Adaptive Plenoptic for Passive Ranging and Imaging Surveillance

To address the Armys need for sensor technology to collect tactical imagery for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes, in Phase II, to advance development of the new Adaptive Plenoptic for Passive Ranging and Imaging Surveillance (APPRISE) system proven feasible in Phase I. APPRISE is based on POCs unique tunable liquid crystal microlens array (TLCMLA) that provides a tunable wide range of focal lengths (5x) and real-time three- or four-dimensional (3D/4D) range extraction algorithms. These innovations enable a highly portable, low SWaP (size, weight, and power) 3D passive imager to be deployed under austere conditions. In operation, the user can swap interchangeable commercial-off-the-shelf F-mount lenses to match the mission scenario for relevant military geospatial applications. In Phase I, POC successfully demonstrated a working prototype system to provide passively estimating range maps fused with high-quality close- and long-range imagery. In Phase II, POC plans to build upon the Phase I achievements to optimize the TLCMLA design, integrate a full-frame (35 mm) image sensor (30 frames per second), improve the range estimation algorithms, and develop real-time embedded electronics and a Windows tablet graphical user interface. The final prototype will be delivered to the Army for government testing.