A Low Cost Viewer for Fire Fighters

This Phase 1 proposal seeks to evaluate the feasibility of a low cost infrared viewer for fire fighters. There are four distinct components that comprise the novel infrared viewer. The first is a Nipkow disc, which allows a two dimensional scene to be scanned by a single element detector. The second is a four state thermoelectrically cooled lead selenide detector that is sensitive in the most appropriate part of the infrared spectrum for fire fighting applications. The third is a low cost infrared diode that is used for illuminating the fire scene. The fourth is a advanced single board processor that converts the analog signal from the single element detector into a NTSC compatible signal for direct viewing by a helmet mounted display panel. These four key components will allow the fabrication of an infrared fire fighter imager at less than thousand dollars, making a suitable for fire fighting applications. During the Phase 1 part of the project, the feasibility utilizing a Nipkow disc with a single element detector to reliably image a two dimensional scene will be evaluated. During the Phase 11 part of the project, a prototype viewer will be fabricated and evaluated in a large scale fire experiment.