Electronic Image Sensors Research Articles

Application of Image Sensors to Detect and Locate Electrical Discharges: A Review.

Today, there are many attempts to introduce the Internet of Things (IoT) in high-voltage systems, where partial discharges are a focus of concern since they degrade the insulation. The idea is to detect such discharges at a very early stage so that corrective actions can be taken before major damage is produced. Electronic image sensors are traditionally based on charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and, next, on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. This paper performs a review and analysis of state-of-the-art image sensors for detecting, locating, and quantifying partial discharges in insulation systems and, in particular, corona discharges since it is an area with an important potential for expansion due to the important consequences of discharges and the complexity of their detection. The paper also discusses the recent progress, as well as the research needs and the challenges to be faced, in applying image sensors in this area. Although many of the cited research works focused on high-voltage applications, partial discharges can also occur in medium- and low-voltage applications. Thus, the potential applications that could potentially benefit from the introduction of image sensors to detect electrical discharges include power substations, buried power cables, overhead power lines, and automotive applications, among others.

Development of Rheumatoid Arthritis Classification from Electronic Image Sensor Using Ensemble Method.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune illness that impacts the musculoskeletal system by causing chronic, inflammatory, and systemic effects. The disease often becomes progressive and reduces physical function, causes suffering, fatigue, and articular damage. Over a long period of time, RA causes harm to the bone and cartilage of the joints, weakens the joints’ muscles and tendons, eventually causing joint destruction. Sensors such as accelerometer, wearable sensors, and thermal infrared camera sensor are widely used to gather data for RA. In this paper, the classification of medical disorders based on RA and orthopaedics datasets using Ensemble methods are discussed. The RA dataset was gathered from the analysis of white blood cell classification using features extracted from the image of lymphocytes acquired from a digital microscope with an electronic image sensor. The orthopaedic dataset is a benchmark dataset for this study, as it posed a similar classification problem with several numerical features. Three ensemble algorithms such as bagging, Adaboost, and random subspace were used in the study. These ensemble classifiers use k-NN (K-nearest neighbours) and Random forest (RF) as the base learners of the ensemble classifiers. The data classification is accessed using holdout and 10-fold cross-validation evaluation methods. The assessment was based on set of performance measures such as precision, recall, F-measure, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The performance was also measured based on the comparison of the overall classification accuracy rate between different ensembles classifiers and the base learners. Overall, it was found that for Dataset 1, random subspace classifier with k-NN shows the best results in terms of overall accuracy rate of 97.50% and for Dataset 2, bagging-RF shows the highest overall accuracy rate of 94.84% over different ensemble classifiers. The findings indicate that the efficiency of the base classifiers with ensemble classifier have substantially improved.

Functionalized Quinazolines and Pyrimidines for Optoelectronic Materials

Background: Quinazolines, the important group of benzodiazines, are widely known in medicinal chemistry due to their broad spectrum of biological activities. Notably, extensive research on the synthesis and application of quinazoline derivatives for electronic devices, luminescent elements, photoelectric conversion elements, and image sensors has been published recently. Objective: This review reports luminescent small molecules and chelate compounds including a quinazoline or pyrimidine ring in their scaffold highlighting their applications related to photo- and electroluminescence. Conclusion: It is clear from the review of the topic that the incorporation of quinazoline and pyrimidine fragments into π-extended conjugated systems is of great value for the creation of novel optoelectronic materials. Polyhalogen derivatives represent the major starting materials for polysubstituted fluorescent quinazolines. Electroluminescent properties of aryl(hetaryl)substituted quinazolines with π-extended conjugated systems proved to be the most important. Incorporation of benzimidazole, carbazole, triphenylene or triphenylamine fragments into quinazoline scaffold allows fabricating materials for organic light-emitting diodes, including white OLEDs and highly efficient red phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes. Moreover, arylvinylsubstituted quinazolines are of great interest as potential structures for nonlinear optical materials and for colorimetric pH sensors. Iridium complexes based on 2-aryl(thienyl) quinazoline or pyrimidine derivatives represent high-efficiency phosphorescent materials for OLEDs. Pyrimidine push-pull systems are of considerable importance as potential photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells. Pyrimidine derivatives bearing phenylacridine or phenylphenoxazine fragments at the positions 4 and 6 are capable to function as thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitters.

Non-destructive Plant Morphometric and Color Analyses Using an Optoelectronic 3D Color Microscope.

Gene function discovery in plants, as other plant science quests, is aided by tools that image, document, and measure plant phenotypes. Tools that acquire images of plant organs and tissues at the microscopic level have evolved from qualitative documentation tools, to advanced tools where software-assisted analysis of images extracts quantitative information that allows statistical analyses. They are useful to perform morphometric studies that describe plant physical characteristics and quantify phenotypes, aiding gene function discovery. In parallel, non-destructive, versatile, robust, and user friendly technologies have also been developed for surface topography analysis and quality control in the industrial manufacture sector, such as optoelectronic three-dimensional (3D) color microscopes. These microscopes combine optical lenses, electronic image sensors, motorized stages, graphics engines, and user friendly software to allow the visualization and inspection of objects of diverse sizes and shapes from different angles. This allow the integration of different automatically obtained images along the Z axis of an object, into a single image with a large depth-of-field, or a 3D model in color. In this work, we explored the performance of an optoelectronic microscope to study plant morphological phenotypes and plant surfaces in different model species. Furthermore, as a “proof-of-concept,” we included the phenotypic characterization (morphometric analyses at the organ level, color, and cell size measurements) of Arabidopsis mutant leaves. We found that the microscope tested is a suitable, practical, and fast tool to routinely and precisely analyze different plant organs and tissues, producing both high-quality, sharp color images and morphometric and color data in real time. It is fully compatible with live plant tissues (no sample preparation is required) and does not require special conditions, high maintenance, nor complex training. Therefore, though barely reported in plant scientific studies, optoelectronic microscopes should emerge as convenient and useful tools for phenotypic characterization in plant sciences.

Energy-efficient relay tracking with multiple mobile camera sensors

Camera Sensor Networks (CSNs) has been deployed for many applications of video surveillance. In urban road or large buildings, camera sensors are deployed in public places for social security, and target tracking is a typical application of CSNs. Recently, development in electronic technology and image sensors makes it possible to deploy mobile cameras in CSNs. Due to the constraints of limited sensing range, it is necessary for mobile cameras to cooperate with each other to improve tracking quality and reduce moving distance. In this paper, a cooperative relay tracking problem is proposed and proved to be NP-hard. For single target tracking, we design a cooperative relay algorithm, which can shorten the total moving distance of cameras and ensure a continuous tracking for mobile target. Moreover, different from single target tracking problem, we design a genetic algorithm to obtain an available schedule for tracking multiple targets. The effectiveness of the proposed methods are validated by extensive simulation results, which shows that the energy consumed by cameras can be obviously reduced while guaranteeing continuous tracking.

Ultrafast optical imaging technology: principles and applications of emerging methods

AbstractHigh-speed optical imaging is an indispensable technology for blur-free observation of fast transient dynamics in virtually all areas including science, industry, defense, energy, and medicine. High temporal resolution is particularly important for microscopy as even a slow event appears to occur “fast” in a small field of view. Unfortunately, the shutter speed and frame rate of conventional cameras based on electronic image sensors are significantly constrained by their electrical operation and limited storage. Over the recent years, several unique and unconventional approaches to high-speed optical imaging have been reported to circumvent these technical challenges and achieve a frame rate and shutter speed far beyond what can be reached with the conventional image sensors. In this article, we review the concepts and principles of such ultrafast optical imaging methods, compare their advantages and disadvantages, and discuss an entirely new class of applications that are possible using them.

Artificial eye for scotopic vision with bioinspired all-optical photosensitivity enhancer

The ability to acquire images under low-light conditions is critical for many applications. However, to date, strategies toward improving low-light imaging primarily focus on developing electronic image sensors. Inspired by natural scotopic visual systems, we adopt an all-optical method to significantly improve the overall photosensitivity of imaging systems. Such optical approach is independent of, and can effectively circumvent the physical and material limitations of, the electronics imagers used. We demonstrate an artificial eye inspired by superposition compound eyes and the retinal structure of elephantnose fish. The bioinspired photosensitivity enhancer (BPE) that we have developed enhances the image intensity without consuming power, which is achieved by three-dimensional, omnidirectionally aligned microphotocollectors with parabolic reflective sidewalls. Our work opens up a previously unidentified direction toward achieving high photosensitivity in imaging systems.

Gamma-ray irradiation tests of CMOS sensors used in imaging techniques

Technologically-enhanced electronic image sensors are used in various fields as diagnostic techniques in medicine or space applications. In the latter case the devices can be exposed to intense radiation fluxes over time which may impair the functioning of the same equipment. In this paper we report the results of gamma-ray irradiation tests on CMOS image sensors simulating the space radiation over a long time period. Gamma-ray irradiation tests were carried out by means of IGS-3 gamma irradiation facility of Palermo University, based on 60Co sources with different activities. To reduce the dose rate and realize a narrow gamma-ray beam, a lead-collimation system was purposely built. It permits to have dose rate values less than 10 mGy/s and to irradiate CMOS Image Sensors during operation. The total ionizing dose to CMOS image sensors was monitored in-situ, during irradiation, up to 1000 Gy and images were acquired every 25 Gy. At the end of the tests, the sensors continued to operate despite a background noise and some pixels were completely saturated. These effects, however, involve isolated pixels and therefore, should not affect the image quality.

Design and Fabrication of Vertically-Integrated CMOS Image Sensors

Technologies to fabricate integrated circuits (IC) with 3D structures are an emerging trend in IC design. They are based on vertical stacking of active components to form heterogeneous microsystems. Electronic image sensors will benefit from these technologies because they allow increased pixel-level data processing and device optimization. This paper covers general principles in the design of vertically-integrated (VI) CMOS image sensors that are fabricated by flip-chip bonding. These sensors are composed of a CMOS die and a photodetector die. As a specific example, the paper presents a VI-CMOS image sensor that was designed at the University of Alberta, and fabricated with the help of CMC Microsystems and Micralyne Inc. To realize prototypes, CMOS dies with logarithmic active pixels were prepared in a commercial process, and photodetector dies with metal-semiconductor-metal devices were prepared in a custom process using hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The paper also describes a digital camera that was developed to test the prototype. In this camera, scenes captured by the image sensor are read using an FPGA board, and sent in real time to a PC over USB for data processing and display. Experimental results show that the VI-CMOS prototype has a higher dynamic range and a lower dark limit than conventional electronic image sensors.

Accuracy of Specification of Dose Reference Values and Detail Detectability by a Statistical Phantom

The introduction of modern electronic image sensors and image processing techniques has lightened the link between dose and image quality. A properly exposed image is made with any dose, even at the cost of image quality. Therefore a test is needed to maintain minimum 'reference' image quality when determining reference doses. The underlying theory of image quality and detail detectability is outlined. Reference image quality can be expressed in terms of a minimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of a given detail The accuracy of detail detectability testing with the statistical phantom for a storage phosphor system has been investigated For four observers, each with 50 answers, ROC curves were calculated by the ROCFIT program. A simplified score-sum method of evaluation recommended for the ALVIM statistical phantom is then employ ed and the accuracy of both methods is evaluated It can be shown that detail detectability tests using a statistical phantom are suitable for the needs of quality assurance from constancy to acceptance testing. The accuracy of ROC tests would he sufficient to specify sensitivity values for modern imaging systems by measuring the dose required for visualising a detail.

Granular particle linear flow velocity measurement using an electronic linear image sensor

A metal-oxide semiconductor (MOS) linear image sensor consisting of an array of 128 self-scanning, linear photodiodes was used to measure the velocity of falling grain. The sensor was used to obtain an image of the falling grain, wait a known time interval, and then obtain a second image. Comparison of the two images permitted determination of the position displacement experienced by the grain. Optical relationships were used to convert the image displacement to grain displacement. Grain displacement divided by the time interval yielded grain velocity. This paper addresses the sensor and data acquisition hardware, the digital signal processing software, calibration of the sensor, and velocity measurement. Average grain flow velocities ranging from 1 to 7 m/s were measured with less than 7% error. The sensor can also be used to measure the flow velocity of similar granular material such as pelleted feed or fertilizer.

A multistep avalanche chamber with optical readout for use as a 2-dimensional VUV photon or particle track detector

Abstract A multistep avalance chamber with optical readout has been built and tested as a position sensitive VUV photon detector for use in Cherenkov ring imaging and as a particle track detector. Readout of the chamber, which has a uniform field geometry, is achieved by exploitation of the secondary light emission that occurs during gaseous multiplication. This light is focused onto, and detected by, an image intensifier tube which is itself viewed by an electronic image sensor array affording a genuinely 2-dimensional readout of the position of the avalanche initiated by an incident VUV photon or particle track. Efficient detection of single VUV photons has been achieved with a positional resolution of 260 μm in both dimensions. Given a more suitable image intensifier tube, this could be reduced to 100 μm or less for both VUV photons or particle tracks.

Application of the High Resolution Return Beam Vidicon

The Return Beam Vidicon (RBV) is a high-performance electronic image sensor and electrical storage component. It can accept continuous or discrete exposures. Information can be read out with a single scan or with many repetitive scans for either signal processing or display. Resolution capability is 10,000 TV lines/height, and at 100 lp/mm, performance matches or exceeds that of film, particularly with low-contrast imagery. Electronic zoom can be employed effectively for image magnification and data compression. The high performance and flexibility of the RBV permit wide application in systems for reconnaissance, scan conversion, information storage and retrieval, and automatic inspection and test. This paper summarizes the characteristics and performance parameters of the RBV and cites examples of feasible applications.

Characteristics of Photodiode Arrays for Spectrochemical Measurements

A rather large number of spectrochemical studies and analyses can be greatly facilitated by the simultaneous measurement of spectral information over a range of wavelengths. Of particular importance and interest to analytical spectroscopists is the development of simultaneous multielement analysis systems. The development and implementation of such analyses have been hampered by a lack of convenient and versatile multichannel spectrochemical measurement systems. New detector subsystems based on modern electronic image sensors are helping to overcome this obstacle. One type of electronic image sensor is the self-scanning linear array of silicon photodiodes. These arrays are available with densities of 1024 photodiodes per in and in lengths of up to 1 in. They are packaged in conventional dual-in-line integrated circuit packages complete with the necessary scanning circuitry. These sensors have simple and inexpensive control and measurement circuitry, and superior blooming and lag performance when compared to most other electronic image sensors. In addition, the signal integrating capability of the arrays is a flexible and powerful asset for many spectrochemical measurements. These and other operational characteristics of photodiode arrays are emphasized in this study. In addition, the measurement capability of a computer coupled photodiode array spectrometer based on a 1024 element array which is capable of simultaneously measuring over 50 nm (500 Å) of continuous spectral information anywhere from 200 to 1000 nm is illustrated.