SBIR-STTR Award

Situational awareness sensors are highly desirable in order to be able to detect, track, image and possibly predict the intent of unknown space objects. Currently designed systems are restricted in their ability to image objects at varying ranges (consequently limited spatial resolution) and the field of coverage is inherently poor. StarVision Technologies Inc. in collaboration with Lockheed Martin proposes an innovative concept EFFI: Enhanced Field-Foveated Imaging System. EFFI is a single sensor system capable of wide field-of-view and narrow field-of-view imaging over any desired field angle in the image. This proposal defines the Phase I work scope required to demonstrate through systems analysis, design and simulations the feasibility of this innovative sensor concept. Successful completion of the Phase I effort will lay the foundation for design, fabrication and testing of the key elements of the sensor design in Phase II.

Benefit:
Military benefits include surveillance satellites for resident object characterization, commercial applications include surveillance and inspection of friendly satellites

Keywords:
Situational Awareness, Foveated, Zoom

Satellite-borne space situational awareness sensor systems capable of both wide-field and narrow-field high fidelity imaging are highly desirable to provide tracking and surveillance of targets. Conventional systems, however, either incorporate a heavy precision gimbaled telescope assembly for directing the gaze or utilize separate imaging systems for wide and narrow field imaging resulting in increase size, weight and power requirements. The proposed Enhanced Field-Foveated Imaging (EFFI) system is designed to permit simultaneous high resolution wide and narrow field of view imaging over any desired field angle in the image. EFFI incorporates a novel all reflective primary optical assembly, coupled with state-of-the-art deformable mirror technology to provide a high optical zoom and foveation without any conventional moving parts. Proprietary algorithms for object detection, and Fourier method based reconstruction result in diffraction limited images of the target under observation. The phase I efforts established the feasibility of this novel concept through design, analysis and simulations. In the Phase II work, an end-to-end testbed capable of validating the major technological challenges associated with the sensor implementation and validating the functionality will be built and delivered to AFRL. The modular design of the test bed will also allow for performance enhancement and continual research as new adaptive optics technologies become available.

Benefit:
Completion of the EFFI system testbed will provide the foundation for development of space situational awareness sensors capable of wide and narrow fields of view. Substantial savings in mass and cost are possible with sensor systems that can zoom without any moving parts onto any portion of the scene. Commercial applications include industrial surveillance systems and optical navigation devices.

Keywords:
Foveated Imaging, Adaptive Optics, All Reflective Zoom, Space Situational Awareness, Fourier Reconstruction, Wide Field Of View Telescope, Undersampling