Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Sensors and Beer

Joachim Linkemann from Basler AG, Germany came with a nice presentation comparing pixels with a glass of beer:


While we are at Basler, it recently published a whitepaper on "Are More Pixels Better?" in security cameras.

20 comments:

  1. Now it is easier to understand

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  2. The dark noise for a Germany guy should be low ! :)

    -yang ni

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  3. Really really nice real-world comparison.
    Interesting whitepaper also.
    On the funny side, from the PDF you can find here - http://image-sensors-world.blogspot.com/2012/03/micron-italy-presentation-on-small.html - i quote 'Smaller Pixel Size = Lower SNR', while in the white paper above you can read - and really well supported by theory - that 'Full-Well capacity (saturation capacity, resp.) is lower for smaller pixels. Therefore the max SNR is not as good as on a larger pixel'.
    Although I understand the need for smaller pixels for industrial and medical applications, coupled with >exquisite< optical systems, IMO going under 1um pixels is too much, even for the visual domain. You're reaching the upper limits of the visual wavelengths.
    Is that a problem or not, I ask...?

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    1. Errata - I am reffering above to the presentation and not to the white paper on this page. Although itself it is very good also.
      Mea culpa.

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  4. never seen a better explanation!

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  5. I'm having my breakfast as I read this, but I have a sudden urge to dump my coffee and grab a cold one out of the frig.

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  6. Funny.

    What's the similarity between a good beer and a good pinned photodiode: both must be fully depleted after transfer!

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    1. Guy, it's more difficult to deplet the beer than the pinned photodiode :)
      -yang ni

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    2. Oh, I don't know about that... It's only 10am, and from the way the day is going so far, I could fully deplete quite a large array.

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    3. Yeah but don't drink to much or you will get blooming.

      CB

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    4. Both have a part pinned to the ground :)

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  7. Really? a dynamic range of 200? All this proves is that too much beer affected the math skills of the people making the presentation, an experiment that I have run many times!

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    1. 200 would mean around 8 f/stops ;) Dunno how that can be converted to beer units...

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  8. Well, is that true?
    Let me validate this for a while. :-)

    Please also explain:
    - PRNU
    - Shading correction
    - Frame Rate
    - Exposure time
    - Image Lag
    - Blooming

    :-)

    ILE

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    Replies
    1. I think frame rate is pretty easy to explain with a beer but lifetime in this case will be another issue.

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  9. Let's hope no one starts describing leakage currents.

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  10. HaHaHa, nice one last ano.

    CB

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  11. hahaha You'r genius !!!!!!!!!!!

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  12. How does this apply to bong hits?

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