VIDEO TEST RESULTS

Low Light Imaging Module for the AUV

 

These are video screen captures from presently used imaging systems.  

The three images to the left should show three identifiable objects in them: a gulper eel toy, a cat's eye marble, and a vampire squid toy.  

The two images on the right should show a beaker of dinoflagelates, one when undisturbed and one when stirred gently. 

All of the images were recorded onto a Hi-8 videotape, converted to DVD (MPEG-2), captured in a Windows DVD player, and converted to JPG with 10% compression. This conversion/compression process is representative of what will be used on the module.  
Red LEDs Single Line Red HeNe Laser Scan Single Line Laser Scan - from the side Bioluminescense - Not Shaken Bioluminescense - Shaken

Litton Gen II Night Vision Monocular coupled to Sony _________ camera into Sony Hi-8 camcorder
Dr. Steve Haddock's SIT camera into Cannon L1 Hi-8 camcorder
Dr. Edie Widder's Gen III  ICCD camera into Sony Hi-8 camcorder
Electrophysics Gen III Night Vision unit coupled to Cannon L1 Hi-8

    

Continued Video Testing

These are video screen captures from systems brought in by Jonathan Walkenstein and Ball Aerospace Corp.  

The arrangement of objects is the same as in the previous test.  The only difference to the test set is that the sides of the tank have been draped with a dark blue cloth to absorb illumination reflections as far as possible.   

Ball Aerospace Corp. RS-170 camera with Gen III intensifier

View of bottom LED without AntiBlooming Top & Bottom LEDs on LEDs on with red flashlight source from front
Top LED Only - Reduce Output Top LED Only - AntiBloom On Top LED Only - EAGC On
Bioluminescense - Not Shaken Bioluminescense - Shaken Bioluminescense - Shaken showing particle detail
CANVS Corporation Stereo 2-color NTSC camera with green and red filter set (requires viewer for 3D)
Top LED Only Bioluminescense - Not Shaken Bioluminescense - Shaken
Dr. Edie Widder's Gen III Intensifier into Sony CCD  (screen capture images flipped to correct for optical flip)
Top LED Only Bioluminescense - Not Shaken Bioluminescense - Shaken
Gen III Omni IV monocular Intensifier into Sony CCD
Top LED Only Bioluminescense - Not Shaken Bioluminescense - Shaken
Litton Gen II+ monocular Intensifier into Sony CCD
Top LED Only Bioluminescense - Not Shaken Bioluminescense - Shaken

Desert Star

These are captures from a SharkEye system brought in by Desert Star.  This camera has two image sensors, a color Kodak KAI-1020 and a greyscale intensified Texas Instruments TC253SPD-B0.  


Kodak KAI-1020 (color sensor)

  
no intensifier
C-mount 12.5mm f1.3 lens 		 20mA illumination
Gen II intensifier
C-mount 12.5mm f1.3 lens		 50mA illumination
Gen II intensifier
C-mount 12.5mm f1.3 lens

Texas Instruments TC253SPD-B0 (greyscale single-photon detector)
Illuminated animals Bioluminescense - Seapen (hand held)
with Electrophysics 9350 Intensifier
Cannon EF mount 50mm f1.4 lens		 with Electrophysics 9350 Intensifier
Cannon EF mount 50mm f1.4 lens		 with Electrophysics 9350 Intensifier
Cannon EF mount 50mm f1.4 lens		 with Electrophysics 9350 Intensifier
Cannon EF mount 50mm f1.4 lens

Stanford Photonics

Further Video Testing

These are video screen captures from systems brought in by Stanford Photonics  

The arrangement of objects is the same as in the previous test.  The only difference to the test set is that a seapen was used for bioluminescent testing rather than the dinoflagelates.   

1280 x 1024 GaAsP Machine Vision camera (note images are cropped by software screen capture limitations)

1024 x 1024 CCD Machine Vision camera with ITT Gen III enhanced blue filmless intensifier

 

iXon

These are the results of testing two Andor Technology iXon cameras, the DV887 (back illuminated) and the DV885 (front illuminated).  Click on an image to watch the associated video.

DV887 (back illuminated E2V sensor) 512 x 512 w/8.5mm lens

Illuminated Resolution

(should be close to 512 & 512 )

Bioluminescense 
512pixels x 512pixels
8.3ms integration
~24fps

Embedded data in captured video 
(shown to the left)

DV885 (front illuminated TI sensor) 1024 x 1024 w/50mm lens (couldn't get 8.5mm lens to focus)

Illuminated Resolution

(should be close to 1024 & 1024 )

Bioluminescense 
1024pixels x 1024pixels
74.5ms integration
~4.56fps

Embedded data in captured video 
(shown to the left)

Bioluminescense 
1024pixels x 1024pixels
24.82ms integration
~5.89fps

Embedded data in captured video 
(shown to the left)

Bioluminescense 
1024pixels x 1024pixels
8.22ms integration
~8.05fps

Embedded data in captured video 
(shown to the left)

NOTE: As shown in the three movies directly above, reduced integration time or fast shutter reduces streaking, essentially freezing motion, but also reduces signal strength.  A high sensitivity camera is required to even consider this as an option.  

Post processing the video, using Andor's software interface, can provide different views of the same data.  The following captured monochromatic (B&W) video from the DV887 has been mapped into different color channels, blue, green and red.  Which one do you like better?  As you consider your options consider that the original light sources are basically blue, but you may be able to pick out more details in the green version.  

Original Blue Green Red