The detection of a threat before launch offers the best options to avoid the threat. However, detecting a threat before it concretizes remains a difficult task because of the obvious risk of error. The detection of a laser emission or of optics that are pointed towards the platform gives a significant cue of a hostile behavior. In our work, we investigate if and how event (also called neuromorphic) cameras can be used to detect laser emission and combined with a laser source to detect retro reflections caused by pointed optics. We explore how the high temporal resolution of the event stream can be used to extract temporal information on the laser signal. The approach is demonstrated for a laser warning receiver use-case and a retro-reflection detection configuration using data that was collected during the DeBeLa trial in Germany and that reproduce operationally relevant scenarios.

© (2024) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Nicolas Boehrer, Hugo J. Kuijf, and Judith Dijk, "Laser warning and pointed optics detection using an event camera," Proc. SPIE 13200, Electro-Optical and Infrared Systems: Technology and Applications XXI, 132001B (Presented at Security + Defence: September 18, 2024; Published: 1 November 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3030929.