The human eye can detect light with wavelengths of about 400 to 750 nanometers. For many years, industrial image processing systems focused almost exclusively on this visible range. Due to the increasing performance of sensors in the short wave infrared (SWIR) and ultraviolet (UV) ranges, the economical use of special cameras outside the visible spectrum is now also possible in applications predestined for this.

Inspection with SWIR cameras is already a proven technology in a wide range of industrial sectors. The new SWIR cameras from SVS-Vistek are able to cover the visible range for the human eye with a single sensor in addition to the SWIR range. The combined use of the visible and SWIR ranges makes it easier, for example, to detect contamination as well as rot or pressure marks on fruit or vegetables on the selection belt, to inspect silicon in the solar and electronics industries, or to identify invisible impurities, water or water vapor with other technologies. Requiring only a single sensor for the complete wavelength range from 400 nm - 1700 nm results in significantly lower costs and less complex inspection systems.

Read the full article at Imaging and Machine Vision Europe.