Observations and Design of a new Neuromorphic Event-based All-Sky and Fixed Region Imaging System
Abstract
Current efforts in Space Situational Awareness (SSA), astronomy and meteorology have seen success with typical Charged-Coupled Device (CCD) imaging. However, recent innovation with Event-Based Cameras (EBC) have opened new possibilities by imaging from an asynchronous stream of pixels events triggered by changes in light intensity. The characteristics of these sensors boast a micro-second exposure time, low information redundancy, little motion blur, with a high temporal resolution, dynamic range and power efficiency. Terrestrial telescope mounted with event-based sensors have demonstrated imaging of low brightness objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO), outside of terminator, in addition to astronomical objects such as Jupiter and fainter more distant objects Tycho 6621 and HIP50456.
In this paper we demonstrate a series of experiments with EBCs employed in all-sky and fixed region imaging systems. We explore all-sky observing with a circular fish-eye lens for a 180-degree distorted view of the sky and in a motorised pan-tilt mount for aerial scanning with a 12mm C-mount lens. We examine a narrow Field of View (FOV) fixed point scenarios with an EBC mounted on a 600mm Ritchey-Chrétien telescope. Additionally, we demonstrate the robustness of the EBC's with an 8-inch Riccardi-Honders telescope mounted in an urban building, observing through a west facing window. Our results show these configurations are robust to typically difficult observing conditions with successful detection of fast-moving objects in LEO and faint stars while observing a fixed region. Additionally, we detected and resolved features of various aircraft. Finally, we captured day-time meteorological data with 180 degrees of detailed cloud morphology. Employing this new imaging paradigm in an all-sky and fixed-point imaging system facilitates data gathering with high sensitivity and low power without many of the constraints associated with global shuttering, CCD imaging an imaging toward to sun. Our results successfully demonstrate the novel event-based sensing approach as a new means to robustly image faint, high-speed and distant objects.- Publication:
-
Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies Conference
- Pub Date:
- September 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019amos.confE..71R
- Keywords:
-
- Instrumentation;
- Imaging;
- Neuromorphic;
- Event-based;
- Astronomy;
- Optical