How To Select Cameras For Machine Vision

Norman Wittels; James R. McClellan; Katherine Cushing; Willard Howard III; Ann Palmer

doi:10.1117/12.949025

7 March 1989 How To Select Cameras For Machine Vision

Norman Wittels, James R. McClellan, Katherine Cushing, Willard Howard III, Ann Palmer

Proceedings Volume 1005, Optics, Illumination, and Image Sensing for Machine Vision III; (1989) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.949025
Event: 1988 Cambridge Symposium on Advances in Intelligent Robotics Systems, 1988, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

Solid state (CCD, CID, or multiplexed photosensor) television cameras are the most widely used input devices in machine vision, because they are relatively inexpensive, rugged, and reliable. However, the design, specification, and testing of these cameras typically are geared to their primary use in producing images that will ultimately be observed by humans; the intended applications for these cameras are as diverse as parking lot security and home entertainment. Because the video information produced by the camera is not used in the same ways by people and machine vision systems, there is no a priori reason to expect that a camera designed for one use will be optimal for another. In our work we have examined what makes a camera suitable for machine vision use. This paper describes which characteristics are important to the camera's performance machine vision applications and why. We show how these characteristics can be measured and standardized using simple tests suitable for production screening or more extensive tests suitable for use in the laboratory. Tests for important camera characteristics, including transfer function, noise, and resolution, are described and test results for representative solid state cameras are presented. Finally, we discuss how such measurements can be useful in designing or selecting the components of a machine vision system: the video capture systems, the cameras, and the image processing algorithms.

Citation Download Citation

Norman Wittels, James R. McClellan, Katherine Cushing, Willard Howard III, and Ann Palmer "How To Select Cameras For Machine Vision", Proc. SPIE 1005, Optics, Illumination, and Image Sensing for Machine Vision III, (7 March 1989); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.949025

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