A machine vision camera, also known as an industrial camera, is a key part of a 2D image processing system. Its main function is to capture images, which are then processed by a combination of hardware and software. The information obtained is prepared for various applications.

A typical example of an image processing application in a manufacturing system is quality control, presence control and completeness control. This involves analyzing a specific feature of a part that is produced on an assembly line. In this way, it can be checked whether the part meets the quality criteria or, if necessary, must be sorted out.

CMOS image sensors have two exposure methods that control how an image is captured and read. These procedures determine the exposure time and thus the amount of light that is converted into electrons as a value in the camera sensor. A distinction is made between global shutter and rolling shutter:

在工业图像处理中，需要区分单色相机和彩色相机。单色相机可捕捉灰度，并聚焦于图像中的亮度差异。因此它们特别适用于需要精细对比度和细节的应用，例如表面检测或物体测量。

相反，彩色相机可以捕捉颜色信息，使其能够更精确地捕捉表面。它们可以分析整个色谱，并由此提供更详细、更多样化的图像再现。这使其非常适合颜色发挥重要作用的应用场景，例如产品质量控制，其中颜色差异可能表明材料存在缺陷。