Pixel Network (PIXNET) for Dynamic Visualization
Abstract
The Pixel Network for dynamic visualization (PIXNET) program addresses the squad level capability gap for target detection, recognition and identification in all weather and day/night missions. The vision of the program is to offer the warfighter a small and versatile infrared (IR) camera that would be affordable to individual soldiers and provide multiple IR band imagery with fusion capability to take full advantage of different wavelength band phenomenology in a compact single unit. In the future, the availability of the PIXNET camera would enable a peer-to-peer networked system for image sharing within a squad, thereby providing a better common operating picture of the battlefield and significantly enhancing the warfighter's situational understanding. The program aims to develop a low size, weight and power (SWaP), low cost, soldier portable multiband infrared camera that will render real-time single and multiple imagery using thermal and reflective bands. The camera will also provide fused reflective and thermal band imagery on demand. The use of fused imagery in the PIXNET design will allow the soldier to detect camouflaged targets and distinguish targets from decoys. The PIXNET camera will eliminate limitations posed by current capability to detect, recognize and identify targets in low light and no light nighttime operations. The PIXNET program will focus on a significant reduction in SWaP and cost of infrared sensor components to enable portability and ability to deploy widely to all participants in the theater. Low-cost manufacturing of wafer scale IR sensors and coolers will provide a price point that will allow these components to be deployed to each warfighter. The emphasis on a small form-factor will naturally enable new opportunities such as surveillance with small UAVs, rifle sights with multiple bands, vehicle mounted, helmet mounted and handheld surveillance systems. The phenomenology of different infrared wavelengths will be exploited for a target of interest and only chunks of relevant data will be fused by a smart phone android processing platform, thus reducing the data burden and ease of display. The combination of a smart phone and PIXNET camera at the soldier level will enable more effective tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) over the current capability. The PIXNET program takes advantage of the computing capability of smart phones to process and fuse multicolor images and send them as videos or still images to the warfighter's helmet mounted display via a wireless or wired connection. The smart phone and PIXNET camera integration allows for a strategy to produce low cost imaging system with single band and combined band imagery. PIXNET capability could be further exploited in the future to enable a fully networked system such as the Network Warrior integrated multiple Soldier systems capability with full spectrum image and video sharing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2014
- Source ID
- 3f282f9770ceada0cc1d8cc6274cc116
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- Root: ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY