SMARTSCAN-Smart Pushbroom Imaging System for Shaky Space Platforms

摘要

The presented SMARTSCAN imaging concept offers high quality imaging for pushbroom imaging systems even with moderate satellite attitude stability on a sole opto-electronic basis without any moving parts. It uses real-time recording of the actual image motion in the focal plane of the remote sensing camera during the frame acquisition and an a posteriori correction of the obtained image distortions on base of the image motion record. Exceptional real-time performances with subpixel accuracy image motion measurement are provided by an innovative high-speed onboard optoelectronic correlation processor. SMARTSCAN allows therefore using smart pushbroom cameras for hyper-spectral imagers in particular on satellites and platforms which are not specially intended for imaging missions, e.g. micro- and nano-satellites with simplified attitude control, low orbit communication satellites, manned space stations. This expands the application area of pushbroom scanners to new domains of spacecraft with only moderate attitude stability. The paper gives an overview on the system concept and main technologies used (advanced optical correlator for ultra high-speed image motion tracking), it discusses the conceptual design for a smart compact space camera and it reports on airborne test results of a functional breadboard model