What is the chip size?

Chip size, usually refers to the size of the CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor chip in a camera. In a machine vision system, the focusing of light through the lens on the CCD chip is a critical step in image acquisition. Common chip size representation is in inches, such as 1/4 inch, 1/3 inch, 2/3 inch, etc. These dimensions do not directly correspond to the actual millimeter size, for example, 1 inch in the field of machine vision is usually equal to 16mm, rather than the unconventional 25.4mm.

The size of the chip size directly affects the resolution and field of view of the camera. The larger the chip size, the more image information can be captured, the higher the resolution, and the corresponding field of view may be wider.

Machine vision camera lens selection highlights:

• Field of view and working distance: The field of view determines the range of objects the camera can see, while the working distance is the distance from the lens to the object. Together, these two parameters determine the imaging range of the lens.

• Suitable camera type and sensor size: The lens selected must match the camera interface, and the image plane curvature of the lens should be greater than or equal to the sensor's diagonal distance. The maximum CCD size supported by the lens can not be smaller than the size of the CCD sensor chip in the camera to ensure access to a complete clear image.

• Resolution requirements: Select the appropriate resolution lens according to the application requirements. For applications requiring high-precision measurements, a high-resolution lens should be selected.

• Aberration rate: Aberration is a common phenomenon in lens imaging, including barrel aberration and pillow aberration. The aberration rate of the lens should comply with the measurement standard to ensure the accuracy of imaging.

• Environmental conditions: If the application environment has special needs, such as shockproof, dustproof or waterproof, etc., the lens should be selected to meet these needs.

• Interface type: The interface type of the lens should be matched with the camera interface, and common interface types include C-port, F-port, and so on.

When selecting camera lenses, specific calculations, such as field of view calculations, focal length calculations, etc., are usually also required to ensure that the selected lens can meet the accuracy and field of view requirements in practical applications.