Advanced Visible-to-Infrared Dynamic Projector for Testing Imaging Sensors

To address the U.S. Army's need for an electro-optical visible/infrared projector for simultaneous testing of sensor suites, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Advanced Visible-to-Infrared Dynamic (AVID) scene projector (SP) system based on micro-optoelectromechanical systems (MOEMS) and a high-density bump connector array driven by an active matrix controller. This system will project high-spatial-resolution dynamic scenes spanning the spectral region from 0.4-14 microns and provide the U.S. Army with unprecedented capability for hardware-in-the-loop testing of imaging sensors. In Phase I, POC designed and analyzed the AVID SP to show that it meets all of the U.S. Army requirements, including spatial resolution of 1920x960 pixels, 14-16 bit intensity resolution, maximum contrast of 1,000:1, minimum background temperature of -10 degrees C, wide spectral coverage (0.4-14 microns), and 50 micron pixel spacing. A preliminary working model was assembled and demonstrated as a conclusive proof-of-concept of the AVID SP. In Phase II POC will further develop the AVID SP technology and construct a full-scale functional prototype system capable of projecting high-spatial-resolution, high-contrast realistic images spanning the entire required spectral range.