SBIR-STTR Award

Controlled laboratory sensor testing using scene projection reduces sensorEvaluation costs by reducing flight test requirements yet providing actual sceneStimulation of a sensor. Iis has developed a mature laser projection technologyAnd iis has resolved, through analysis andtest, many technical issues associatedWith ir sensor testing. Iis has built a prototype projector in the visible spectrumShowing feasibility of the concept by producing 1500:1 dynamic range, 200 frames perSecond frame rate, flexible input format, and band flexibility. The technicalEffort undertaken for the sbir is to increase projection frame rate to 1000 hz from64 x 64 pixel image, and reduce risk of the ir design by characterizing components inActual operations. This includes augmenting the scanner, data supply electronics,And beam delivery optics. The visual projector will form a module which will beSimilarto the basic building block of the ir projector.

The proposal describes an expansion of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I laser scene projector program to accomodate testing of tactical seekers. Relative to the Phase I projector pixel-array size increases 256 x 256 square-pixels while maintaining the same dynamic resolutions. Scophony modulation (Phase I) is replaced with an array of extremely fast (3 GHz) modulators in parallel. For the two spectral regions of interest in testing tactical seekers (midwave and long-wave infrared), a two-tier approach is proposed because of the disparities in the technical maturity among current IR sensors operating in those regions. The modified Phase I projector will be used for midwave-IR projection, and the feasibility of a long-wave IR tactical seeker will be tested by the fabrication of at least two light valves operating within that band.