Midwest Optical Systems, Inc. Product
Midwest Optical Systems, headquartered in Palatine, IL, has more than 30 years of experience and innovation in optical design, fabrication and inspection. MidOpt is a worldwide leader in machine vision filters and optical solutions and is represented in over 30 countries, offers over 3,000 cutting-edge products and ships over 100,000 filters yearly. MidOpt filters are the premier solution for industrial imaging to ensure flawless control, dependable results and the best image quality. Every filter is produced with the highest standards in durability to withstand even the harshest environments. Unlike traditional filters, MidOpt filters are designed to allow maximum transmission, emulate the output of the most common LED wavelengths and are less angular dependent. Industries served: -Machine Vision/Factory Automation -Security & Surveillance -License Plate Recognition/ITS -Medical & Life Science -Agricultural Inspection -Aerial Imaging -Motion Analysis -Photography & Cinematography
Product filed under:
Optics / Lenses / Filters Optics / Lenses / Filters
MidOpt StablEDGE® optical filters are specifically designed to be less susceptible to effects from angular shifting seen when optical filters are placed in front of short focal length (<12 mm) camera lenses.
This feature is becoming increasingly important as today’s trend in machine vision imaging progresses towards more compact inspection layouts, which utilize less space – forcing the camera and lens closer to the subject. As a result, short focal length lenses are now more widely used than ever before.
Using a traditional coated interference filter in these more compressed configurations results in contrast loss toward the edges of the image. Because of the angle imposed by the field of view (FOV) of the lens, the passband shifts and allows short wavelength ambient light to overwhelm the subject. Light from LED or laser diode lighting is also cut off. In contrast, peak transmission of MidOpt’s StablEDGE® filters is not significantly altered, and effects due to short shifting are minimized.
StablEDGE® filters take advantage of absorptive filter glass to form the leading edge of the filter passband. This assures no shifting in this region, even when the lens FOV exceeds 100°. Filter glasses also offer far superior lower wavelength blocking of ambient light, sharp transition slopes and unmatched durability. MidOpt’s StablEDGE® Filter cut-off slopes utilize interference filter coatings, however the cut-off slope is positioned to be sufficiently broad, and the Gaussian passband profile ensures that excessive ambient light is not allowed to degrade image contrast. Thus, shifting will not significantly encroach into peak transmission, assuring angular insensitivity over the desired range.
Among all machine vision filter manufacturers, MidOpt is unique in incorporating StablEDGE® technology across a full range of products. StablEDGE® designs are less angle-of-incidence sensitive, inherently more rugged, and are environmentally
stable.
