Near-Pixel Signal Processing to Improve Next-Generation Interceptor

Eutecus proposes to develop scalable focal-plane sensor-processor array chips, equipped with InGaAs sensor sensitive in the near infrared range. As opposed to the traditional integrating type approach, the sensor interface in our proposed design will contain precise transimpedance amplifiers and 8-12 bit AD converters, which allow significantly higher sampling rate. In this way, the incoming image frequency will go up to the few hundred kilohertz (kHz) or even to a few megahertz (MHz) region, which is critical in case of Fourier analysis of the incoming pixel information. The sensor array will be mapped into a high performance processor array. Each of the processors of the array will handle one or a few pixels. The processors will be equipped with minimum 128 bytes of memory per pixel, a multiple-add type arithmetic unit, a special statistical unit, and a morphology unit. In this way, the proposed sensor-processor chip will be able to perform Fourier analysis or calculate other kinds of computationally heavy linear (e.g. mean, convolution) or non-linear (e.g. min, max, median) or binary (mathematical morphology) filters, and provide the processed output with a few thousand frames per second speed. The output can be either an image or a decision or both, which can alarm the main processor of the host system when a certain target or special visual event occurs.