Digital Video in the TUAV System

摘要

This paper discusses the implementation of digital video into the TUAV EO/IR payload and its associated considerations, problems, and benefits. The author, a member of the TUAV EO/IR design team, follows the design decisions made in the implementation, including vehicle and payload architecture considerations, downlink transmission restrictions, video compression, the receiving or 'ground' station and the archiving and retrieval of video data - including operational metadata - concurrent or post-mission. Central to the thesis is the viability of digital video and the considerations made as to the standards, formats, transport mechanisms and bandwidth restrictions. Some details are provided regarding the various payload components designed; but in general, the focus is on the overall system and its use of digital video. Through the paper, the author describes how digital video met the increased resolution requirements of the TUAV program, while providing additional benefits and potentially lowering costs in the process. The author closes the paper by presenting information regarding potential future benefits of digital video including in-stream video processing and feature extraction.