Electro-optical reconnaissance system with forward motion compensation
US6373522B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 2, 2001 |
| Grant date | Apr 16, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 2, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N25/71
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An electro-optical framing camera forward motion compensation (FMC) system comprising a moving shutter and a full frame focal plane array detector is disclosed. The reconnaissance system is designed to minimize the variation of image motion from a target scene across the focal plane array. The full frame focal plane array, such as a Charge Coupled Device (CCD), is designed to transfer and add the image from pixel to pixel at a predetermined rate of image motion corresponding to the region exposed by the focal plane shutter. The focal plane shutter aperture and velocity are set to predetermined values coordinated with the available illumination. The CCD image transfer rate is set to minimize the smear effects due to image motion in the region of the scene exposed by the focal plane shutter. This rate is variable with line of sight depression angle, aircraft altitude, and aircraft velocity/altitude ratio. Further, a method of FMC utilizes a comparison of a measured light level to a standard value in order to determine the appropriate exposure time and shutter motion rate. An optimal FMC clocking signal is calculated based on image motion equations incorporated in the processing unit …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.