MULTI-MODAL SPACE-TIME SIGNATURE ANALYSIS AND TRACKING SYSTEM

We are proposing to develop and demonstrate a novel real-time signal processing system to significantly increase the performance of existing and future imaging sensors in target detection, discrimination, and tracking. The new device will be implemented as a compact, low power electronics module and will incorporate a unique combination of advanced signal processing techniques for multi-spectral fusion and real-time image analysis. By combining the functions of a multi-spectral fusion (MSF) engine and a multi-target tracking and discrimination (MTTD) engine in a single, tightly integrated system, the resulting MSF-MTTD system will be able to increase the reliability, range, and dynamic performance of EO/IR sensor suites. The proposed device will be capable of processing simultaneous data flows from two imaging sensors including visible, near IR, SWIR, single or multi-color MWIR, and LWIR detectors. We will also investigate the possibility of incorporating range information into the multi-modal representation of the scene. This representation will be created in real time via topographic data fusion (Stage 1) and parallel feature extraction (Stage 2), both of which utilize the processing power of massively parallel cellular nonlinear processor architecture at different levels of processing. The MSF-MTTD system will perform the analysis (Stage 3) of this feature set and the tracking and discrimination of multiple targets at high speed, supporting ultra-high frame rate (> 1000 fps) sensor readout. The MSF-MTTD electronics will be based on state-of-the-art components such as high-density programmable logic devices and digital signal processors, to achieve a Phase II deliverable with a compact, light-weight (<50g) package and low-power (<1W) consumption. The design and implementation of the electronics will be carried out to support rapid conversion into an ASIC-based system, which can improve radiation hardness and power requirements while reducing unit cost.