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How to extract data from a CCD image sensor?

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AppleNader

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Hi, anybody have any ideas about how to extract data into digital format from a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor?
 
You put the signal into a signal processor designed to extract the image and perform an A/D conversion for that particular CCD sensor output data characteristics.

Without more information, that's as detailed an answer as you can get.
 
sorry details are vague.

how would you connect an analog device like an image sensor into a computer so you can perform the signal processing and A/D conversion?
 
sorry details are vague.

how would you connect an analog device like an image sensor into a computer so you can perform the signal processing and A/D conversion?

With an ADC...the difference is you would need to feed that data through a port to the PC like USB. The port would also probably be too slow so you would need extra processing circuitry on the board to buffer it and compress it or whatever (and these would be powerful processors inaccessible to a regular person who does not have the assembly capabilities to mount the processors or to afford the development tools).

Buy a digital camera with an SDK, a USB camera, a webcam, or a camera meant to feed video/image to a PC for image processing camera for image processing, a CMU Cam, or just a webcam. THere's no one part to convert the CCDs analog output to a digital output, since CCDs are different and outputs are different. Any chips that do exist are strictly within the realm of manufacturers and you wouldn't be able to get your hands on one.

You are going to get bogged down in hardware and unlikely to ever get to image processing with this path. It's like building a microcontroller with logic gates (well not quite as bad, but same idea). If you look at the CMU Cam project, you might have noticed that they used a CMOS sensor that already outputs the data in digital format. It's not a good idea to try and work with bare CCD and it's analog output as a hobbiest. The resources just aren't there.

Machine Vision Cameras (not so cheap):
Point Grey Research Inc. - Imaging Products

Hobby Vision Cameras ($99-$150 real cheap):
The CMUcam Vision Sensors
 
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You may want to check out some CCD design references at Fairchild Imaging. They're old, but they'll give you some appreciation for what's involved and the basics of CCD readout and analog-to-digital conversion.

Also, there's a group at RIT that's building a Digital Streak Camera as a tutorial for building your own digital camera. I don't think they've progressed too far yet, but you can see the beginnings of their efforts at their Digital Streak Camera page.
 
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