Combining compound eyes and human eye: a hybrid bionic imaging method for FOV extension and foveated vision

Based on artificial compound eyes and human vision mechanisms, we propose a hybrid bionic imaging method to achieve field of view (FOV) extension and foveated imaging simultaneously. The imaging model of the proposed method is built, and the key parameters are deduced. Then, simulations are carried out to estimate the properties of the model, including FOV extension ratio (FER), foveal ratio, fovea moving range and so on. Finally, a prototype is developed, and imaging experiments are carried out. The experimental results accord with the simulations well, proving the potential of the proposed method for intelligent surveillance, automatic object detection and recognition with low cost.