Notes Relating to the Design of a High Quality Image Sensor
This report describes research done at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Support for the laboratory's artificial intelligence research is provided in part by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Department of Defense under Office of Naval Research contract N00014-70-A-0362-0005.
Working Paper
Some of the information that as used in arriving at a design for a high quality image input device is documented. The device uses a PIN photo-diode directly coupled to an FET-input op-amp as the sensor and two moving-iron galvanometer-driven mirrors as the deflection system. The disadvantages of a system like this are its long random access time (about 4 milli-seconds) and the long settling time of the diode-amplifier system (about 1 milli-seconds). In almost all other respects such a sensor is superior to other known image sensors. Pictures taken with this device have shown that some of the difficulties experienced in image analysis can be directly traced to the low quality of images read in through vidicons and image dissectors.