Expendable Electro-Optic Infrared Camera System

The Navy has a need for low-cost cameras to be used in disposable UAV's for maritime reconnaissance. B.E. Meyers offers a suite of three cameras, enabling viewing anytime in a 24-hr day, in all sorts of weather conditions. For low-scattering environments, including rain or mist, ultra-sensitive CCD's, with electronic shuttering capability and an optional LED illuminator, enable imaging under conditions ranging from daylight to overcast starlight. In high-scattering, low-visibility conditions, such as fog, a low-cost microbolometer LWIR camera images by detecting thermal signatures of the scene. All cameras are able to identify humans easily, and recognize or identify small weapons. The cameras are electronically imaged stabilized using chip-level gyros to sense three orthogonal rotations. Averaged, camera costs remain below $1.5K. Cameras are cradled in a pan & tilt mechanism that has a mirror to define the viewing direction. The complete pan/tilt/zoom camera package occupies a 2.5" diameter cylindrical space, and weighs 2 lbs., conforming to Coyote UAV requirements. Among proposed activities are: 1) lab and field testing of all camera systems, with comparison to standard CCDs and Gen III night vision, 2) shake testing of an gyro-stabilized camera, and 3) Preliminary Design development leading into Phase II.