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Electro-optical reconnaissance system with forward motion compensation

  • US 6,373,522 B2
  • Filed: 02/02/2001
  • Issued: 04/16/2002
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An electro-optical reconnaissance system, comprising:

  • a focal plane array including a main format area having a plurality of photo-sensitive cells arranged in rows and columns, wherein said focal plane array is configured to detect a projected image of a scene and to convert said image into an electronic charge representation of said image;

    a shutter having a controllable exposure slit proximate to said focal plane array, wherein said exposure slit is moved across said focal plane array to define areas of exposure having approximately equal image motions and wherein said charges representing said image are transferred at a charge transfer rate corresponding to said image motion in said area of said scene exposed by said shutter exposure slit; and

    a camera control electronics unit driving said plurality of photo-sensitive cells with a clocking signal for an exposed portion of said focal plane array corresponding to said charge transfer rate, wherein said clocking signal corresponds to a position of said exposure slit and said image motion;

    wherein the reconnaissance system is installed in a vehicle capable of moving in a forward direction, and wherein said camera control electronics unit comprises;

    an imaging electronics section comprising an analog processor to process said transferred electronic charges representing said image, focal plane array (FPA) control electronics to generate said clocking signal to drive said FPA, and a shutter exposure control unit to control shutter parameters, wherein said shutter parameters include said exposure slit width and said speed of said exposure slit;

    a signal processing electronics unit comprising a digital preprocessor coupled to said FPA drive electronics and to said analog processor, to receive and further process said electronic charge representation of said image, and to provide a digital processed image signal, and a camera central processing unit (CPU), to process mission parameter inputs and provide processed mission parameter information to said imaging section to perform forward motion compensation (FMC) of said image;

    wherein said FPA control electronics comprise;

    a timing generator to generate a master timing signal and to provide for focal plane array readout and FMC, wherein said master timing signal is divided by a predetermined value to provide a local timing signal;

    a horizontal counter to provide a time base for pixel counting operations;

    a vertical counter to provide a time base in the vertical direction of said focal plane array;

    a horizontal clock generator coupled to said horizontal and vertical counters, to provide a vertical clocking signal to said focal plane array;

    a vertical clock generator coupled to said horizontal and vertical counters, to provide a vertical clocking signal to said focal plane array;

    a frame synchronization unit, coupled to said horizontal and vertical counters, to generate frame sync signals and line sync signals; and

    a plurality of multi-tap delay lines to define a phase relationship of said horizontal and vertical clocking signals.

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