Infrared Camera for Varied Critical Machine Vision Applications

Hikrobot CI Series infrared camera is ideal for varied critical machine vision application scenarios, says Ramesh Bhorania.

The Hikrobot CI Series Infrared Camera bridges the performance gap in industrial automation by combining advanced thermal and short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging technologies to visualise data hidden from visible-light systems. Equipped with high-sensitivity sensors and robust GigE Vision data transmission, this versatile camera series enhances accuracy and quality control across demanding sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing, electronics testing, and new energy battery production.

It adopts high-sensitivity Vanadium Oxide uncooled detector with a response band of 8-14μm, can visualise temperature information and measure the temperature characteristics of objects. Can meet the new application needs in new energy, auto parts, electronic semiconductors and other industries.

The Hikrobot CI Series Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) cameras are high-performance, digital industrial machine-vision cameras engineered specifically for high-sensitivity temperature visualisation, measurement, and thermal defect detection.

Key technology & technical specifications

• Core sensor: Built with a highly sensitive Vanadium Oxide (VOx) uncooled detector.

• Spectral band: Operates in the 8-14 μm long-wave infrared response spectrum.

• Resolution & performance: The baseline models offer a 640 × 512 (0.3 MP) thermal resolution running at 50 frames per second (fps).

• Interfaces & protocols: Utilising a standard GigE interface, they support up to 100-meter transmission without an external relay and strictly adhere to GigE Vision V2.0 and GenICam protocols for third-party software integration.

• Measurement accuracy: Select models offer an automated temperature accuracy of ±2°C (or ±2% of the reading).

Rich functions, suitable for industrial scenarios

Support multiple trigger modes and event outputs, can be flexibly applied to various scenarios.

Primary features & industrial applications

The physical hardware is built into a compact body with mounting holes on four sides to make integration flexible inside factories and machine footprints. Software capabilities include multiple palette modes, grayscale detection, and configurable event outputs. They are widely applied in:

• New energy (e.g., battery safety, thermal runaway tracking)

• Auto parts manufacturing (e.g., inspecting components during casting or welding), and

• Electronic semiconductors (e.g., tracking microcircuit hot-spots and board defects).

Available models

The series includes several variants to fit different focal length requirements, processing demands, and production environments:

• Hikrobot MV-CI003-GL-N6: Features a 6.3 mm focal length and an expansive 88.5° × 73.2° field of view.

• Hikrobot MV-CI003-GL-N15: Equipped with a standard 15 mm focal length.

• Hikrobot MV-CI003-GL-N25: Outfitted with a 25 mm focal length for narrower fields of view (24.6° × 18.5°).

• Hikrobot MV-CI003-GL-N35: Uses a 35 mm narrow/telephoto focal length option.

• Hikrobot MV-CI003-GL-T6: Optimised heavily for inspection and automated temperature calibration.

Application case:

AC ODU pipe choke inspection using LWIR camera presented in pictures:

Ramesh Bhorania is Vice President, Robotics & FA Division, Prama Hikvision India Private Limited. Hikvision India’s Robotics Division is a product and solution supplier, specialised in machine vision and mobile robot applications. Focusing on IIoT, smart logistics and smart manufacturing, it has built an open cooperation ecosystem, providing service to industry and logistics customers.

For more information, please visit us at www.hikvisionindia.com