Low-Cost Dual-Mode (Visible/Infrared) Imager

"In order to overcome the short distance (it is critical for seeker) and high cost problems of the dual-mode imager using UFPA and fully meet the task requirement, very innovative ideas and designs are proposed:1. By using a smaller UFPA format of 240x320/25 u and adding an immersed detector lens on it, the detection distance can be increased 8 times.2. By designing a 150-mm and F/1 objective lens with non-Ge materials and using its simple production method, the price can be reduced to 1/3 of the Ge lens.3. By using two heads and a video switch to let the VS and IR share time alternatively on the LCD, we are able to combine the VS and IR images together without blurring the overlapped image.4. In order to eliminate the parallax between VS and IR for pixel by pixel image fusion and autonomous target recognition, three common optical apertures: common refractive objective lens, common reflective objective lens, and common beam splitter aredesigned. The common refractive objective lens uses ZnSe as the common front lens then uses normal glass for VS and IR glass for IR to correct their aberrations in VS (0.5-0.9 u) and IR (8-12 u), thus we don't need to correct aberrations in the whole bandfrom 0.5 to 12 u. Without this innovative idea, it is impossible to design a lens for both sensors.5. All existing UFPA imagers use traditional electronic circuit design with Thermal Electrical Cooler, thus the volume is big, the power consumption is l