A Study on Camera-Link-Based High-Speed CCD Image Acquisition Techniques

Astronomical research is increasingly relying on high-quality observing results. Considering the needs of real-time astronomical observation, in this paper we systematically investigate CCD high-speed image acquisition techniques based on Camera-Link bus, and compare their advantages and disadvantages to other three types of mainstream bus technologies. We discuss in detail the Camera-link interface of CCD high-speed image acquisition techniques. We emphatically discuss such acquisition techniques with single or dual buffers by proposing their implementations. Our experimental results show the stability and reliability of these techniques. Particularly, the CPU loads are low, and the acquisition speeds of CCD cameras can reach the highest set by the manufacturers. The techniques can thus meet the requirements of the astronomical magnanimity on data collection and real-time observation.