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DCx camera
© 2010 Thorlabs
6.5
Automatic Image Control
The DCx driver provides various options to automatically adjust the image capture parameters to the
lighting situation. These include:
Auto Exposure Shutter (AES)
Auto Gain Control (AGC)
Auto White Balance (AWB)
Auto Frame Rate (AFR)
The auto functions are used to adjust the average brightness and color rendering of the camera
image to their setpoint values, while trying to keep the frame rate at the highest possible value.
Auto Exposure Shutter (AES)
The control of the average brightness is preferably achieved by adjusting the exposure, i.e. you set
the highest possible exposure time before gain is controlled. Auto Exposure always uses the current
exposure range which results from the selected pixel clock frequency and the frame rate. You can
set separate control range limits for exposure and gain.
Auto Gain Control (AGC)
The auto gain feature controls the camera master gain in a range from 0-100%. You can set
separate control range limits for exposure and gain.
Auto Frame Rate (AFR)
With the exposure control function enabled, you can still change the frame rate manually or
automatically to maintain a dynamic exposure control range. A lower frame rate allows for longer
exposure times, but then the live image display may exhibit jitter. The objective of the automatic
frame rate control is to set the frame rate to an optimum value. This way, in all situations, the
automatic exposure control can use the required control range at the highest possible frame rate.
Auto White Balance (AWB)
Depending on the lighting source, light can have different color temperatures so that the images may
have a color cast. At low color temperatures (e.g. light from incandescent lamps), the white content
is offset towards a red hue. At high color temperatures (e.g. light from fluorescent lamps), the white
content is offset towards a blue hue.
The white balance control feature uses the RGB gain settings of the camera to correct the white
level. This is achieved by adjusting the gain controls within the 0-100% range until the red or blue
channel matches the average brightness of the green channel. In order to manually influence the
color rendering, you can adjust the setpoint values for the red and blue channels relative to the green
channel by using an offset value.
Automatically Disabling the Control Function
You can disable the control functionality automatically once the target value has been reached.
Alternatively, you can keep the control feature enabled so that it responds to deviations from the
target value.
Summary of Contents for DCC1 45 Series
Page 5: ...Version Date 3 5 2 22 09 2010 2010 Thorlabs 2010 Thorlabs ...
Page 13: ......
Page 15: ......
Page 16: ...Introduction DCx camera Part I ...
Page 18: ...General Information DCx camera Part II ...
Page 21: ......
Page 22: ...Getting Started DCx camera Part III ...
Page 24: ...Installation DCx camera Part IV ...
Page 30: ...uc480 Camera Manager DCx camera Part V ...
Page 38: ...Camera viewer uc480Viewer DCx camera Part VI ...
Page 45: ...40 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs Menu Help Figure 15 Info about Camera viewer uc480Viewer ...
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Page 88: ...SDK Software development Kit DCx camera Part VII ...
Page 109: ...104 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs Figure 52 Flowchart Handling events messages ...
Page 121: ...116 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs Flowchart Digital output Figure 57 Flowchart Digital output ...
Page 161: ...156 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs Related Functions is_GetCameraType is_CameraStatus 159 121 ...
Page 175: ...170 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs is_GetExposureTime 167 ...
Page 238: ...233 SDK Software development Kit 2010 Thorlabs is_SetImagePos is_SetPixelClock 271 277 ...
Page 261: ...256 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs is_SetTriggerDelay 289 ...
Page 271: ...266 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs is_SetGainBoost is_SetAutoParameter 261 221 ...
Page 283: ...278 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs is_SetSubSampling is_SetAOI 284 219 ...
Page 291: ...286 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs is_SetAOI is_SetImagePos is_SetPixelClock 219 271 277 ...
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Page 362: ...Maintenance and Service DCx camera Part VIII ...
Page 370: ...365 Maintenance and Service 2010 Thorlabs ...
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Page 372: ...Camera Basics DCx camera Part IX ...
Page 389: ......
Page 390: ...Appendices DCx camera Part X ...
Page 397: ...392 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs Figure 90 Securing the adjusting ring ...
Page 405: ...400 DCx camera 2010 Thorlabs Figure 106 Rev 2 0 Flash Strobe output as Open Emitter OE ...
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