Glossary · Machine vision
Image sensor
Also known as: Imager, Imaging sensor
German: Bildsensor
In imaging, an image sensor is the semiconductor device in a camera that converts incoming light into electrical signals for each pixel, forming a digital image. CMOS sensors dominate today; CCD sensors are found in older equipment.
- Machine vision
In one sentence
An image sensor converts light into electrical signals per pixel to form a digital image; CMOS dominates today, CCD in older systems.
Example
The camera uses a 5-megapixel image sensor with 3.45 µm pixels and global shutter.
How it applies
- Engineering: Sensor size, pixel size, resolution, shutter type, sensitivity and noise define what a camera can do. Sensor size also determines which lenses fit and the resulting field of view. Monochrome and color variants of the same sensor differ in sensitivity and effective resolution.
- Commissioning: Sensor performance data measured according to EMVA 1288 lets engineers compare cameras objectively.
- Documentation: The documentation team should record the sensor specification in the vision system data so that successor cameras can be compared, and note that different sensors can require re-tuning of the inspection.
Image sensor vs. camera
The image sensor is one component. A Camera adds electronics, housing, lens mount and interface; two cameras with the same sensor can still behave differently.