At the Vision Show in Boston 2012 last week, the predominant trends were a huge increase in CMOS cameras and a widespread adoption of CoaXPress.

Higher resolution cameras combined with high speeds allow for improvements in accuracy required by manufacturers of semiconductor wafer inspection and metrology equipment.

While smartphones are affecting available image sensor technology, there are also advances in machine vision to support the production of smartphones.

There is an on-going evolution happening in the type of image sensor best suited for various applications, with two camps firmly established: CCD and CMOS.  There is a lot of talk of the increased market share for CMOS sensors.  We have dedicated several posts to this topic and the advantages and disadvantages of each technology for specific applications.  In case you missed them before:

At the SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing 2012, Adimec demonstrated two technologies that are part of our rugged camera platform.

When a board level seems to be the only solution to overcome space, size, and customization constraints, you have to be aware of some drawbacks.  This is especially so in situations where cameras have to sustain heavy shocks and vibrations such as in defense and military applications.

The following is an excerpt from the article "Industrial Imaging Technology Fills Gap Left by Custom Military Components" on Vision Online by Winn Hardin:

MIL-STD-810 provides a defined way to verify many rugged camera specifications.  One specification that is not included in the standard is MTBF (mean time between failures). 

To conserve or not to conserve (on specifications)? How helpful is it to know the best case scenario?  When integrating components into systems, of course the typical specifications are important, but consistency and reliability information is more useful.  Obviously this is all the more of a concern with systems used in harsh outdoor environments, including surveillance and defense systems.  Performance data under ideal conditions, in controlled laboratories serves very little purpose here.

System designers in every industry must strive to increase performance and reduce costs within a short development time. This is especially challenging in the defense and security markets that have special requirements for both the products and the supply chain. Commercially available products are an attractive option, but do they really save money and help differentiate your system? This free white paper offers some things to consider when selecting a camera and vendor for an electro-optical system.