What is a Charged Coupled Device?
A charged coupled device (CCD) is basically a device that allows the transportation of electrically-charged analog signals through different capacitors set up in a successive series. The device is controlled by a clock signal that oscillates between high and low states. The entire system acts as a shift register that has its inputs and outputs linked together in series. This allows a charged coupled device to be used as a way of delaying analog signals. The most common use of these devices is for photoelectric light sensors that are linked to parallel analog signals. This technology is the basis of how a digital camera, video recorder or picture phone operates. In 1961, a researcher at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory named Eugene F. Lally wrote a paper called “Mosaic Guidance for Interplanetary Travel.” He explored the idea of using a series of optical detectors that implemented digital processing to create a photograph. Although this theory was sound, it wasn’t until 1969 when two scien
