A comparative study of target acquisition performance of teleoperated sensors and direct human vision

Date
1999-11
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation shows that by improving teleoperator sensor design, similar performance to direct human vision can be achieved on a target acquisition task. Current technology teleoperated sensors give inferior target acquisition performance compared to direct human vision, as demonstrated by a set of target acquisition experiments with a simulated television sighting system versus direct human vision on the same natural target and background scenes. The main reasons for the former's poor performance were ascribed to tunnel vision and the dynamic presentation on the television display that reduced the visual acuity of the subjects. It was further shown that the human visual system could be adequately stimulated over a 60° field of view with only two video channels - a low angular resolution, wide-field for peripheral vision and a high angular resolution, narrow-field for foveal vision. By displaying the wide-field and narrow-field information into separate eyes the visual cortex could integrate the two pictures. Experimental proof was provided with a simple cardboard tester, followed by an electro-optical tester. It was then postulated that an eye-slaved foveal inset display system would give similar target acquisition performance to unaided human vision. An eye-slaved foveal inset display system was built and tested on the same target scene used for the direct vision and the television sight experiments. Waldman's target acquisition theory was extended to include saccadic movements using Stark's scanpath theory to model fixation points in the given scene. The mathematical model was calibrated with the experimental data. The validated theory was used to demonstrate that target acquisition performance close to direct human vision could be achieved if high definition displays were used. The applications where the foveal inset display system provided benefits were also defined. Further work is recommended on higher resolution, colour, and stereoscopic designs.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie verhandeling toon dat deur teleoperator sensor ontwerp te verbeter, teikenopsporingsprestasie soortgelyk aan die van direkte visie verkry kan word. Huidige tegnologie teleoperator sensors gee swakker teikenopsporing prestasie as direkte visie en dit was gedemonstreer deur 'n stel teikenopsporingseksperimente met onderskeidelik 'n gesimuleerde televisie visierstelsel, en direkte menslike visie van dieselfde natuurlike teiken en agtergrondstoneel. Die hoofrede vir die swak prestasie van die televisie visierstelsel word toegeskryf aan' tonnelvisie en die dinamiese voorstelling op die televisiebeeld wat lei tot verlaagte oogskerpte. Daarna is getoon dat die menslike visuele stelsel voldoende gestimuleer kon word oor 'n 60 grade vertoonveldwydte met net twee video kanale - een lae hoekresolusie, wyeveld beeld vir periferale visie, en 'n tweede, hoe hoekresolusie nouveld beeld vir foveale visie. Verder is die wyeveld en nouveld inligting apart in die proefpersoon se oe vertoon, en sy visuele korteks het die twee prentjies geintegreer. Eksperimentele bewys vir laasgenoemde is verskaf deur 'n direkte visie kartontoetser, opgevolg deur 'n elektro-optiese toetser. Daar is gepostuleer dat 'n ooggeslaafde, foveale-inset vertoonstelsel soortgelyke teikenopsporing prestasie sal gee as direkte' visie. Laasgenoemde 'stelsel is gebou en getoets op dieselfde tonele van die vorige eksperimente. Waldman se teikenopsporingsmodel is uitgebrei om sakadiese oogbewegings in te sluit gebasseer op Stark se skandeerpad teorie om die oogfiksasies in die toneel te modelleer. Die wiskundige model is gekalibreer met die eksperimentele data. Die gevalideerde model is gebruik om te demonstreer dat soortgelyke teikenopsporingsprestasie aan direkte visie verkry kon word, as hoe-definisie televisievertone gebruik word. Die toepassings waar die foveale inset vertoonstelsel voordele bied was ook gedefinieer. Verdere werk op hoer resolusie, kleur en stereoskopiese ontwerpe word aanbeveel.
Description
Thesis (D Phil) -- University of Stellenbosch, 1999.
Keywords
Optoelectronic devices, Visual perception, Image processing, Vision, Computer vision, Human information processing, Vision -- Data processing, Dissertations -- Electronic engineering
Citation