Abstract: Solid state electronic cameras are made modular so that replacement of inoperative CCD imagers can be done quickly and inexpensively by storing in the camera heads the operating parameters of each of a variety of imagers such as charge coupled device imagers. A camera head with a replacement imager communicates to a resident controller the parameters of the replacement imager selected. Operating parameters such as clock pulse signals may, in addition, be varied as to pulse width and frequency. The parameters are stored in an address set in a look up table in association with imager identifications.

Abstract: A modular CCD includes a camera head and a camera body. The camera body includes an amplifier, an A/D converter, a D/A converter, a video simulator, a summation circuit and a switch. The switch is used to controllably switch between the output of the camera head and the video simulator output. A system is provided for adjusting the voltage supplied to the switch by the D/A converter to adjust the voltage output of the summation circuit to compensate for the difference between those outputs so that the camera body can accept different camera heads with different gain requirements.

Abstract: A transverse filler for use in a CCD camera eliminates KTC noise even at very fast pixel rates with relatively relaxed constraints on component accuracy and timing control, The circuit includes summation, divider and subtraction circuits which add the plural outputs of a tapped delay line to which a video signal is applied and generate average KTC noise and KTC noise plus signal representations. The output of the circuits is applied to the input of an capacitor and the output of the capacitor is connected to an electronic switch and to a Sample-and-Hold amplifier. The capacitor is operative to subtract the average KTC noise from the average KTC plus Video signal, The circuit is able to run on-board binning and does not have pixel feedthrough problems.