Exploring the fundamental low-light limits of neuromorphic vision sensor performance
Abstract
Event cameras, also called neuromorphic vision sensors, operate in a fundamentally different way than frame-based cameras, with each pixel recording output only when its incident illumination level changes. Existing event cameras demonstrate sparse, quick, and high dynamic range capture of scene dynamics but have not been optimized for lowlight performance. Application of event-based sensing to astronomical scenarios is a good match in terms of natural scene sparsity when viewing objects in space; however, current event-sensor designs exhibit high noise rates at low light levels due to contributions from shot and thermal noise. This noise becomes a serious issue when contemplating larger format sensors. High noise rates can be mitigated by spending additional power on denoising algorithms, but these methods invariably come with false negative discriminations that remove true signal from stars or satellites. The effort proposed herein aims to answer the key question – “What is the limiting low-light sensitivity and noise performance for a neuromorphic vision sensor fabricated in existing CMOS technology, in terms of the unit cell design?� In this roughly 2-year, $191K project, Zurich will explore the fundamental physical limitations of noise and dark current in the DVS pixel. To validate the theoretical limits and further explore fundamental performance, we will fabricate a next-gen DVS prototype optimized for low light performance and sensitivity, complete with a “test pixel� for taking detailed measurements at each pixel node. The physical hardware and interface will also be loaned to researchers at AFRL-RV to pursue joint efforts in characterizing the text pixel and array in order to answer this key research question.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 22, 2024
- Source ID
- FA86552317064
Entities
People
- Tobi Delbruck
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Zurich