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This section provides an overview for visual sensors as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 10 visual sensor manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked visual sensor companies as of January, 2025: 1.VS Industrie GMBH, 2.Industrial Vision Systems Ltd, 3.Tipteh d.o.o..
Table of Contents
A visual sensor is a sensor that recognizes an object by extracting features such as the position, size, shape, and color of the object to be measured after removing noise components and digitizing the signal from the image signal captured by a video camera.
An example of the use of visual sensors is the visual inspection of products.
Normally, the visual inspection of a product is performed by experienced workers, but it is a very difficult task because the workers have to concentrate for a long period of time.
In such product appearance inspections, visual sensors are used to capture images of the product and compare them with data on normal products prepared in advance, making it possible to conduct highly accurate inspections in a short time.
Visual sensors are currently used in a variety of fields.
In industrial settings, they are being introduced into systems that replace visual inspections. As mentioned above, they are applied to visual inspections to check for scratches and defects, as well as presence/absence inspections to count quantities and check for missing items.
In combination with advanced image analysis technology, character identification and 3D measurement have also been realized.
They are also used to check for scratches and stains on the surface of metal, wood grain, and resin products, external shape and stains on food products, and foreign matter contamination, as well as to detect the state of component mounting and soldering defects on printed circuit boards, and to check for foreign matter contamination and scratches on semiconductors.
CCD sensors and CMOS sensors are used as image sensors.
CCD sensors utilize photodiodes that can detect light and convert it into a voltage.
Photodiodes have the property of converting light into voltage. The converted voltage is amplified.
This is collected and output as a single image data.
On the other hand, CMOS sensors use photodiodes in the same way, but the voltage-converted data for each pixel is output as a single image data after noise is removed.
Traditionally, CCD sensors were mainly used for performance and cost reasons, but are now being replaced by CMOS sensors due to their improved performance.
Image data extracted from a CCD or CMOS sensor is converted to digital data, which is then converted to storable data under the control of a system control controller such as an ASIC and transferred to memory.
Generally, image data stored in memory is used to process image data according to various purposes and applications. For example, it is assumed that features such as image size, color, and shape will be extracted and compared with reference data to perform appearance inspections.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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ifm efector (ifm) is a subsidiary of ifm electronic, founded in Germany in 1969. ifm has developed, manufactured and marketed sensors and controls technology to industries that include assembly and robotics, automotive, material handling, metal forming, mobile equipment, plastics, and food and beverage. Ifm produces sensors, condition monitoring equipment, image processing, safety technology, industrial communication, IO-link, systems for mobile machines, displays, software, connection technology, voltage supplies, as well as other accessories.
Banner Engineering Corporation, established in 1966 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a manufacturer and supplier of industrial automation products. They offer an extensive range of sensors, including proximity sensors, photoelectric sensors, and limit switches, for detecting object presence, position, and speed. Additionally, Banner provides a different types of switches, such as pushbuttons, toggle switches, and rotary switches, to control electricity flow and offer system feedback. Their wide array of controls includes PLCs, HMIs, and motion controllers, enabling automation of industrial processes.
Pepperl+Fuchs, Inc. was founded in Mannheim, Germany in 1945 developing the forerunner of the proximity switch. Pepperl+Fuchs continues to develop proximity sensors as well as other industrial sensors including ultrasonic sensors, rotary encoders, positioning systems, display and signal processing, vibration monitoring, industrial communication, and signal processing as well as related accessories and software. Explosive protection products include safety barriers, surge protection, wireless solutions, HMI systems, power supplies, electrical explosion protection equipment, level measurement, and related software.
Cognex Corporation, an American company founded in 1981 and headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, is a manufacturer and supplier of machine vision and industrial barcode reading products. The company's product portfolio includes vision sensors, 3D vision systems, fixed-mount barcode readers, handheld barcode readers, and vision software. These products find applications in various industries, including automation equipment, automotive, consumer products, electronics, and life science solutions. The company also offers customer services, including technical support, product training, hardware programs, product lifecycle, and warranty programs. The company has facilities in the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe to facilitate the global supply of its products.
Optex Fee Co., Ltd., was established in 2002 and based in Kyoto, Japan, is a manufacturer and supplier of factory automation sensors and solutions. The company offers an extensive and diversified product portfolio including photoelectric sensors, fiber-optic sensors, displacement sensors, non-contact thermometers, vision sensors, and other industrial automation products. These sensors and solutions play a pivotal role in enhancing manufacturing processes across a spectrum of industries, including automotive, electronics, and packaging.
SensoPart, Inc. was founded in 1994 and headquartered in Germany with US operations based out of Bingham Farms, Michigan. The ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing company serves the automotive, robotics, plastics, solar, and other industries with photoelectric sensors and image processing products. The company’s products include optical sensors, vision sensors, ultrasonic sensors, inductive sensors, and accessories. Together they are used in manufacturing detection & inspection, product identification, a diverse array of measuring tasks, product positioning, and color detection.
Omron Corporation, started in 1933 and headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, is a manufacturer of automation components, equipment, and systems, and it developed the first contactless proximity switch in 1960. It has four domains, including industrial automation, electronic components, healthcare, and social systems, and it provides products and services in around 120 countries and regions. Some of its products include microsensing devices, access control systems, industrial robots, surveillance cameras, and blood pressure monitors. In 1971, it developed the first online cash machine, and in 1972, it established Japan’s first welfare factory.
Industrial Vision Systems Ltd (IVS), established in 2000 and headquartered in Didcot, Oxfordshire, UK, is a manufacturer and supplier of vision inspection machines, special purpose vision machines, smart camera systems, peripheral vision equipment, and machine vision products. The company offers products such as integrated vision systems, vision sensors, 3D vision systems, vision cameras, and vision systems. These products and solutions are used for surface inspection & flaw detection, color matching and verification, robot control, optical character recognition (OCR), and measuring & metrology in various industries including automotive, food and drink, printing and packaging, electronics, and factory automation & robotics industries.
Tipteh d.o.o is located in Ljubljana, Slovenia and has been a distributor of automated electromechanical and electronic components since 1996. The company has expanded to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia and worked with 11000 manufacturers in the last 27 years. The company's product portfolio includes sensors, switch gear, motor drives, IoT devices and other automation devices. Some services offered include equipment installation, short delivery time and technical support.
Ranking as of January 2025
Derivation Method| Rank | Company | Click Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VS Industrie GMBH |
12.5%
|
| 2 | Industrial Vision Systems Ltd |
12.5%
|
| 3 | Tipteh d.o.o. |
12.5%
|
| 4 | Banner Engineering Corporation |
12.5%
|
| 5 | Cognex Corporation |
12.5%
|
| 6 | Optex Fee |
12.5%
|
| 7 | ifm efector, inc. |
12.5%
|
| 8 | Omron |
12.5%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the visual sensor page as of January 2025. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
| Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
|
United States of America
|
4 | 57.1% |
|
Japan
|
1 | 14.3% |
|
United Kingdom
|
1 | 14.3% |
Germany
|
1 | 14.3% |
44 products found
44 products
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TOAMEC Co., Ltd.
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■Summary The VG series 0.4M monochrome vision sensor utilizes video captured by an integrated industrial camera to determine the presence, size, sh...
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