The paper describes the design of an unconventional biologically inspired image sensor. It contains numerous optical channels similar to facets in a natural compound eye. Each channel has several photodetectors with pre-amplifiers and a microcontroller with a multi-channel analog-to-digital converter. The signals coming from the photodetectors in each channel are amplified, converted into a digital form and processed by a microcontroller. All channels independently perform parallel image processing and image analysis. All microcontrollers are attached to a microcontroller network. They send data through this network only if useful signals are registered. These microcontrollers can be reprogrammed to perform various image processing operations including gradient search, spatial filtration, temporal filtration, signal correlation, neural network simulation and others. This design completely differs from the traditional image sensor architecture, which includes a mega-pixel focal plane array with a sequential signal read-out and a multi-core digital signal processor. The proposed architecture can be considered as a big set of the equal channels - the “smart groups” of several pixels with read-out electronics and a digital microcontroller that can extract only the useful data and send it out. The working prototype of this image sensor has demonstrated ability to measure distribution of speed and direction of optical flow thought its field of view in the very short time. The advantages and possible applications of this sensor are also discussed.
The paper describes the design of a biologically inspired compound eye. It contains numerous optical channels like facets in a natural compound eye. Each facet has an optical system, several photodetectors with pre-amplifiers and a microcontroller with a multi-channel analog-to-digital converter. The signals coming from the photodetectors in each channel are amplified, converted into a digital form and processed by a microcontroller. All microcontrollers are attached to a microcontroller network. These microcontrollers can be reprogrammed to perform various image processing operations including spatial filtration, temporal filtration, correlation calculation, neural network simulation and others. It makes possible investigation and performance evaluation of the compound eye when all its facets perform parallel image processing and image analysis. The working prototype of this compound eye has demonstrated ability to measure distribution of speed and direction of optical flow thought its field of view. The possible improvements and possible applications of this design are also discussed.
The interesting experiments for investigation of image formation in optical microscopes have been done by E. Abbe, A. Porter and L. Mandelshtam. These experiments have become the classical ones and they are widely used for explanation of Fourier optics. The principal disadvantage of them is difference in optical schemes for observation of object images and their spatial spectrums. The proposed optical setup makes possible demonstration of two stages of image formation – obtaining a spatial spectrum and composing a magnified object image – together in one plane. This setup contains two imaging channels separated by a beam splitter after a microscope objective. The first one forms a magnified object image, the second one – an image of a spatial spectrum. These images may be observed on a screen, via eyepieces or using image sensors. Any occluding of spectrum zones becomes visible and it leads to the corresponded changes in an object image. This optical setup would be useful for optical education and research.
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