Miniature Mid-Infrared Camera

A miniature, middle wavelength infrared (MWIR) camera is proposed for remote imaging from an aircraft flying at 50,000 feet. The camera will be small enough to fit inside the viewing pod of the aircraft, which will be flying at speeds approaching Mach 2.The camera will use a two-dimensional detector array sensitive in the 1 - 5 micron band. Part of the research will include an extensive investigation into the availability, cost, and performance of various types of detector arrays, and their suitabilityfor high performance MWIR imaging. The detector will be cooled with a miniature cooler to improve its performance. Hence a portion of the research will focus on the size, performance, and mass of different cooler technologies. Likewise, differentoptical system designs will be investigated with regard to their volume, optical efficiency, and optical performance. A multi-chip electronics module will be used to further minimize the camera footprint. This research will provide the Air Force with aminiature, high performance MWIR imaging camera suitable for high altitude reconnaissance. The camera will be highly sensitive to the detection of engine exhaust plumes from missiles, aircraft, and ships. Commercial applications include hazard warningfor automobiles, search and rescue operations, forestry fire surveys, power transformer line monitoring, and medical imaging for tumor detection.