High-Speed Video Camera HyperVision HPV-X3

Importance of Topic

High-speed imaging is essential for capturing transient phenomena too rapid for the naked eye or conventional cameras. Applications range from material deformation and crack propagation to detonation dynamics and bubble oscillation in life sciences. Advances in sensor technology and synchronization methods enable researchers to gain deeper insights into ultrafast processes critical for product development, quality control and fundamental research.

Objectives and Study Overview

This application note introduces the HyperVision HPV-X3, a next-generation high-speed video camera designed to push the limits of temporal and spatial resolution. Key goals include achieving recording speeds up to 20 million frames per second (Mfps) at 300 000-pixel resolution, improving synchronization accuracy to 5 ns, and offering a flexible, user-friendly platform for diverse experimental setups.

Methodology

The HPV-X3 employs a burst capture architecture with memory integrated directly beneath each pixel on the FTCMOS3 sensor. This fully parallel data transfer overcomes the bandwidth constraints of sequential readouts, enabling speeds up to 20 Mfps.

• Sensor: FTCMOS3, 628 × 480 pixels (300 000 pixels), 48 × 48 μm pixel size, 10-bit output
• Recording range: 60 fps–10 Mfps adjustable in 5 ns steps; fixed 20 Mfps mode at 25 ns interval
• Memory depth: 256 frames
• Exposure control: 50 ns–max interval, variable in 5 ns increments
• External I/O: TTL-level trigger and output, contact input, frame sync with 5 ns resolution
• Interface: 1 Gbit Ethernet, HDMI monitor output, SDK available for custom integration

Synchronization features support linking two cameras and coordinating external illumination or mechanical events with ±5 ns precision.

Used Instrumentation

• HyperVision HPV-X3 camera head and power supply unit
• FTCMOS3 image sensor (joint research with Professor S. Sugawa, Tohoku University; Patents JP04931160, JP04844853, JP04844854)
• HITS-TX series high-speed tensile testing machine for material studies
• Schlieren optical setup for shock wave visualization
• Laser illumination sources and optical fiber delivery for micro-explosion and bubble dynamics
• Commercial microscope with F-C mount adapter for micro-scale imaging
• Software Development Kit (SDK) for seamless data transfer to DIC and custom analysis packages

Main Results and Discussion

• Image resolution was tripled compared to the previous model without compromising frame rate, improving strain measurement accuracy in Digital Image Correlation (DIC).
• High-speed tensile tests on CFRP specimens demonstrated crack initiation and propagation within µs timeframes at 20 Mfps, supporting detailed material behavior analysis.
• Schlieren imaging captured blast and shock wave evolution around detonated silver azide pellets at 1 Mfps (250 mm field) and 20 Mfps (5 mm field), revealing wavefront interactions and reflections in metal plates.
• Bubble formation and collapse in PVA gel under pulsed laser showed shock waves and oscillatory dynamics at ns resolution, highlighting cavitation processes relevant to medical and microfluidic applications.
• Microbubble oscillation in water exhibited high-frequency expansion/contraction cycles and jet flow formation at 110 µm field, visualized at 20 Mfps.
• Ring-on-ring testing of glass plates under ASTM C1499 conditions captured crack progression over a 45 mm field at 10 Mfps, supporting failure analysis in optical materials.

Benefits and Practical Applications

The HPV-X3 platform delivers unmatched temporal and spatial resolution for diverse fields:

• Materials science: precise DIC strain mapping and fracture analysis in composites and glass.
• Defense and safety: real-time observation of shock wave propagation and detonation phenomena.
• Biomedical research: controlled cavitation and bubble dynamics studies for drug delivery and sonoporation.
• Industrial QA/QC: high-speed inspection of moving parts, failure diagnostics and machinery vibration analysis.
• Academic research: multi-camera synchronization for 3D imaging and complex experimental workflows.

Future Trends and Possibilities

Advances are expected in sensor miniaturization, on-chip data processing and AI-driven event detection. Integration of multi-camera arrays will enable volumetric imaging at ultrafast rates. Expansion into autonomous machine vision, additive manufacturing monitoring and real-time process control will further broaden the impact of high-speed visualization.

Conclusion

The HyperVision HPV-X3 establishes a new benchmark in ultrahigh-speed imaging by combining 20 Mfps capture with 300 000-pixel resolution, nanosecond synchronization and flexible integration options. These enhancements empower researchers and engineers to observe and quantify rapid phenomena with unprecedented clarity and reliability.

Reference

• S. Sugawa et al., Tohoku University – FTCMOS/FTCMOS3 sensor development; Patents JP04931160, JP04844853, JP04844854.
• K. Otani, Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University – Schlieren imaging of micro-explosive detonation.
• T. Hashimoto, Saga University – PVA gel bubble dynamics under laser irradiation.
• K. Namura, Kyoto University – Microbubble oscillation in water.
• ASTM C1499 – Standard test method for radial fracture of glass by ring-on-ring loading.