As a key component of a machine vision system, an industrial camera's most essential function is to convert light signals into orderly electrical signals. Choosing a suitable camera is also an important part of the design of a machine vision system. The choice of a camera not only directly determines the resolution and image quality of the collected images, but also is directly related to the operating mode of the entire system. There are many classifications of industrial cameras according to different indicators. The following introduces the more common classifications of industrial cameras:

　　Cameras have different classification methods according to chip type, sensor structure characteristics, scanning method, resolution size, output signal method, output color, output signal speed, and response frequency range.

　　1. According to the chip type: it can be divided into CCD camera and CMOS camera;
　　2. According to the structural characteristics of the sensor: it can be divided into line scan cameras and area scan cameras;
　　3. According to the scanning method: it can be divided into interlaced scan camera and progressive scan camera;
　　4. According to the resolution: it can be divided into ordinary resolution cameras and high resolution cameras;
　　5. According to the output signal mode: it can be divided into analog camera and digital camera;
　　6. According to the output color: it can be divided into monochrome (black and white) cameras and color cameras;
　　7. According to the output signal speed: it can be divided into ordinary speed camera and high speed camera;
　　8. According to the response frequency range: it can be divided into visible light (ordinary) camera, infrared camera and ultraviolet camera.