Stereo / passive
Two viewpoints; often strong with texture. Harder on plain or dark surfaces without projection.
Knowledge · Architecture
Stereo, structured light and RGB-D, what fits which scene?
Three common paths to depth. No universal winner, different strengths on surface, range and takt.
Comparison
Technology classes (not a product ranking)
We do not name a ‘best camera’. We name typical trade-offs that show up in feasibility tests.
Structured light / profilers
Active pattern or line; strong geometry on many industrial parts; watch ambient light and WD.
RGB-D (incl. ToF / lower-cost class)
Fast for coarse pose or bin context; accuracy and industrial robustness are task-dependent, testing required.
Choice
When to consider which class
Combine this with the selection guide. For bin picking and gauging, surface matters at least as much as ‘resolution’.
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01
Reflectance & colour
Gloss, black plastic, metal: plan active lighting/projection or another modality.
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02
Range & FOV
Bin depth and cell layout constrain which sensors make sense.
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03
Speed
Full dense clouds every cycle are not always needed, sparse or ROI approaches can suffice.
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04
Calibration & robot
Eye-in-hand vs fixed, hand-eye and drift belong in the architecture choice.
Which sensing on your parts?
Photos or samples of surface and presentation beat a datasheet comparison.