Abstract: The invention provides an expandable modular enclosure system for enclosing circuit boards connected by a stackable bus. The enclosure system includes one or more carriers and spacers, a base unit, and a top unit. The spacers and carriers are alternately stacked between the base unit and top unit, and each circuit board is mounted to a carrier. A side portion with recessed vents extends from one side of each carrier, and each carrier and spacer define an opening. Air flows through the vents, over each circuit board, and through the openings in the carrier to cool the circuit boards. Circuit boards with varying functionality can be included in the enclosure, and as many circuit boards as are necessary can be enclosed without increasing the size of the footprint of the enclosure.

Abstract: This invention relates to a camera head enclosure apparatus configured to allow the interchangeability of photo-electric pixel arrays for use in various applications. A personality plate specifically configured to receive and secure a photo-electric pixel array of a particular configuration provided on a chip is disclosed. The invention allows a user to interchange photo-electric pixel arrays, and their respective personality plates, while using the same camera head enclosure, thus enabling the camera head enclosure to be adapted to an entirely different photo-electric pixel array and eliminating the need to custom make camera head enclosures for each application. One embodiment of the camera head enclosure apparatus disclosed further includes a plurality of carriers configured to hold a respective plurality of circuit boards associated with the particular photo-electric pixel array selected.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a camera system and camera controller having a modularized design. Camera control functions within the controller are distributed among a number of modules, each module performing a component task of controlling a camera. Individual modules can perform tasks such as generating clock signals, digitizing an analog video signal, and providing multiplexed digital video output. Modules communicate with each other over a common bus sufficient to carry the signals necessary to control the camera. The system implements a RAM-based digital sequencer that provides the capability of loading bit patterns into memory and using these patterns to generate waveforms for clocking a CCD. Clock and readout sequences can be composed in a high level language, compiled and uploaded into the controller. Adjustable clamp and sample signal delays used in digitizing an analog video signal provide the capability to optimize the performance of the system in a given application.