​​What Are Vision Sensors?​ 

​​Vision sensors, not to be confused with the sensors in digital cameras, are machine vision solutions meant to perform simple presence/absence checks or provide pass/fail inspections in unstructured situations. A vision sensor combines a camera’s ability to take images with the processing capacity of a computer, outputting results like location, quality, and completeness.  

​Unlike other sensors, including fiber optic and ultrasonic sensors, vision sensors can handle multiple inspection points per target. Vision sensors can also detect products or packages by pattern, feature, and color.

​What are the different types of sensors?

​Sensors fall into a few different categories including fiber optic, proximity, ultrasonic, photoelectronic, and vision. These sensors are used in automation to gather data for inspection, or to activate other devices during production.  

​Low-cost photoelectric sensors can perform only a limited number of simple tasks, such as position verification and basic counting. Unlike vision sensors, these sensors can’t distinguish between patterns or colors or handle misalignment or inconsistency common in many applications.

​In some cases, different types of sensors act as complementary technologies. For example, photoelectric sensors may be used together with vision sensors to transmit whether a part is on its way – activating the camera in a machine vision system. ​ 

​​What can vision sensors do?  ​ 

Vision sensors can:

• Increase flexibility
• Run multiple inspection styles inside a single picture
• Produce more detailed data for quality and process improvement  

Vision sensors are built to withstand environmental variations. This helps operators to deploy them in pre-configured cells without requiring costly and time-consuming adjustments. 

Benefits of using vision sensors

When considering vision sensors, you may wonder what the benefits are to using this type of sensor when comparing it to other common sensors.

1. Identify features that photoelectronic sensors cannot  

Vision sensors can handle misalignment and inconsistency which allows parts to be inspected at any position on the production belt without costly or time-consuming changes having to be made to the line. 

2. Enhance illumination, brightness, and image contrast

To create clearer images and improve consistency of results, vision sensors can be equipped with flexible lighting and filter options.

3. Manage misalignment and irregularity  

Vision sensors can identify objects regardless of their speed or position on the line.

4. Increase ease of use

Guided setup and programming with built-in Ethernet communications to allow users to communicate results with other systems.

How do vision sensors differ from vision systems?  

Selecting the right machine vision solution depends on application requirements, including development environment, capability, architecture, and cost. In some cases, vision sensors and machine vision systems might both meet an operation’s needs. But different models are designed to meet price and performance requirements.

Due to strong vision algorithms, industrial-grade hardware, and high-speed picture capture and processing, vision sensors are like machine vision systems. They are both intended to do intricate jobs on high-speed production lines. While they both do inspections, they are designed for distinct purposes. Machine vision systems handle guiding and alignment, optical character recognition, code reading, and measurement and metrology. Vision sensors are designed to detect the presence or absence of parts and produce simple pass/fail responses. Vision sensors are characterized by their ease of use and speedy deployment.

Vision sensors can perform a wide range of vision jobs in industrial automation and logistical settings. They’re less expensive than machine vision systems and require less knowledge to operate.