Passive Detection of Low-Contrast Moving Point Targets

Sensor advances toward large format, high resolution focal planes with fast frame times are limited by read-out bandwidth and processor throughput. Biological vision systems overcome this difficulty by only operating on information relating to the target. Tanner Research has developed a near-focal-plane architecture that mimics this behavior, the Wave Process. It acts as a motion filter, operating on focal plane output in real-time. The Wave Process has already demonstrated an exceptional ability to detect low-contrast moving point targets, but in its present form, it is intended for use on stationary sensing platforms. Tanner Research proposes to extend the Wave Process to detect moving point targets that are observed from a sensing platform that is moving, while still rejecting all focal plane data not near the target. This approach to smart vision chips will significantly reduce the focal plane data rate and subsequent computational load on the down-stream processing. The Wave Process uses revolutionary processing concepts that can be efficiently implemented in analog VLSI for a compact, high performance, low power signal processing component allowing near-focal-plane integration. In Phase I we will design an extension to the Wave Process architecture and demonstrate it detecting moving point targets from a moving platform. BENEFITS: We anticipate the results of this Phase I effort will be to allow the Wave Process low-contrast detection capabilities be applied to moving sensor platforms. These advances will extend to commercial applications including night vision goggles and search & rescue binoculars.