Getting the Most Out of Your Image

Sarah Sookman

For developers of scientific or industrial image-processing applications, robustly and accurately extracting the vital information contained in each pixel presents a constant challenge. Recent developments in camera, frame grabber and algorithm technologies have contributed to raising the standards for picture quality, data rates, processing capabilities, robustness and accuracy.

The front of the line

At the front end of an application is the camera (or sensor). Typical analog cameras provide 640 x 480-pixel, 8-bit resolution at 25 or 30 fps. Many imaging applications, though, demand higher resolution and frame rates. As digital cameras made their appearance, those in industry began to see their benefits: Converting analog data to digital was no longer necessary, and images at a greater resolution and bit depth could be acquired. With digital cameras, image data can be transmitted directly to the PC, eliminating the need to convert the digital data to analog and back again. The benefits of an all-digital interface spawned research efforts in this direction...