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Super-wide dynamic CS camera

Featuring the same 'starlight' technology as the E-63V1/E-13V1 the E-63W1 from Eagle Technology is an advanced super-wide dynamic CCD camera. It is suited for use in lighting conditions where there is a major contrast between the lux level indoors and the lux level outdoors.

Super-wide dynamic range

It features a 280:1 dynamic range which is 90 times more than that of normal CCD cameras which only have a 3:1 dynamic range. Natural lighting outdoors can range from 120 000 lux to 0,00035 lux. While a camera can see from an indoor room to scenery outside a window, the indoor illumination may be 100 lux and the outdoor scenery may be 10 000 lux. The contrast is 100:1. This type of contrast is easy for the human eye, as it can handle a 1000:1 contrast ratio.

Double exposure technology

Using double exposure technology at 50 frames/s instead of the normal 25 frames/s, this problem is overcome. The camera first takes an image of the darker area with a slow shutter speed such as 1/100 s. This is stored in memory place one. It then uses a higher shutter speed such as 1/4000 s to get the bright zone of the image and stores it in memory place two. The two images are then processed by the DSP and merged to create one image which is replayed and appears to the user as normal 25 frames/s video.

Smear rejection function

Another feature of the E-63W1/E-13W1 is the smear-rejection function. This is particularly important when the camera is viewing an area where light is introduced into the picture that is much brighter than the norm. An example of this is monitoring a vehicle entrance/exit. On many normal CCD cameras, the vehicle's headlamps will cause the image to smear. With our camera, two images are taken at different shutter modes. The images are then processed by the DSP and merged to provide an image without smear.

For further details contact Nathan Bearman, Eagle Technology on tel: (021) 423 4943, e-mail: [email protected]

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