Varioptic (Lyon, France), which produces electrowetting-based liquid lenses, has entered into a partnership and licensing agreement with Cognex Corporation (Natick, MA). Under the terms of the agreement, Cognex, which makes vision-based inspection, guidance, and identification systems, will use Varioptic's liquid lenses to add autofocus capability to Cognex's line of ID code readers.
Cognex recently announced the expansion of its line of fixed-mount, image-based ID readers with three new models that offer an integrated liquid lens.
Varioptic's liquid-lens products are designed to match the requirements of low-footprint systems for 1/4" and 1/3" formats. They are ideal for the latest camera applications such as video continuous auto focus, which requires fast response time, low power consumption and high reliability. With no moving parts, the liquid lens is very robust and the perfect solution for harsh industrial environments.
Liquid lenses have been in production with CreativeSensor Inc. (Wuxi, China) since January 2007 and also more recently, in mass production, with Japanese partner Seiko Instruments (Akita, Japan).
