An Imaging System with Robust Spot Detection for Space Laser Communication ATP Systems

To overcome the bandwidth and power limitations of traditional multi-chip architectures in inter-satellite laser communication ATP (Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing) systems, we propose a highly integrated hardware-software co-design imaging system. It integrates a CMV4000 sensor and an XCKU060 FPGA with an embedded Loongson LA132 soft core. To resolve thermal-induced timing misalignments at 180 fps, an LVDS dynamic phase compensation and multi-stage synchronization mechanism is introduced, ensuring error-free capture. Furthermore, a least-squares circle-fitting algorithm with nonlinear error compensation mitigates spot distortion and occlusion from strong background noise. Results confirm that the system stably outputs 2048 × 2048 resolution images. Notably, under extreme conditions (5 dB SNR, 60% spot loss), the positioning RMSE (Root Mean Square Error) remains strictly within 1.5 pixels. This approach optimizes SWaP (Size Weight and Power) metrics, delivering a robust, high-precision solution for spaceborne ATP systems.