Asynchronous Day/Night NIR-SWIR See-Spot Sensor Development

Coded Spot Tracking CST, is used in confirmation and handoff of targets by forward observers, airborne laser designation, laser-guided munitions and other types of weapons designation systems. Traditionally, the major limitations with existing Coded Spot Tracker systems is their inability to function in the presence of bright sunlight, and the inability to function when multiple spots from different sources are simultaneously present in the same field of view. A new Short Wave InfraRed (SWIR) imager has been developed which has the unique ability to provide conventional intensity imaging as well as an asynchronous, pulsed laser detection mode. Under Phase I of this SBIR program, Quantum Imaging successfully demonstrated the ability to provide both conventional intensity imagery as well as multi-spot CST functionality for any of the 444 possible NATO PRF codes from 1111 to 1888. Under Phase II, development effort will focus on reducing the Size, Weight, Power and Cost of the CST camera and also to make the camera with multiple sensor sources.