We developed an ultrahigh-speed color video camera that operates at 1,000,000 fps (frames per second) and has the capacity to store 288 frame memories. The camera utilizes a beam splitter and two ultrahigh-speed 300,000-pixel CCDs (Charge Coupled Device), each having 144 frame memories. Each CCD is located at each of the two outputs of the beam splitter. The CCD driving block was developed to separately drive two CCDs, so that the recording period of the two CCDs is sequentially switched. This enabled the capture of 288 frames, an increase of a factor of 2 over that captured by our conventional ultrahigh-speed camera. A microlens array for the ultrahigh-speed CCDs was also developed to improve the light sensitivity. We fabricated a down-facing, cylindrical microlens array on the glass substrate using resinstamping technology. The microlens array increased the light sensitivity of the CCD by 2.2 times at the F-number 1.4. Using the beam splitter in conjunction with the microlens array, the ultrahigh-speed color video camera which enables to capture 288-frame images without decreasing the camera's light sensitivity has been successfully developed.
We have developed an ultrahigh-speed, high-sensitivity portable color camera with a new 300,000-pixel single CCD. The 300,000-pixel CCD, which has four times the number of pixels of our initial model, was developed by seamlessly joining two 150,000-pixel CCDs. A green-red-green-blue (GRGB) Bayer filter is used to realize a color camera with the single-chip CCD. The camera is capable of ultrahigh-speed video recording at up to 1,000,000 frames/sec, and small enough to be handheld. We also developed a technology for dividing the CCD output signal to enable parallel, highspeed readout and recording in external memory; this makes possible long, continuous shots up to 1,000 frames/second. As a result of an experiment, video footage was imaged at an athletics meet. Because of high-speed shooting, even detailed movements of athletes' muscles were captured. This camera can capture clear slow-motion videos, so it enables previously impossible live footage to be imaged for various TV broadcasting programs.
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