A novel approach to simultaneous high-speed image capture

Specialised Imaging Ltd., a leading company specialising in design, manufacture, service and supply of ultra high-speed imaging systems and components, is to co-sponsor the ‘SPIE Innovations in Imaging’ seminar programme at Photonex 2006 in Stoneleigh Park, UK.

Taking place on Wednesday 18th October the seminar programme of invited speakers from industry and academia will focus upon new innovations in imaging technology for industrial, medical, consumer, security and high-speed applications.

Under the title of ‘A new concept for high-speed imaging’ - Jo Honour of Specialised Imaging Ltd. will describe a novel instrumental approach that overcomes the traditional problems associated with simultaneous high-speed image capture.

When recording high-speed phenomena it is often desirable to capture visual information in different formats to extend the extraction of analytical data from important processes. This may necessitate the use of different types of high-speed recording instrumentation but one of the major issues that results from this method is the different view points from which the data is recorded, which makes subsequent analysis more involved.

In his presentation Jo will describe how the Specialised Imaging Multiple (SIM) framing camera was designed to overcome simultaneous high-speed image capture problems by incorporating an optical port into the primary beamsplitter to which various secondary recording instrumentation can be interfaced. The SIM optical port framing camera not only enables direct interfacing with high-speed video, a streak camera or a time resolved spectrometer but also offers the added advantage that the secondary recording is made from the same optical viewpoint as the ultra fast discrete image sequence. Further technical developments on the SIM will be presented that extend the analytical gathering capacity of high-speed data from ultra fast events, eliminate ghosting artefacts from rapidly retriggering intensified CCD sensors and remove parallax displacements due to the distribution principles used to share the image forming rays to the multiples of intensified CCD sensors.

The SIM Multi-Channel framing camera from Specialised Imaging Ltd. (Photonex stand A31) takes the capture of images for accurate, high-speed spatial analysis of fast transient events to a new level. Unlike traditional high-speed framing cameras the unique optical design of the SIM provides the choice of 4, 6, 8 or even 16 separate optical channels without comprising performance or image quality. Effects such as parallax and shading, inherent in other designs, are eliminated and the high spatial resolution (> 50 lp/mm) is the same frame to frame and in both axes. Individual high resolution intensified CCD sensors , controlled by state-of-the-art electronics, offer almost infinite control over gain and exposure allowing researchers the freedom to capture images of even the most difficult transient phenomena. The option to position individual filters in selected optical channel provides the SIM with uniquely flexible spectral selectivity.