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Industrial Camera & Smart Camera (Foreign Trade Version)

2026-03-20 12:00

Industrial cameras are key components in machine vision systems, whose essential function is to convert optical signals into ordered electrical signals. Selecting a suitable camera is also a crucial part in the design of machine vision systems. The camera directly determines the resolution and quality of the collected images, and is also closely related to the operation mode of the entire system.

Industrial cameras, also commonly known as industrial video cameras, have the advantages of high image stability, high transmission capacity and strong anti-interference ability compared with traditional civilian cameras (video cameras). At present, most industrial cameras on the market are based on CCD or CMOS chips.

With the increasing maturity of science and technology, industrial cameras have developed rapidly in recent years. Many foreign industrial camera manufacturers have risen rapidly and become leaders in the machine vision field. Representative ones include Basler cameras, Point Grey cameras (now part of FLIR) and so on. Below are the main parameters of industrial cameras:

1. Spectral Response

It refers to the sensitivity of the pixel sensor to different light waves. The general response range is 350nm-1000nm. Some cameras are equipped with a filter in front of the target surface to filter out infrared light. If the system needs to be sensitive to infrared light, the filter can be removed.

2. Pixel Depth

This parameter also affects the quality of images to a certain extent. It determines the grayscale level of the image and directly affects the color gradation and detail expression of the image.

3. Maximum Frame Rate/Line Rate

This parameter is an important measure of the rate at which the camera captures and transmits images. For general area scan cameras, it is usually the number of frames captured per second; for most line scan cameras, it is the number of lines captured per second. It is an indispensable parameter to consider when selecting an industrial camera.

4. Exposure Mode

Different industrial cameras have different exposure modes. Line scan cameras generally adopt progressive scan exposure mode; area scan cameras generally adopt frame exposure and rolling line exposure, and some area scan cameras adopt field exposure.

5. Pixel Size

Pixel size and resolution together determine the size of the camera's target surface, which has a great impact on the image quality. In general, the smaller the pixel size, the more difficult it is to manufacture, but the smaller the pixel size, the higher the image quality.

6. Interface Type

Different industrial cameras have different interface types, mainly including GIGE (Gigabit Ethernet), USB2.0, USB3.0, Camera Link, 1394A, 1394B and other types of interfaces.

Smart Camera

A smart camera is not a simple camera, but a highly integrated miniature machine vision system. It integrates image acquisition, processing and communication functions into a single camera, thus providing a machine vision solution with multi-function, modularization, high reliability and easy implementation. At the same time, with the application of the latest DSP, FPGA and large-capacity storage technology, its intelligence level is constantly improving, which can meet the application needs of various machine vision scenarios.

A smart camera is generally composed of an image acquisition unit, an image processing unit, image processing software, a network communication device, etc. The functions of each part are as follows:

1. Image Acquisition Unit

In a smart camera, the image acquisition unit is equivalent to a common CCD/CMOS camera and an image acquisition card. It converts optical images into analog/digital images and outputs them to the image processing unit.

2. Image Processing Unit

The image processing unit is similar to an image acquisition and processing card. It can store the image data of the image acquisition unit in real time and perform image processing with the support of image processing software.

3. Image Processing Software

With the support of the hardware environment of the image processing unit, the image processing software mainly completes the image processing functions, such as geometric edge extraction, Blob analysis, grayscale histogram, OCV/OVR, simple positioning and searching, etc. In the smart camera, the above algorithms are encapsulated into fixed modules, which users can directly apply without programming.

4. Network Communication Device

The network communication device is an important part of the smart camera, which mainly completes the communication tasks of control information and image data. Generally, smart cameras have a built-in Ethernet communication device and support a variety of standard network and bus protocols, so that multiple smart cameras can form a larger machine vision system.

Difference Between Machine Vision Smart Camera and Industrial Camera

In short: A smart camera is a highly integrated miniature machine vision system; while an industrial camera is one of the components of a machine vision system.