Fast low-light level imaging
September 2003
Sensors & Transducers
Access Control & Identity Management
The L3Vision CCD is a revolutionary solid-state sensor, recently developed by e2v technologies. It enables very low light level imaging at TV frame rates and above without the limitations of vacuum tube-based systems.
The sensors benefit from e2v's conventional, high performance CCD structure combined with a novel on-chip amplification technique, which provides up to one thousand times amplification in the charge domain. The on-chip gain register overcomes the fundamental noise limitations of traditional on-chip charge to voltage conversion and off-chip video amplification stages. Imaging under overcast starlight conditions (0,1 mLux scene) or the detection of single photons at video frame rates, is now possible using totally solid-state L3Vision technology.
The L3Vision CCDs detect the incident photon flux directly in the silicon pixel without a photo cathode or external photoelectron acceleration/multiplication stages. The direct detection retains the high imaging resolution of a conventional CCD while offering the gain normally expected from image intensified and electron bombarded CCDs.
A robust imaging solution is provided, as the sensors are not damaged by over exposure. The on-chip gain can be controlled by an applied bias voltage giving a high degree of flexibility to respond to changing light levels. The sensors can be used in high light level conditions, just like a conventional CCD, and transfer smoothly and rapidly to extremely demanding low light situations. e2v's L3Vision cameras utilise this feature within the automatic gain control circuitry and so, using an appropriate lens, provide true 24-hour video capability from a single sensor.
For more information contact Paddy Hanson, OEN Enterprises, 011 675 4447, [email protected], www.oenenterprises.co.za
Further reading:
Miniature inductive sensors
ifm - South Africa
Sensors & Transducers
The inductive IY/IZ type sensors from ifm are used in various industrial areas where space is limited.
Read more...
The expanding role of 3D cameras in industrial quality control
TANDM Technologies
Sensors & Transducers
Across factory floors, warehouses, mines and research centres worldwide, computer vision paired with 3D camera technology is revolutionising quality control.
Read more...
PDS implementation on mines
Sensors & Transducers
Level 9 vehicle intervention for collision avoidance has been mandatory on South African mines since 2022, yet the effective roll-out of proximity detection systems remains slower than expected. This is not due to the technical limitations of integration but to operational readiness on site.
Read more...
Monitoring analogue process values
ifm - South Africa
Sensors & Transducers
Everywhere in industry, electronic sensors are used to detect process values such as temperature, pressure or flow. Process value monitoring often takes place directly in the sensor.
Read more...
Smarter security for safer estate living
neaMetrics Suprema
Integrated Solutions Surveillance Access Control & Identity Management Residential Estate (Industry)
The expansion of residential estates has led to many communities being constructed with security as an afterthought. Unfortunately, fencing, cameras, and a guard at the gate only create a false sense of safety, which vanishes after the first incident.
Read more...
Protecting buildings’ embodied carbon with retrofitted systems
Schneider Electric South Africa
Sensors & Transducers
The World Economic Forum has said that around 80% of the buildings in existence will still be around in 2050; it is therefore essential that in order to combat climate change we retrofit them for energy efficiency.
Read more...
Identity, Security & Access Alliance focuses on intelligence and integration
SMART Security Solutions Ideco Biometrics BoomGate Systems Bosch Building Technologies Technews Publishing
Integrated Solutions Surveillance Access Control & Identity Management
The Identity, Security & Access Alliance (ISAA) hosted several launch events in Johannesburg in August, showcasing the participating companies’ technical solutions with a primary focus on the solutions made possible by integrating high-quality systems to deliver comprehensive solutions.
Read more...
Listening for damage to wind turbines
Sensors & Transducers
The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, working in concert with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems, has developed a solution that can be used to identify cracks and breakage inside wind turbine blades remotely at an early stage.
Read more...
Enhancing gold leaching efficiency
Endress+Hauser South Africa
Sensors & Transducers
Endress+Hauser offers a range of advanced technologies designed to enhance the stability and accuracy of pH and dissolved oxygen measurements on gold processing plants.
Read more...
Powering safer mining with PDS
Sensors & Transducers
With the mining industry under increasing pressure to prioritise safety without compromising productivity, Booyco Electronics is pushing the boundaries of Proximity Detection System and Collision Avoidance System technology across both underground and surface operations.
Read more...
printer friendly version