Low Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) Forward Motion Blur Correction (FMBC) for Airborne Imaging

Project number: 
22015
Sponsor: 
Arete Associates
Academic year: 
2021-2022
Motion blur when forward moving aircraft take images of ground objects has been remedied with expensive camera gimbals, which use motors and intelligent sensors to support and stabilize a camera. This project aims to translate the focal plane of the camera to create line of sight stabilization that corrects for forward motion blur, thereby eliminating the need for a gimbal.

The team’s Low Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) Forward Motion Blur Correction for Airborne Imaging device (FMBC) translates the focal plane of the camera at a rate that compensates for the relative speed of the ground object so stationary objects do not appear blurry on the detector of the camera.

A monochrome camera, imaging lens and motorized linear translation stage make up the FMBC system. The camera is attached to the stage to allow back and forth movement to correct for motion blur when in flight. The SWaP design interfaces with LabVIEW and Vision software to test the quality of the corrected images. However, because the FMBC device could not be tested in a flight environment, the team used a ground vehicle to simulate forward motion.

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