An electro-optical framing camera forward motion compensation (FMC) reconnaissance
system comprising a moving
shutter and a full frame focal plane array
detector is designed to minimize the variation of
image motion from a target scene across the focal plane array. The full frame focal plane array, such as a
Charge Coupled Device (CCD), is designed to transfer and add the image from pixel to pixel at a predetermined rate of
image motion corresponding to the region exposed by the focal plane
shutter. The focal plane
shutter aperture and velocity are set to predetermined values coordinated with the available illumination. The CCD
image transfer rate is set to minimize the smear effects due to
image motion in the region of the scene exposed by the focal plane shutter. This rate is variable with
line of sight depression angle, aircraft altitude, and aircraft velocity / altitude ratio. Further, a method of FMC utilizes a comparison of a measured
light level to a standard value in order to determine the appropriate
exposure time and shutter motion rate. An optimal FMC clocking
signal is calculated based on image motion equations incorporated in the
processing unit of the reconnaissance
system.