On-Board Image Enhancement on Remote Sensing Payload

Abstract

CubeSats are designed to optimize applications within the strict constraints of space and power. This paper presents an On-Board Image Enhancement technique for remote sensing payloads, focusing on achieving Auto White Balance (AWB) with limited resources and enhancing the capabilities of small/microsatellites. The study introduces hardware-based techniques, including histogram adjustment, De-Bayer processing, and AWB, all tailored to minimize hardware resource consumption on CubeSats. The integrated 1U CubeSat system comprises a sensor board, an Image Data Processor (IDP) unit, and onboard computing, with a total power consumption estimated at 2.2 W. This system facilitates image capture at a resolution of 1920 × 1200 and utilizes the proposed algorithm for image enhancement on remote sensing payloads to improve the quality of images captured in low-light environments, thereby demonstrating significant advancements in satellite image processing and object-detection capabilities.

Keywords

• CubeSat
• satellite
• FPGA
• auto white balance
• De-Bayer
• histogram