Many applications incorporate the use of a machine vision system. Vision systems can be employed towards any / all of the following:

• Guided motion
• Inspection
• Part recognition
• Error proofing

A typical machine vision system will consist of the following components:

1. One or more cameras (greyscale or color) with suitable optics for acquiring images
2. Camera interface for digitizing images (widely known as a "frame grabber")
3. A processor (often a PC) or embedded processor, such as a DSP)
4. (In some cases, all of the above are combined within a single device, called a smart camera).
5. Input/Output hardware (e.g. digital I/O) or communication links (e.g. network connection or RS-232) to report results
6. Lens to focus the desired field of view onto the image sensor.
7. Suitable, often very specialized, light sources LED illuminators, fluorescent or halogen lamps etc.)
8. An application program to process images and detect relevant features.
9. An input, from a controls system, to trigger image acquisition and processing.