High-frame-rate CCD imaging devices made in low-production runs from otherwise ordinary and inexpensive CCD devices
US6638787B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 4, 2001 |
| Grant date | Oct 28, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 4, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N25/00
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A fast frame-rate imaging device is produced by a attaching a fiberoptic block to an otherwise ordinary and inexpensive CCD. A part of the fiberoptic block is occluded so as to darken a majority of the active imaging photocells. The CCD imaging device is operated at near its maximum horizontal and vertical clock rates, but multiple image frames are defined within the one previous active photocell array field. The added dark areas in the optical field protect the recent frames still in transit within the active array area from being double exposed and thus corrupted. The serial output of the thus-modified CCD imaging device is reinterpreted to include more frames than originally at a multiple equal to the original array dimension divided by the new array dimension (m·n/m′·n′). Such a modified CCD array uses only one-fourth of the original active area, and is operable at a multiple of the original frame rate.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.