Day/Night Low Light Level TV Sensor

As a Phase I effort, OCA proposes to develop a design for a day/night low light level TV camera system. This is a system composed of a lens assembly with variable iris, a Gen III (dual microchannel plate) image intensifier with variable gain and a gated photo-cathode, a CCD camera with automatic gain control, auto level control and noise reduction filter that performs under illumination levels between 10 E-4 to 10 E 4 foot candles. OCA will adapt a major part of its present Brillant Pebbles intensives CCD camery design to meet these requirements. OCA will evaluate a number of recent technical advancements with the goal of incorporating these into a new and improved design. These innovations include utilization of new application specific analog integrated circuits for CCD signal processing; miniaturization through the use of multi-chip-modules for electronic packaging; use of 5 to 8 micron diameter microchannel plates; an intensifier power supply with auto brightness control, variable gain, bright source protection, and that operates at 800 KHz; tapered fractal fiberoptics; variable edge control for intensifier gating, vapor deposited Paralene insulation in place of solid potting for high voltage. OCA will apply a systems approach to the design in order to prepare a System Requirements Specification, perform an end to end photometry analysis, and develope the subsystem design.