Adaptive Optics for Long-Stare Imaging Distortion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Imaging platforms face challenges in maintaining image quality due to relative motion between the platform and the scene, leading to distortion and underexposure, especially in applications with wide fields of view, high angular rates, and low-light conditions, where longer exposure periods are necessary.

Innovation Solution

An imaging platform that dynamically adjusts its optics in real-time to compensate for motion-induced distortion, allowing for longer exposure periods without blurring, using a distortion prediction processor, controller, and digital correction processor to combine sub-frame exposures into high-quality composite images.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If longer exposure periods are used to capture more light and improve image quality, then underexposure and loss of contrast are reduced, but motion induced distortion causes the image to blur

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage brightness and contrastVSAvoidimage sharpness

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the optical system adaptable and adjustable during operation. Specifically, a deformable mirror with variable shape is used to dynamically compensate for motion-induced distortions in real-time during the exposure period, allowing the system to maintain image sharpness while using longer exposure times to capture sufficient light.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback through a closed-loop control system that uses a wavefront sensor to measure distortions caused by platform motion and a control processor to calculate corrective shapes for the deformable mirror. This feedback loop enables real-time correction of motion-induced distortions, allowing longer exposure periods without blurring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Illumination intensity

If the aperture size is increased to capture more light and enable shorter exposure periods, then image quality improves, but the cost scales geometrically with aperture size

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelight capture capabilityVSAvoidsystem cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical solution of increasing aperture size with an optical correction approach using a deformable mirror. Instead of making the aperture larger to capture more light, the system uses adaptive optics to correct distortions during longer exposures, achieving the same image quality improvement without the geometric cost scaling associated with larger apertures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Duration of action of moving object

If the aperture size is increased to capture more light, then exposure period can be reduced, but weight and volume increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveexposure periodVSAvoidplatform weight

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of moving objectVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent substitutes the mechanical approach of using a larger aperture (which would increase weight) with an adaptive optical correction system. The deformable mirror and control system enable longer exposure periods to be used effectively, allowing the platform to capture sufficient light without requiring a heavier, larger aperture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Area of stationary object

If wider field of view is used to capture more scene, then coverage improves, but motion induced distortion increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefield of view coverageVSAvoidimage distortion

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by using a deformable mirror that can dynamically adjust its shape in real-time to compensate for motion-induced distortions across the entire field of view. This allows the system to maintain wide field of view coverage while correcting distortions that would otherwise increase with the field size.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by using a wavefront sensor to measure distortions at different locations across the field of view and a deformable mirror with independently controllable zones that can apply localized corrections to different parts of the image, allowing each region to be optimized for minimal distortion while maintaining wide coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS8964047B2Self-correcting adaptive long-stare electro-optical system

Publication Date: 2015.02.24 RAYTHEON CO

AI summary

An imaging platform minimizes image distortion when there is relative motion of the imaging platform with respect to the scene being imaged where the imaging platform may be particularly susceptible to distortion when it is configured with a wide field of view or high angular rate of movement, or when performing long-stares at a given scene (e.g., for nighttime and low-light imaging.) Distortion correction may be performed by predicting distortion due to the relative motion of the imaging platform, determining optical transformations to prevent the distortion, dynamically adjusting the optics of the imaging platform during exposure, and performing digital image correction.