CHEETAH Hardware User’s Manual
Imperx, Inc.
Rev. 6.2
6421 Congress Ave.
7/7/2015
Boca Raton, FL 33487
+1 (561) 989-0006
52 of 152
at each pixel location. For each pixel, the camera can be programmed to select from
up to four user defined exposure periods based on the intensity of the source at the
individual pixel. For example, the user can set an ultra-short exposure for ultra-
bright pixels within the image, a longer exposure for very bright pixels, a long
exposure for bright pixels while dark pixels within the image are allowed to integrate
for the full exposure period. The camera determines the intensity of the source at
each pixel and categorizes the pixel into “dark”, “bright”, “very bright” or “ultra-
bright” based on user defined criteria. The user need not know which pixels are
bright or dark, the camera takes care of managing these details. Unlike some
extended dynamic range schemes which involve two or more separate exposures
separated by one or more frame times, Cheetah can provide as many as four separate
exposures based on the source intensity at each pixel within one exposure time
eliminating motion artifacts. While up to four separate exposures are possible, the
user can opt to use only two or three separate exposures for simplicity. The user
defines the exposure periods and also partitions the camera output to collect the data
for the dark, bright, very bright and ultra-bright pixel information. In this way, up
to four different intensity slopes can be captured in one image capture.
Figures 2.8a and 2.8b demonstrate the WDR functionality
Figure 2.8a: WDR mode disabled