Advanced Onboard Video & Image Processing for Unmanned Systems

Sightline Applications

Capability Overview
Documents

Sightline Applications develops onboard video processing solutions for unmanned systems in the civil, commercial and military sectors. Our high-performance embedded systems are ideal for integration into unmanned vehicles serving a wide variety of end uses, including Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR), environmental surveying, infrastructure inspection, and agricultural mapping.

Onboard video processing brings a wide range of benefits to unmanned vehicles, such as low latency feedback for gimbal control and landing guidance, a full digital video path, and low requirements for Size, Weight and Power (SWaP).

Video Processing Software

Our Video Processing Software provides a powerful foundation for all of our processor systems, and includes a constantly expanding suite of functions that improve the performance of unmanned video platforms. Below is an overview of the capabilities available.

HD Video

Provides a range of HD video capabilities, including 1080p/30 and 720p/30 processing and encoding.

Video Stabilization

Dramatically improves video by removing high-frequency noise and frame-to-frame jitter. Also provides ability to correct camera frame-to-frame rotation in applications with platform roll motion, such as unmanned aircraft.

Electronic Stabilization

Roll Correction

Scene and Object Tracking

Scene tracking provides powerful gimbal feedback based on the entire scene. Tracked objects can be isolated from background using advanced image analysis and motion estimation, and persistent tracking is possible even when view of tracked object is temporarily blocked.

Telemetry Data

Provides low latency location data from object tracking, scene steering, and MTI objects, as well as temperature data from radiometric cameras and focus telemetry for autofocus implementations.

Video Encoding and KLV Metadata

Available Ethernet video encoding outputs for reducing system bandwidth include MPEG2 TS, MPEG4 and RTP M-JPEG. KLV metadata is generated in accordance with MISB standards 0102.10, 0601.7, 0603.2, 0604.3, and 0903.3.

Landing Aid

Provides position, range, and angle data to landing systems of aerial vehicles, and automatically finds and tracks a landing pattern. Works independently of GPS, enabling accurate landing in GPS-denied environments.

Detection Algorithms

Multiple detection modes provide important situational awareness information and provide fast feedback essential for effective track initialization on moving objects.

Aerial MTI – detect up to 100 very small moving objects

Drone Detection – find small, dynamically maneuvering multicopter UAVs

Radiometric Detection – find objects in a defined temperature range independent of motion

Video/Snapshot Recording

H.264 video, full resolution JPEG snapshots with EXIF data, full pixel depth PNG snapshots with metadata, and telemetry data can all be recorded and saved to a local SD card or remote FTP.

Video Enhancement and Overlays

Enhancement options to optimize video for particular applications include Digital Zoom, Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE), Local Area Processing (LAP), de-noising and edge sharpening, false colour schemes, and extended 14 bit-depth processing.

Multi Camera Video Presentation

Highly versatile options for optimized presentation, transmission and display of multiple video streams. Includes Picture in Picture (with customizable PiP location), split screen, quad screen, and blending of multi-spectral inputs into a single image.

Focus Telemetry

Full autofocus functionality for a range of EO block cameras and lens assemblies, available independent of tracking telemetry.

More Information: Video Processing Software Capabilities

Hardware solutions

A wide range of flexible and configurable video processing hardware solutions provide simple integration with your systems. Below is a small selection of the hardware solutions available.

1500-OEM Micro Video Processing Platform

The 1500-OEM is our smallest video processing engine, designed to add advanced video capabilities to unmanned vehicle camera platforms with low SWaP requirements. The board provides single channel video processing at the source, which is essential for achieving high quality and low latency performance.

Capable of handling multiple input channels from a variety of camera interfaces, the 1500-OEM provides a highly flexible video processing solution, especially when paired with our wide range of input accessory boards.

Features

Size 27×38 mm, weight < 8 grams
Multiple video inputs – 1 HD Digital and 2 analog
Ethernet – streamed video (to 720p/30) and control
3 serial Ports – pass-through and control
Analog Video Out
Onboard video and snapshot recording to MicroSD

Camera Interfaces Supported

Analog (NTSC or PAL) – two inputs
Sony HD EO Block FCB-EH6xxx
Sony HD EO Block FCB-EV7500
Hitachi HD EO Block DI-SC120R
FLIR Tau LWIR (direct board to camera connection)
FLIR Quark LWIR (with adaptor uAB board / FFC ribbon and small adaptor board at camera)
DRS Tamarisk LWIR (with adaptor uAB board / FFC ribbon and small adaptor board at camera)
HDMI
Camera Link

More Information: SLA-1500 Video Processor

3000-OEM Multi-Channel Video Processing Platform

The 3000-OEM is our highest performance video processing board, designed for airborne and ground ISR applications with HD video requirements. The multi-channel system incorporates two inputs and provides streaming HD video outputs to 1080p/30.

The board provides multiple channel video processing at the source, which is essential for achieving high quality and low latency performance. A wide range of interface boards and other accessories is available to provide for a variety of system integration needs.