Why would a camera manufacturer need…
…our ARGOS matrix 200?
Have you ever been annoyed that you take photos and there a UFO hovering in the picture, always at the same spot? Most likely, this is not a UFO, but a dust particle. If it’s on the lens, it’s relatively easy to fix. Inside the camera, however, it becomes much more complicated.
Dust particles on camera sensor and IR cut filter
For the camera manufacturer, this is not only annoying – it simply must not happen. Period. It is essential that no dust particles are deposited during camera assembly, despite cleanroom conditions. This applies above all to the sensor and the IR blocking filter, which filters out infrared light and protects the sensor.
This is where it gets tricky. Because, strictly speaking, three surfaces must be dust-free: the surface of the sensor and the front and back of the infrared filter. And, of course, no particle or lint must be overlooked, which could then be trapped between the filter and the sensor and could no longer be removed. Conventional visual inspection by the human eye cannot always identify which of the three surfaces contains dust particles. So to be sure, in case of doubt, all three surfaces would have to be re-cleaned before installation. This is a considerable effort.
ARGOS matrix 200 inspects during production
This is where ARGOS matrix 200 shows its strengths: On the one hand, the surface inspection system detects which of the surfaces has dust on it. In addition, the system measures how large the dust particles are; algorithms decide whether particles are relevant or irrelevant in terms of limiting the imaging quality.
“All of this happens in production. And not in spot checks, but on every single camera. The manufacturer can afford this and saves money in the long term. Because the increase in product quality benefits both: the customer through reliable freedom from defects and the manufacturer through reduced expensive rejects from finished cameras. And the manufacturer can rely one hundred percent on the test results of the now two ARGOS matrix 200s,” explains Sales Manager Dr. Roland Goschke.
The application video for ARGOS matrix 200 and further information can be found here.