Machine vision lenses are key components in machine vision systems, playing the role of the "eyes" of artificial intelligence.
Primarily involves optical imaging, geometric optics, physical optics, and other fields. Its performance parameters include focal length, field of view, aperture, etc.
Optical imaging principle
The lens focuses light onto the sensor through multiple lens groups (such as image space lenses and object space lenses) to generate a digital image of the object. The position and spacing of the lens groups in the optical path affect performance parameters such as the focal length, field of view, and resolution of the lens.
Geometric optics principle
The lens focuses the reflected light from an object onto the sensor surface under the conditions of satisfying the laws of reflection and refraction. In this process, it is necessary to overcome problems such as lens aberrations, distortions, and chromatic aberrations to improve image quality.
Physical optics principle
When analyzing lens imaging, it is necessary to consider the wave nature and interference phenomena of light, which affect the lens's resolution, contrast, dispersion, and other performance parameters. For example, the coating of the lenses can solve reflection and scattering issues and improve image quality.
Machine vision lenses occupy a crucial position in machine vision systems. Their quality directly impacts image quality, algorithm implementation and effectiveness, and the overall performance of the machine vision system.
Image formation: The vision system collects information about the target object through the lens, which focuses the gathered light onto the camera's sensor to form a clear image.
Providing the field of view: The lens's field of view determines the size and scope of what the camera will capture. The choice of the field of view depends on the focal length of the lens and the size of the camera's sensor.
Controlling lighting: Many machine vision lenses have an adjustable aperture feature, which can control the amount of light entering the camera.
Lens distortion correction: When designing machine vision lenses, distortion is corrected to ensure accurate real-world results during image processing.
Depth imaging: Some advanced lenses can provide depth information, which is very important for tasks such as object detection, recognition, and positioning.
Security surveillance: Used to monitor and identify people and objects in an area, providing real-time security alerts and recordings.
Traffic monitoring: Used for traffic monitoring and recording violations, such as detecting if vehicles run red lights and automatically recording the information of violating vehicles.
Autonomous driving: An essential component of autonomous driving systems, helping vehicles make correct decisions by recognizing information such as roads, vehicles, and pedestrians.
Facial recognition: Identifies faces in images through facial recognition algorithms and compares them with faces in a database. This is widely used in facial unlock, identity verification, and attendance systems.
Industrial inspection: Used for quality inspection and defect identification in industrial production processes, such as checking if the welding points on circuit boards are intact and if there are any defects.
Before choosing a lens, mastering machine vision lens fundamentals is crucial. These lenses are specifically designed to meet the stringent requirements of machine vision systems, capable of outputting high-resolution images, displaying excellent contrast, and ensuring minimal image distortion. Their core function is to capture clear images of objects and then transfer this image information to the image sensor for more in-depth analysis and processing.
Lens selection requires consideration of multiple factors, such as the suitability of the focal length, compatibility with the sensor size, and the adjustment range of the aperture. Therefore, a detailed guide to selecting machine vision lenses is invaluable for ensuring the precise matching of lenses to specific application scenarios. By following these professional guidelines, companies can significantly enhance system performance, ensure accurate results, and achieve the optimal balance in cost control.
LANO offers users eight different models of machine vision factory automation lenses. We hope that with the help of machine vision lens fundamentals, every user can purchase precisely suitable machine vision factory automation lenses.