TV CAMERA

Introduction

A TV Camera consists of three sections :

a) A Camera lens and optics : To form optical image on the face

plate of a pick up device.
b) A transducer or pick up device : To convert optical image into an
electrical signal.
c) Electronics : To process output of a transducer to
get a CCVS signal.

Types Of Pick - Up Devices

There are three types of pick up devices based on :

a) Photo emissive material : These material emit electrons when the light falls on
them. Amount of emitted electrons depends on the light. These cameras are
called image orthicon cameras. These cameras are bulky and need lot of light.
These are no longer in use.

b) Photo conductive material : The conductivity of these material changes with

amount of light falling on them. The material with variable conductivity is made
part of an electrical circuit and the signal is thus recovered. First cameras based
on this principle were Vidicon Cameras used in the monochrome telecine chain
of Doordarshan Kendras. As these cameras have serious Lag and other
problems relating to dark currents, further improvement in these cameras led to
the development of Plumbicon and Saticon Cameras.

c) Charge coupled devices : These semiconductor devices convert light into a

charge image which is collected at a high speed to form a signal.

Pick Up Tubes

Most of the Doordarshan Kendras are using cameras based on photoconductive

principle. The tubes used are plumbicon and saticon. The construction of Plumbicon
and Saticon cameras tubes is similar, the major difference being the type of material
used for the target. Operating voltages are slightly different as well. 'Diode-gun'
Plumbicon tube has modulator grid which is operated with positive voltage w.r.t. the
cathode, as in a vacuum-tube diode. Older Plumbicon were of the 'triode-gun' type, with
negative voltage on the modulator grid.
Induction Course (TV)

Diode-gun plumbicon tube

Figure 1. shows the construction of a typical diode-gun Plumbicon, with its coil
assembly. Inside the tube an electron gun assembly has a filament heater, and several
control grids and anodes. The connection for external voltages are mounted at the back
end. The target is a layer of lead monoxide (Pb0). For a Saticon, the main target
material is Selenium-Arsenicum-Tellurium chalcogenide glass.

The lead monoxide layer is lighted from one side by a picture that is focused on it. From
the other side, it is scanned by an electron beam.

The electron gun assembly consists of :

indirectly heated cathode

a modular grid, g1
a gun anode, g2
a wall anode, g3
a field mesh, g4

It produces a very thin beam of electrons, to be focused on the target and is deflected by
the deflection coils in order to scan the image on the target.

The heated cathode material emits electrons which are attracted by the high positive
potential (+ 300 V) on the gun anode. The number of electrons passing through the hole
of the modulator grid depends on the positive potential on this grid (between 0 to 80 V).
Modulator grid potential determines the beam acceleration. The field mesh is at + 730
V. It is a fine wire gauze and it provides a uniform decelerating field for electrons in front
of the target. After passing the field mesh, which slows down the electrons, they land on
the target with low velocity.

Alignment coils before deflection, make the beam parallel to the tube axis. "Parallel"
means 'perpendicular to the plane of the deflection fields'. Without this, horizontal and
vertical deflection would be interdependent. Alignment also ensures that the beam lands
perpendicularly on the target after deflection.

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Deflection coils provides the magnetic fields to scan the electron beam across the target
(horizontally and vertically). The beam deflection is perpendicular to the applied
magnetic field. The horizontal deflection coils are mounted on top and bottom of the tube
and the vertical deflection coils are mounted on each side of the tube. The focus coil is
wound around the outside of the tube providing a magnetic field parallel to the beam.

Target Layer

Details of target and its equivalent circuit have been shown in fig. 2(a,b,c). While the
whole target is made of pure lead monoxide, it is doped with impurities forming three
layers each with different conductivity. A thin layer on the side scanned by the electron
beam, is doped to make it a p-type semiconductor, known as the P-region. The bulk of
the target which is not doped at all, remains normally insulated. When it is lighted,
electron-hole pairs are generated in this insulating region known as the I (intrinsic)
region. A third thin light-transparent layer on the side where the light comes from, is
doped to make an n-type semiconductor named the N-region.

Fig. 2 Details of Target and its equivalent ciecuit

If no light falls on the faceplate, the three layers perform as in a P-I-N diode. When the
electron beam strikes it brings the target surface potential close to cathode potential
(which is 0 V). In a way, the beam when looked from the cathode side connects cathode
potential to the target surface. The P-I-N diode layer becomes reverse-biased by the
target voltage, being normally +45 V DC.

But, whenever lights falls electron-hole pairs are generated within the intrinsic region.
They are swept towards their respective N and P surfaces. Electrons are attracted to

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the N-region. Holes go to the P-region. Effectively, the light generates a diode leakage
current which is proportional to the intensity of light focused on the spot resulting in a
partial discharge of the photo-conductor on that spot. The amount of discharge is
equally proportional to light there.

As a result, a pattern of positive charges, is produced on the P-region surface, directly

proportional to the light intensities from the picture focused there.

On its next sweep, the scanning beam deposits enough electrons to replenish the
charge, and cancel out the charge image. Again, the current of this electron flow is
proportional to light intensity. Thus during the erasure, the signal current is formed.

The resulting current flowing within the circuit formed by the scanning beam, the P-I-N
junction layer, the load resistor, and the target voltage supply is termed as signal current.
At every moment, the signal current is proportional to the incident light intensity on the
spot that is being scanned. The load resistor need not be physically present but merely
be represented by the pre-preamplifiers' input transistor. The voltage at the target
electrode becomes the signal voltage to be amplified.

Tube Operation with Highlight Levels

With no light falling on the face plate, most of the electrons of the beam travel through
the gaps in the field mesh. At first the rear of the target is at the same potential as the
front (+45 V). The electron beam, striking the target, charges it down towards 0 V.
Once the rear of the target reaches a low potential (about + 3 V), no electrons land any
more on target. They are rapidly decelerated by the strong positive potential on the field
mesh, once it is behind them. The electrons reach zero velocity just before they reach
the target ; then they accelerate back towards the field mesh, which collects them. The
electrons from the N-region of the target cannot travel across the target width because
with no light the intrinsic region is an insulator [fig. 3(a)].

When the light falls on the target, the electrons leak across to the + 45 V on the front
side. The rear of the target becomes more positive (about + 6V). A positive charge
image is formed. Some electrons of the beam striking the target will replace the
negative charges that have leaked away. This current constitutes the signal current,
which is proportional to the amount of light. The rest of the electron beam returns to be
collected by the field mesh [fig. 3(b)].

Under excessive light conditions, the electron beam is unable to provide during each
scan, enough electrons to discharge the positive charge completely. This highlighted
area of the target keeps becoming more and more positive. The high positive charges
can bend and defocus the electron beam away from its correct point of landing (if this
point is close by). This produces a very high signal current away from the desired point
of landing, resulting in a current which is not proportional to the light level at the point.
The correct point on the displayed picture is now peak white when it should not be. This
blooming or bleeding effect around the highlight, is called 'beam pulling' [fig. 3(c)].

The excessively positive potential on the rear side of the target, due to excessive
illumination, can also cause the electron beam to hit the target with such force that each
electron knocks several other electrons out of the target. This is called 'secondary

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emission', meaning the target is losing electrons instead of gaining. No target current
flows. This causes that point of the picture to be scanned as black. A negative image is
formed. Some of the secondary emission electrons are collected by the field mesh.
Some fall back on to the target surrounding the highlight area. These electrons become
current carriers in the target material, as if the surrounding area were illuminated more
brightly than it is. This causes a flare - halo effect around the highlight area [fig. 3(d)].

Fig. 3 Tube Operation in Different Conditions

If camera is panned on the scene, highlights may cause a white lag effect (Called 'comet
tail), because it may takes many field of scanning to discharge the highly positive
highlight area. Even after the illumination has been removed, a tail of light is seen.

In practice the viewer will see a combination of beam pulling, flare-halo and comet tail.

Highlight Control

To prevent these undesirable effects, the beam current is set to a value enough to
discharge highlights three times brighter than peak white (i.e. at 300% vision level).

Alternatively modern professional cameras use Automatic Beam Control (ABC

sometimes ABO, for Automatic Beam Optimization, or DBC for Dynamic Beam Control).
This technique can only be used with diode-gun tubes.

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ABC is implemented by means of circuitry external to the camera tube. It requires a

tube capable of delivering a high beam current for a limited time. With the diode-gun
tube, automatic beam control is a very effective way to stabilize highlight rapidly. Its gun
construction provides ample beam current reserve.

ABC raises the beam current to an appropriate level only for highlight areas. A diagram
of the principle is shown in the figure 4.

The highlight is detected by comparing a voltage derived from the beam current with the
video output from the camera tube. The difference signal control the level of beam
current, boosting it to discharge highlights when these are encountered. The normal
beam is maintained during the remainder of the scan. The Technique is simple and
effective providing a range equivalent to about 3-5 lens stops of control.

Fig. 4 Automatic Beam Control

Lag at Low Illumination

Lag at low light levels appears on the picture as a retention of image, after the subject
has moved away. It is noticeable on a dark subject moving against an even darker
background. It causes the trailing edge of the subject to be indistinct. The main reason
for lag is that at very low illumination the positive charge image on the back of the target
is so low that insufficient electrons from the beam reach the target. The electrons
reaching the target just drift on it, rather than accelerate on to it. When the illumination is
removed, the time taken to restore the charge to be correct value is therefore much
longer than normal.

Another cause is that at very low illumination not many current carriers are generated
within the target to provide conduction. When this illumination is removed, the target
approaches its insulator state. Both effects cause target current to flow long after the
(low) target illumination has ceased.

To overcome lag, tubes are provided with soft, low and even illumination over the entire
target area. The target will never operate in a no-light condition. The low-level
illumination comes from the bias light.

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CAMERA CHAIN

A block diagram of a typical three tube camera chain is described in fig. 5. Tube power
supply section provides all the voltages required for various grids of electron gun.
Horizontal and vertical deflection section supplies the saw tooth current to the deflection
coils for scanning the positive charge image formed on the target. The built in sync
pulse generator provides all the pulses required for the encoder and colour bar
generator of the camera.

Fig. 5 Block Diagram of a Plumbicon Camera

Ref. Drg.No:-STI(T)364,(DC118)

The signal system in most of the cameras consists of processing of the signal from red,
blue and green tubes. Some of the cameras use white blue and red tubes instead of
R,G,B system. The processing of red and blue channel is exactly similar. Green
channel, which is also called a reference channel has slightly different electronic
concerning aperture correction. So if we understand a particular channel, the other
channels can be followed easily. So let us trace a particular channel. The signal picked
up from the target is amplified at the target itself in a stage called pre-pre amplifier. It is
then passed to a pre amplifier board with a provision to insert external test signal. Most
of the cameras also provide gain setting of 6 dB, 9 dB and 18 dB at the pre amplifier.
Shading compensator provides H and V shading adjustments in static mode and
dynamic mode by readjusting the gain. After this correction the signal is passed through
a variable gain amplifier which provides adjustment for auto white balance, black
balance and aperture correction. Gama correction amplifier provides suitable gain to
maintain a gamma of 0.45 for each channel. Further signal processing includes mixing

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of blanking level, black clip, white clip and adjustment for flare correction. The same
processing take place for blue and red channels. Green channel as an additional
electronic which provides aperture correction to red and blue channels. Aperture
correction provide corrections to improve the resolution or high frequency lost because
of the finite size of the electron beam. Green channel has fixed gain amplifier instead of
variable gain amplifier in the red and blue channels.

All the three signals namely R,G and B are then fed to the encoder section of the
camera via a colour bar/camera switch. This switch can select R,G and B from the
camera or from the R,G,B Signal from colour bar generator. In the encoder section
these R,G,B signals are modulated with SC to get V and U signals. These signals are
then mixed with luminance sync., burst and blanking etc. to provides colour composite
video signal (CCVS Signal). Power supply board provides regulated voltages to various
sections.

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