Development of a device to measure the temporal imaging characteristics of CMOS/CCD cameras

Abstract

　We have developed a device that can easily measure the temporal imaging characteristics of CMOS/CCD cameras, such as the elapsed time of inter-frames, exposure time, and scanning speed of the rolling shutter. This device consists of two large 7-segment LEDs, 240 common LEDs, a one-chip PIC microcontroller, and other logic ICs. Three types of specialized printed circuit boards were also designed to facilitate device fabrication and improve the operational stability of the circuit. This paper provides a detailed technical explanation, including the circuit configuration and operating principles. Next, we conducted tests to confirm the specifications of the device through 8 hours of signal measurements using an oscilloscope, high-speed video camera recording, and shooting experiments with a global shutter camera and a rolling shutter camera. As a result, it was confirmed that this device operates according to our design specifications and that it is possible to measure the scanning speed of the rolling shutter, etc. Moreover, the effectiveness of this device was demonstrated by showing the results of measurement using various cameras.