Sensor shift for remote sensing
AssigneeDigitalGlobe, Inc.
InventorVICTOR SOLANYK
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Abstract
Techniques for improving the quality of images captured by a remote sensing overhead platform such as a satellite. Sensor shifting is employed in an open-loop fashion to compensate for relative motion of the remote sensing overhead platform to the Earth. Control signals are generated for the sensor shift mechanism by an orbital motion compensation calculation that uses the predicted ephemeris (including orbit dynamics) and image geometry (overhead platform to target). Optionally, the calculation may use attitude and rate errors that are determined from on-board sensors.
Claims21
A remote sensing overhead platform for imaging an area below the platform, comprising:
- a remote sensing overhead platform body;
- an image sensor positioned on the remote sensing overhead platform body so that the image sensor can be moved relative to the remote sensing overhead platform body in response to control signals;
- and
- a controller that provides the control signals to the image sensor for movement relative to the remote sensing overhead platform body, wherein the control signals are based on movement of the remote sensing overhead platform body relative to the area below to be imaged.
An image sensor system carried by a remote sensing overhead platform for imaging an area below the platform, the image sensor system comprising:
- an image sensor positioned on the remote sensing overhead platform body so that the image sensor can be moved relative to the remote sensing overhead platform body in response to control signals;
- and
- a controller that provides the control signals to the image sensor for movement relative to the remote sensing overhead platform body, wherein the control signals are based on movement of the remote sensing overhead platform body relative to the area below to be imaged.
A remote sensing overhead platform for imaging an area below the platform, comprising:
- a remote sensing overhead platform body;
- an image sensor positioned on the remote sensing overhead platform body so that the image sensor can be moved relative to the remote sensing overhead platform body in response to control signals, wherein the image sensor is movable in a first plane relative to the remote sensing overhead platform body, wherein the image sensor is an area array image sensor having a number of rows of pixels that is at least one-tenth of the number of pixels in each row of pixels;
- and
- a controller that provides the control signals to the image sensor for movement relative to the remote sensing overhead platform body, wherein the control signals are based on movement of the remote sensing overhead platform body relative to the area below to be imaged, wherein the control signals are entirely free of being based on image correlation;
- wherein the image sensor captures an image and wherein the control signals are based on predicted orbital motion and the location of the image relative to the remote sensing overhead platform.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.