Hello Jo, I am investigating different remote sensing packages for UAVs and have yet > to find one that suits the needs that I envision. Many people are taking > small digital cameras (GoPro and other similar cameras) and strapping them > onto UAVs and flying them around and mapping the ground, which is > fantastic, but none of these cameras (as far as I can tell) is generating > images that can be standardized to each other or to any specific standard > in general. It would be nice to have an incident light meter on the UAV > that is measuring incident light and transmitting this incident light > reading to the cameras so that they have a standard from which to > reference, this way actual reflectance of objects on the ground could be > calculated. Also, there are many instances where the dynamic range of the > image sensor is not great enough to measure all areas of the scene, so if > an array of cameras could capture the scene at different exposure values, > these images could be combined in post to generate a floating-point image > for scientific purposes, and an HDR composited image for human viewing of > the terrain. > I have attached a conceptual image of what the array could look like with > both Infrared and visible spectrum sensors, even having one camera that is > incident light referenced would be a huge leap forward from where things > are now. >
- It is possible to have one of the cameras (with autoexposure set to -2EV) in the array set the exposures for others. The easiest way is to do it through the network - can be done with PHP, for example. - The cameras must be synced with one of them act as a trigger source. - Mutual orientation is also important. We might be moving toward this type of camera<http://blog.elphel.com/2012/10/heptaclops-camera-and-the-393/> and maybe have a prototype. Is a package like this something that Elphel is considering or might > consider in the future? Miniaturization of current components would be > required in order to fit an array of even three cameras in most current > electric RC based UAVs that are available. I think there is a good market > for a robust and open remote sensing package for UAVs. Just look at how > well 3dRobotics is doing with their ardupilot boards. One of the most > discussed topics on the forums is integrating cameras into the different > aircraft platforms, and how frustrating this is. > At the moment the weight for UAV use can be reduced by using the boards w/o metal bodies/covers or creating a custom lighter body for the array. By the way, our office is located in West Valley City and you are welcome to visit us - just give us a call. Best regards, Oleg Dzhimiev Electronics Engineer phone: +1 801 783 5555 x124 Elphel, Inc.
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