Near-Pixel Signal Processing to Improve Next-Generation Interceptor

A vision system based on an insect compound eye is ideal for minimizing size of the vision system but it also offers virtually unlimited field of view with orders of magnitude increase in processing speed over digital camera based systems, because it eliminates the need for frame-rate sampling or even capture and movement of discreet cinematographic frames to a memory space for subsequent digital processing. Parallel processing and analog circuitry provides orders of magnitude increase in processing speed. Hyperacuity or subpixel resolution provides data reduction but is also compatible with all available compression approaches. Feature extraction on the same sensor chip speeds up numerical analysis for object identification over other available approaches. A compound eye does not require the vehicle’s coveted front-end position, avoiding optical distortion due to the shock wave and leaving it open for a sharp point to shed heat and a plasma generator. Such a vision system will allow vehicle control with unprecedented accuracy, producing a purely defensive platform that can eliminate a target with precision interception.