Toshiba Cameras Capture HD Images In Space

Eight of Toshiba Imaging's ultra-compact IK-HR1S high-definition cameras were recently used to film a 60-second commercial of a living-room chair as it was carried into space by a helium balloon. The balloon flights were launched from a Nevada desert and ascended to 98,268ft (18.6miles) altitude before breaking apart and falling back to earth.

The IK-HR1S cameras' compact size (1.75in x 1.75in x 3in) and the HD-SDI video output capability with switchable 1080i/720p scanning options made them suitable for this project. The custom-built camera rigging had Toshiba's miniature HD cameras attached to the frame. The lightweight apparatus, with a full-sized model chair made from biodegradable balsa wood, was less than 4lb.

Also attached to the rigging frame were four GPS systems to record altitude (accuracy was within 4m), longitude and latitude, and to monitor, via a computer satellite system, the location of the camera rig once it had fallen back to earth. The high-definition footage captures the space chair from launch to upper atmosphere, where the space rig reached the low pressure/temperature at the edge of space, and the helium balloon expanded (from its original 8ft diameter to more than 24ft) before shattering.

High-Speed Camera Captures Crisp Images

Dalsa has released the Falcon 1.4M100 1.4 megapixel, high-speed camera from Firstsight Vision. The new camera delivers 100 frames a second at full 1400 x 1024 pixel resolution. Even faster frame rates can be achieved through vertical windowing. The dynamic range of 57dB ensures excellent image quality.

Housed in a compact body, the new camera is ideally suited to applications in electronics manufacturing and semiconductor inspection. These include wire and die bonding, flat panel display inspection and pick and place. The high-speed capabilities also make it suitable for use in industrial metrology and general machine vision applications such as print registration and pharmaceutical inspection. The sensor provides global shuttering, global reset and concurrent integration and readout.

True global shuttering is suited to imaging fast-moving objects. It captures crisp images without smear or distortion by electronically shuttering all pixels simultaneously, even at short exposure times. This avoids the distortion of images of moving objects using rolling shutter systems.
Fully programmable via base mini Camera Link (CL), the camera incorporates exposure control, gain and offset adjustment and flat- field correction. The mini Camera Link interface allows data transmission over 10m cable lengths.

Ease of use is enhanced through direct camera control using Dalsa's CamExpert point-and-click graphical user interface. The Falcon 1.4M100 is fully compatible with Dalsa's Xcelera PoCL (Power over Camera Link) series of frame grabbers, as well as Dalsa's X64-CL and Anaconda CL vision processors.