Acquisition of low-light-level biological images using an image intensified CCD camera for real-time quantitative analysis
Li Xu, Calum E. MacAulay · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1994
The characteristics of a computer controlled intensified CCD camera system are quantitatively studied. The light response of the computer controlled camera system is found to be non- linearly dependent upon the gains of the intensifier, the CCD amplifier, and the imaging board. Controlling the intensifier gain is considered the most efficient method of controlling the system's sensitivity and is the chosen working mode. A 3D analytical model of the camera's light response is generated. An inverse transformation was designed. By employing a look-up table (LUT) to map the inverse transformation using hardware in the imaging board, the non-linearity of the camera's light response at any given operating point can be corrected in real time.