Abstract
A system for grabbing integrated video frames produced by a remote camera is described. As part of the pointed platform in a balloon-borne experiment, we use a video charge-coupled-device camera to obtain wide field star images. To obtain images with a sufficient signal-to-noise ratio, integration times of up to 1 s are required. In applications where the frame grabber and camera are physically close to each other, timing the frame grabber trigger is straightforward; however, there are several advantages to locating the frame grabber not on the balloon payload. As a result commands issued simultaneously to the frame grabber on the ground and the camera on the balloon can be delayed relative to each other, resulting in failure to acquire an image. We have developed a system where, at the end of an integration, a tone is injected into the video field preceding the transmission of the integrated frame; the tone is used on the ground by a decoder circuit to control the frame grabber acquisition of the integrated frame. The system has operated successfully in the flight of a stratospheric balloon-borne telescope.
Published Version
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