With changes in our society, there is an increased demand in state-of-the art smartphones and tablets. This is driving other industries as well, including machine vision.

Figure 1. iPhone models currently in use in the US

The increase in the number of smartphones and tablets requires production with high-speed inspection with low yield. The advances in functionality (for example as shown in Figure 1) require smaller and more complex components, resulting in a need for more accurate manufacturing and measurement. This is all happening on an aggressive time scale as consumers expect new improvements quickly, resulting in a fast innovation cycle. Not surprisingly, this is driving innovation in supporting industries, including machine vision.

High-resolution cameras combined with high speeds that make full use of select image sensors provide the images required for inspection and metrology of the latest generation devices that go inside your latest smart phones and tablets. This includes supporting the move from 2D to 3D measurements.

The growth in smartphones and corresponding cameras has allowed for dramatic improvements in CMOS sensors. This has also affected the available sensor technology for machine vision allowing machine vision cameras to then support the production of more smartphones.