Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A camera system for use in a high-radiation environment, comprising:a camera assembly comprising:a housing;a radiation-hardened image sensor disposed within the housing, the image sensor adapted for generating a digital signal corresponding to a detected image of an object located within the high-radiation environment; anda first serializer/deserializer (SERDES) disposed within the housing for converting the signal from the image sensor into a serial bit stream;a transmission cable connected at a first end to the camera assembly, the transmission cable configured for transmitting the serial bit stream at a high frequency, the transmission cable having a cable length of 15 meters or longer; andan image processing module disposed outside of the high-radiation environment for receiving the transmitted serial bit stream at a second end of the transmission cable, the image processing module comprising:a second SERDES adapted for deserializing the serial bit stream to generate a decoded image signal; andan image processor adapted to process the decoded image signal to generate an output at a display device corresponding to the detected image. 2. The camera system of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a seal for enclosing the image sensor and the first SERDES in a watertight enclosure. 3. The camera system of claim 1, wherein the housing is formed from stainless steel. 4. The camera system of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises radiation shielding enclosing the first SERDES. 5. The camera system of claim 1, wherein the display device is incorporated within an inspection workstation and wherein the inspection workstation comprises a controller for controlling operation of the camera assembly. 6. The camera system of claim 5, further comprising a robotic delivery system responsive to the controller. 7. The camera system of claim 1, wherein the image sensor comprises a CMOS sensor. 8. The camera system of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is a color image sensor. 9. The camera system of claim 1, wherein the transmission cable transmits at microwave or higher frequency. 10. The camera system of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is a monochrome sensor and the image processor is configured to convert a monochrome image into a color image. 11. A camera system for use in a hazardous underwater environment, comprising:a camera assembly comprising:a housing having a watertight seal;a radiation-hardened image sensor disposed within the housing, the image sensor adapted for generating a digital signal corresponding to an image of an object located within the underwater environment; anda first serializer/deserializer (SERDES) disposed within the housing for converting the signal from the image sensor into a serial bit stream;a transmission cable connected at a first end to the camera assembly, the transmission cable configured for transmitting the serial bit stream at a microwave or higher frequency, the transmission cable having a cable length of 15 meters or longer; andan image processing module disposed outside of the hazardous underwater environment for receiving the transmitted serial bit stream, the image processing module comprising:a second SERDES adapted for deserializing the serial bit stream to generate a decoded image signal; andan image processor adapted to process the decoded image signal to generate an output at a display device corresponding to the image of the object. 12. The camera system of claim 11, wherein the housing is formed from stainless steel. 13. The camera system of claim 11, wherein the housing comprises radiation shielding enclosing the first SERDES. 14. The camera system of claim 11, wherein the display device is incorporated within an inspection workstation and wherein the inspection workstation comprises a controller for controlling operation of the camera assembly. 15. The camera system of claim 14, further comprising a robotic delivery system responsive to the controller. 16. The camera system of claim 11, wherein the image sensor comprises a CMOS sensor. 17. The camera system of claim 11, wherein the image sensor is a color image sensor. 18. The camera system of claim 11, wherein the image sensor is a monochrome sensor and the image processor is configured to convert a monochrome image into a color image. 19. A visual inspection system for a high-radiation environment, the system comprising:a camera assembly comprising an unshielded radiation-hardened image sensor disposed within a sealed housing, the image sensor configured for generating image data corresponding to one or more objects of interest within the high-radiation environment;a transmission cable connected to the camera assembly, the transmission cable configured for transmitting data at microwave or higher frequency, the transmission cable having a second end extending outside of the high-radiation environment;an image processing module disposed outside of the high-radiation environment, connected to the transmission cable for receiving the transmitted data, the image processing module comprising an image processor adapted to process an image signal to generate an output at a display device corresponding to images of the one or more objects of interest; anda SERDES pair comprising a first SERDES disposed within the camera assembly, the first SERDES configured for serializing image data to generate a serial bit stream for transmission across the transmission cable, and a second SERDES disposed within the image processing module, the second SERDES configured for deserializing the serial bit stream for input to the image processor. 20. The visual inspection system of claim 19, wherein the camera assembly further comprises radiation shielding enclosing the first SERDES. 21. The visual inspection system of claim 19, wherein the display device is incorporated within an inspection workstation and wherein the inspection workstation comprises a controller for controlling operation of the camera assembly. 22. The visual inspection system of claim 21, further comprising a robotic delivery system responsive to the controller. 23. The visual inspection system of claim 19, wherein the image sensor comprises a CMOS sensor. 24. The visual inspection system of claim 19, wherein the image sensor is a color sensor. 25. The visual inspection system of claim 19, wherein the image sensor is a monochrome sensor and the image processor is configured to convert a monochrome image into a color image.