · Guide Multi wavelength light: sequence colours to get more from one camera How multi-wavelength and sequencing lights work: recipe switching, full-resolution colour from a mono camera, ratio images, multispectral checks and timing.

Lighting · Comparison Collimated backlight or diffuse backlight for edge gauging When a collimated backlight beats a diffuse one for measuring edges: telecentric acceptance angle, light efficiency, shiny round parts, alignment and sizing.

Lenses & optics

Focal length, field of view, telecentric optics, mounts and resolution: picking the lens that makes the measurement possible.

Lenses & optics guides →

Lenses & optics · Explainer SWIR lens and UV lens basics: what changes outside visible light Why a SWIR lens or UV lens differs from a visible lens: glass transmission, coatings, focus shift, diffraction and pixel size, and when a normal lens is enough.

Lenses & optics · Guide M12 lens selection for board cameras: format, focal length and IR cut Choose an M12 (S-mount) lens for a board camera: sensor format, focal length, fixed aperture, distortion, IR cut filters, chief ray angle and focus locking.

Lenses & optics · Explainer 360 degree inspection lens: inner wall, outer wall and bore imaging How 360 degree inspection lenses image the outer wall of a cylinder or the inside of a bore in one shot, how to unwrap the ring image, and their size limits.

Lenses & optics · Guide Lens sensor format: 1/1.8 inch, 2/3 inch and 1 inch lenses explained What 1/1.8, 2/3, 1 and 1.1 inch lens formats really measure, how to match a machine vision lens to your sensor, and what the megapixel rating means.

Cameras & sensors

Area scan and line scan cameras, sensors, interfaces, shutters and exposure: how many pixels you need and how to move them.

Cameras & sensors guides →

Cameras & sensors · Explainer Hyperspectral imaging: how it works and when it beats RGB and filters How a push-broom hyperspectral camera builds a data cube, what bands and FWHM really mean, the speed and data limits, and when RGB or filters are enough.

Cameras & sensors · Comparison SWIR vs NIR vs visible imaging: which band to inspect with Compare visible, NIR and SWIR machine vision: sensor cut-offs, water bands, seeing through silicon and plastics, sorting, and the lens and light for each.

Cameras & sensors · Guide Thermal camera NETD and lens choice for process monitoring What NETD, IFOV and emissivity mean for a thermal camera on a production line, how to pick the LWIR lens, and a worked example for heat-seal monitoring.

Cameras & sensors · Guide Board level camera selection for embedded vision machines How to choose and build in a board level camera: USB3 or GigE bandwidth, global or rolling shutter, lens holder, heat, cabling, triggering and stereo modules.

Light control & strobing

Driving LED lights: constant current, strobing, overdrive, triggering and sizing the controller.

Light control & strobing guides →

Light control & strobing · Guide Strobe machine vision light: overdrive, duty cycle and timing How strobing freezes motion, how far LED lights can be overdriven, the duty cycle limit, and how to time the pulse inside the exposure. Worked numbers.

Code reading

Fixed and handheld code readers: 1D, 2D and direct part marks, reader set-up and fixing no-reads.

Code reading guides →

Code reading · Explainer Industrial 2 of 5 barcode support in fixed readers Check Industrial 2 of 5 barcode compatibility, decoder settings and label tests before choosing a fixed reader for legacy production labels.

Code reading · Troubleshooting 1D barcode preprocessing for rotation, blur and glare Diagnose failed 1D barcode preprocessing with rotation tests, quiet-zone checks and thresholding, then identify blur or glare that needs acquisition changes.

Code reading · Explainer USB barcode scanner data capture in your application Set up USB barcode scanner data capture by identifying keyboard or serial input, framing complete scans, and testing focus, buffering and errors.

3D vision

Laser profilers and 3D sensors: when height data beats a 2D image, and how to set them up.

3D vision guides →

3D vision · How-to Live stereo rectification for calibrated camera video Set up live stereo rectification with reusable maps, synchronized image pairs, epipolar checks and bounded display latency for calibrated cameras.

3D vision · Troubleshooting Stereo point cloud visualization: check missing XYZ points Diagnose stereo point cloud visualization by checking valid-pixel counts, disparity scaling, XYZ units, export rows and viewer axis limits.

3D vision · Explainer 3D scanner prototype planning for limb surface capture Plan a 3D scanner prototype for limb capture: define coverage, accuracy, scan time, calibration, motion limits and safe validation stages.

3D vision · Explainer Visual servoing feature selection for perpendicular approach Visual servoing feature selection explained: combine image centers, depth and surface normals to constrain centering and perpendicular approach.

System design

Putting a station together: PCs, triggers, cables, mounting and the parts list for a working system.

System design guides →

System design · Troubleshooting Camera preview freezes after first frame: channel checks If your camera preview freezes after first frame, check channel count, image dimensions and data type before changing acquisition settings.

System design · Guide Open source machine vision software: integration tradeoffs Evaluate open source machine vision software by acquisition support, algorithms, licensing, deployment risk and engineering effort before choosing.

System design · Guide Barcode scanner robot communication without a PLC Plan barcode scanner robot communication without a PLC, including RS-232, Ethernet, read triggers, message framing, acknowledgements and timeouts.

System design · Troubleshooting USB camera format negotiation: diagnose rejected modes Diagnose USB camera format negotiation failures by checking supported modes, capture backends, configuration order and the active stream format.

Applications

Worked inspection tasks by industry: the set-up, the numbers and the parts that solved them.

Applications guides →

Applications · How-to Two-camera sheet alignment with coordinated gripper moves Calibrate two-camera sheet alignment in machine coordinates, calculate coordinated gripper moves, and diagnose residual errors and mechanical limits.

Applications · Application note Screw thread inspection camera selection for robot handling Specify a screw thread inspection camera from defect size, field of view and motion, with backlighting, gripper tilt and multi-view checks.

Applications · Application note Coated rod inspection for diameter and core eccentricity Plan coated rod inspection at 1,000 parts per minute, separating outside diameter from hidden-core eccentricity and validating a 0.04 mm measurement target.

Applications · Application note Camera lens scratch detection with controlled image tests Separate camera lens scratch detection from image-quality testing, with lighting choices, reference targets, practical metrics and validation checks.

Latest

System design · Troubleshooting GenICam exposure feature discovery for missing attributes Resolve missing camera attributes with GenICam exposure feature discovery, then verify node access, units, limits and safe write behavior.

System design · Explainer Measuring image pattern strength with spatial regularity Measure image pattern strength using autocorrelation and Fourier energy, with sampling calculations and tests that separate regular texture from noise.

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