In some specific vision systems applications, the protective cover glass on a sensor -- or even its optical coating -- can lead to degradation in performance.
Aiming to help engineers overcome such issues, Adimec (Eindhoven, the Netherlands) is now offering a service focused on enhancing the accuracy of the high-performance image sensors found in its cameras.
The company can remove the protective cover glass altogether using a special tool that it has designed in-house, as well as providing custom optical coatings on sensors, both of which can improve the image accuracy of standard off-the-shelf sensors.
An imager’s cover glass can restrict the field of view of the sensor. Some applications, particularly in the medical diagnostics field, require a wider field of view to accurately obtain a desired image, an issue that removing the cover glass can help resolve.
Factory-installed coatings used in sensors to further protect them from temperature and moisture can also limit the desired light at certain spectral ranges from passing through, thus restricting their ability to deal with the entire spectrum.
Specialized coatings can help to improve the reflection and transmission ratio. For example, a customized coating consisting of fluorescent materials can be used for the detection of UV or x-ray wavelengths, which is not possible when standard coatings are used.
-- By Dave Wilson, Senior Editor, Vision Systems Design
