High Performance Multispectral Camera for Aerial Operation

无人驾驶飞行器(无人机或无人机)是航空成像和**测绘的低碳排放替代方案。多光谱和高光谱成像使用更窄的波段，更多的波段，以及通常**可见光和不可见波长的光来观察RGB相机或肉眼不可见的东西。**Stream Technologies选择了10个波段和图像后处理算法，提供对**植物物种、营养和疾病胁迫的洞察，这些都是精准农业的宝贵指示。**不幸的是，他们的相机的质量和光学和电子设备的尺寸使得它很难安装在大多数**无人机上。狭窄的视野要求航拍比加拿大交通部通常批准的无人机**更高的高度。**我们的实验室在建造和操作无人机以及产生经地质校正的图像方面拥有6年以上的经验，**包括构建紧凑的光学系统和机载电子设备，用于捕获和标记**适当的元数据图像。在之前与Stream Technologies的Engage赠款中，我们展示了一种无人机携带的**多光谱相机和农业应用。我们已经获得了加拿大交通部的批准，可以**在农田上进行实地测试。**在这个项目中，多光谱相机将扩展到更多的波段和更高的性能，包括**比现有系统更高的帧速率和更高的分辨率。将**探索新的基于FPGA的摄像头后端，以显著降低摄像头的质量和成本。

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs or drones) are a low-carbon emission alternative for aerial imaging and**mapping. Multispectral and hyperspectral imaging uses narrower band sensing, more bands and typically, both**visible and non-visible wavelengths of light to observe what isn't visible to an RGB camera or the naked eye.**Stream Technologies has selected 10 bands and image post-processing algorithms that provide insight into**plant species, nutritional and disease stress, which are valuable indications for precision agriculture.**Unfortunately, their camera's mass and size of both the optics and electronics make it difficult to mount in most**UAVs. The narrow field of view requires higher altitudes for aerial photography than Transport Canada**normally grants for UAVs.**Our lab has 6+ years experience with building and operating UAVs and producing georectified images,**including building compact optical systems and airborne electronics for capturing and tagging images with the**appropriate metadata. In a previous Engage grant with Stream Technologies, we demonstrated a UAV-borne**multispectral camera and agricultural applications. We have already received Transport Canada approval for**field testing that will take place over agricultural lands.**In this project, the multispectral camera will be expanded to more bands and higher performance, including**higher frame rates and higher resolution than available systems. A new FPGA-based camera backend will be**explored to significantly reduce the mass and cost of the camera.