DYNAMIC SCENE PROJECTOR FOR THE UV-THROUGH-LWIR SPECTRAL BANDS

A DYNAMIC SCENE PROJECTION SYSTEM IS PROPOSED WHICH CAN SIMULATE MULTI-SPECTRAL SCENES IN THE ULTRAVIOLET, VISIBLE, AND NEAR-THROUGH LONG-WAVE INFRARED WAVELENGTH BANDS. IT IS BASED ON ALIGHT VALVE TECHNOLOGY WHICH USES CRT ELECTRNICS TO DRIVA A DENSE ARRAY OF DEFORMABLE MIRRORS. THIS LIGHT VALVE, CALLED AN ELECTRON BEAM-ADDRESSED MEMBRANCE MIRROR LIGHT MODULATOR (EMLM), IS A MATURING TECHNOLOGY WHICH PROJECTS A SPATIALLY MODULATED INPUT LIGHT BEAM POSSESSING THE DESIRED SPECTRAL CHARACTERISTICS. BY COMBINING THREE LIGHT VALVES IN A FASHION SIMILAR TO THAT OF RED, BLUE, AND GREEN PROJECTION CRTS, SCENES OF DYNAMIC IMAGERY IN AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENCE SPECTRAL BANDS MAY BE SIMULTANEIOUSLY PROJECTED ONTO THE SYSTEM UNDER TEST. THE PROPOSED OPERATIONAL SYSTEM CONSISTS OF SEVERAL DEVICES WHICH ARE EACH INDIVIDUALLY OPTIMIZED FOR PERFORMANCE IN A GIVEN WAVEBAND. FOR EXAMPLE, THE UV DEVICE PROMISES 512 X 512 RESOLUTION ELEMENTS AND A FLICERLESS FRAME RATE OF AT LEAST 30HZ. IN PHASE I, A SING-COLOR DISPLAY WILL BE CONSTRUCTED, USING OUR PROPRIETARY LIGHT VALVE TECHNOLOGY WHICH HAS BEEN DEVELOPED FOR VISIBLE DISPLAY. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE PROTOTYPE DISPLAY WILL BE FULLY CHARACTERIZED IN TERMS OF ITS RESPONSE TIME, PIXEL UNIFORMITY, DYNAMIC RANGE AND CONTRACT RATIO, AND SIMULATED TEMPERATURE RANGE. FULL DYNAMIC IMAGERY WILL ALSO BE DEMONSTRATED USING AN RS-170 ELECTRONICS DRIVE. THE DEVICES(S) WILL BE READ OUT IN THE UV, THE VISIBLE, AND THE MWIR, AND RADIOMETRIC DATA WILL BE COLLECTED AND ANLYZED. RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE MADE FOR THE STRUCTURE OF THE PHASE II EFFORT BASED UPON THESE FINDINGS.