Video fusion technology is a branch of virtual reality technology, and can also be considered a development stage of virtual reality. Video fusion technology refers to fusing one or more image sequence videos of a certain scene or model, captured by video capture devices, with a related virtual scene, to generate a new virtual scene or model of this scene. Shenzhen Xinmai has launched an FPGA-based hardware real-time video overlay and fusion development board, which provides multi-channel video capture, overlay, and fusion capabilities. Video sources include VGA, PAL LVDS, HDMI, SDI, 4K, and other high-definition videos. It offers powerful video capture and fusion capabilities.

In the video surveillance systems of armed helicopters, there is a requirement not only to display the status of reconnaissance targets in real-time but also to simultaneously show information such as the helicopter's speed, position, altitude, and engine status during its current flight. This necessitates the use of video overlay technology. Based on this application background, we proposed the requirement for an FPGA-based video image overlay system. This system can be applied to a specific model of armed helicopter. The system supports 5 video source inputs: one LVDS video, two VGA videos, and two PAL videos. The VGA and PAL videos are surveillance videos provided by external cameras, while the LVDS video is generated by the airborne system's graphics card and is used to display patterns of various aircraft instruments. VGA video has a resolution of 1024x768@60Hz and is input via a VGA interface. PAL video has a resolution of 720x576 and is input via a CVBS interface. Users can select one of the four external video channels to overlay with the LVDS video, and the final overlaid image is displayed via VGA and LVDS interfaces.

System Schematic Diagram

Video Overlay Development Board

Video Overlay Effect

Overlay Effect Diagram for a Certain Helicopter Model