| Lens Type | Object-space telecentric lens | A lens designed so that the chief rays are parallel, or nearly parallel, in object space. This helps maintain consistent feature size when object position changes along the optical axis. |
| Object-Space Telecentricity | ≤ 0.1° | The maximum chief-ray angle relative to the optical axis on the object side. A value of 0.1° corresponds to approximately 1.75 mrad and indicates high angular uniformity. |
| Measurement Accuracy Benefit | Low perspective error | Object dimensions are less affected by moderate height or position variations, making the design suitable for dimensional inspection, metrology, gauging, and automated optical inspection. |
| Magnification | Fixed magnification; commonly selected from approximately 0.1× to 1.0× | Telecentric lenses are generally optimized for a defined magnification. The correct value depends on the object field of view and the camera sensor size. |
| Working Distance | Fixed distance, often approximately 65–200 mm in machine-vision designs | The distance from the front optical reference to the object plane. A fixed working distance supports repeatable lighting, fixturing, and inspection geometry. |
| Field of View | Specified at a particular magnification and sensor format | The visible object area is determined by sensor dimensions divided by magnification. For example, a 12 mm sensor dimension at 0.5× magnification gives an approximate 24 mm object-space field in that direction. |
| Distortion | Typically specified below 0.1% for precision inspection designs | Low distortion reduces geometric deviation between the object and its image. The actual value must be verified across the usable image field. |
| Depth of Field | Application-dependent; commonly increased by stopping down the aperture | Depth of field depends on magnification, numerical aperture, acceptable image blur, illumination, and sensor pixel size. A telecentric layout does not eliminate focus limitations. |
| Numerical Aperture | Selected according to resolution, light level, and depth-of-field requirements | Higher numerical aperture can improve resolving power and light collection, but it generally reduces depth of field and may increase sensitivity to alignment. |
| Sensor Compatibility | Must match the camera sensor format and image circle | Common industrial sensor formats include 1/1.8-inch, 2/3-inch, 1-inch, 4/3-inch, and larger. The lens image circle should cover the sensor without mechanical or optical vignetting. |
| Wavelength Range | Often designed for visible wavelengths around 400–700 nm | For ultraviolet, near-infrared, or multispectral inspection, coatings, glass selection, focus shift, and telecentric performance should be specified for the required wavelength band. |
| Aperture Control | Manual or fixed iris; application-specific f-number | Stopping down can improve depth of field and reduce some aberrations, while excessive stopping may introduce diffraction and lower fine-detail contrast. |
| Mounting Interface | Common machine-vision interfaces include C-mount and larger industrial mounts | The mount must provide adequate thread compatibility, flange distance, mechanical stability, and clearance for the selected camera and lighting system. |
| Calibration Requirement | Recommended for precision measurement applications | A calibrated target can be used to verify scale, distortion, image-center alignment, and repeatability after the lens, camera, lighting, and working distance are installed. |
| Typical Applications | Dimensional inspection, edge measurement, semiconductor and electronics inspection, pharmaceutical packaging, and precision gauging | The main advantage is stable image scale with reduced perspective error, especially when parts have height variation or must be measured across a broad field. |