AN ACTIVE OPTICAL SENSOR FOR ADVANCED MINE AND BARRIER SYSTEMS

THIS PROPOSAL PRESENTS A PLAN FOR DEVELOPING A LOW-COST, SIMPLE ACTIVE OPTICAL DETONATION SENSOR FOR ADVANCED MINE AND BARRIER SYSTEMS. DUBBED THE ACTIVE RANGING, TRACKING AND SIGNATURE SENSOR (ARTS), THE PROPOSED SYSTEM IS CAPABLE OF DETERMINING THE RANGE, VECTOR VELOCITY, AND GEOMETRIC PROFILE OF OBJECTS PASSING THROUGH ITS FIELD OF VIEW. IT TAKES ADVANTAGE OF RECENT ADVANCES IN OFF-THESHELF OPTICAL SCANNERS, SOLID-STATE LASER DIODES, OPTICAL DETECTORS AND SIGNAL PROCESSING COMPONENTS IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS EACH SENSOR TO BE BUILT FOR A FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS WHEN FABRICATED IN LARGE QUANTITIES. ITS VERSATILITY, LOW COST, LOW POWER REQUIREMENTS, LOW WEIGHT, AND RELATIVE SIMPLICITY MAY MAKE IT THE SENSOR OF CHOICE FOR CERTAIN BARRIER AND MINE CONCEPTS OF THE FUTURE.