A novel ultra-high speed camera for digital image processing applications

Abstract

Multi-channel gated-intensified cameras are commonly used for capturing images at ultra-high frame rates. The use of image intensifiers reduces the image resolution and increases the error in applications requiring high-quality images, such as digital image correlation. We report the development of a new type of non-intensified multi-channel camera system that permits recording of image sequences at ultra-high frame rates at the native resolution afforded by the imaging optics and the cameras used. This camera system is based upon the concept of using a sequence of short-duration light pulses of different wavelengths for illumination and using wavelength selective elements in the imaging system to route each particular wavelength of light to a particular camera. As such, the duration of the light pulses controls the exposure time and the timing of the light pulses controls the interframe time. A prototype camera system built according to this concept comprises four dual-frame cameras synchronized with four dual-cavity pulsed lasers producing 5 ns pulses in four different wavelengths. The prototype is capable of recording four-frame full-resolution image sequences at frame rates up to 200 MHz and eight-frame image sequences at frame rates up to 8 MHz. This system is built around a stereo microscope to capture stereoscopic image sequences usable for 3D digital image correlation. The camera system is used for imaging the chip–workpiece interface area during high speed machining, and the images are used to map the strain rate in the primary shear zone.