A generic FPGA-based detector readout and real-time image processing board

TL;DR

This paper presents a versatile FPGA-based board designed for space-based astronomical imaging, capable of interfacing with sensors, generating necessary clocks, and performing real-time image processing for applications like lunar and star sensors.

Contribution

A novel, generic FPGA board architecture that integrates sensor interfacing, clock generation, and real-time processing for space astronomy instruments.

Findings

Successfully implemented in LUCI and StarSense instruments.

Demonstrated suitability for balloon and space flight applications.

Provides a flexible platform for various image processing tasks.

Abstract

For space-based astronomical observations, it is important to have a mechanism to capture the digital output from the standard detector for further on-board analysis and storage. We have developed a generic (application- wise) field-programmable gate array (FPGA) board to interface with an image sensor, a method to generate the clocks required to read the image data from the sensor, and a real-time image processor system (on-chip) which can be used for various image processing tasks. The FPGA board is applied as the image processor board in the Lunar Ultraviolet Cosmic Imager (LUCI) and a star sensor (StarSense) (instruments developed by our group). In this paper, we discuss the various design considerations for this board and its applications in the future balloon and possible space flights.