CMOS Global Shutter Cameras
What is a global shutter?
Global shutter is a shutter technology that is ideal for capturing images of moving objects. If a camera has to capture moving objects and fast motion sequences, the type of shutter is crucial for the quality of images in addition to the sensor technology.
How does a global shutter sensor work?
A global shutter exposes all lines of an image at the same time, 'freezing' the moving object in place. This prevents distortions, which makes global shutter technology the ideal choice for applications with moving objects and rapid movement sequences, including automatic license plate detection as part of traffic monitoring, for example.
Comprehensive details on global shutter technology can be found in the Basler White Paper "Global Shutter, Rolling Shutter - Functionality and Characteristics of Two Exposure Techniques".
The benefits of modern CMOS global shutter sensors:
High frame rates
High resolution
Crystal-clear images, even for very short exposures
Outstanding noise characteristics, even in poor lighting conditions
Broad dynamic range
High quantum efficiency of up to 70%
There has been a general trend toward CMOS global shutter sensors to replace the older generation of CCD sensors featuring the technology. Basler saw this trend toward CMOS technology coming well ahead of time. Early on in the rise of CMOS sensors, we made a conscious decision to embrace the technology, and now boast a broad CMOS product portfolio.