Mobile Intelligent Radiometric Evaluation Lab (MIREL)

This topic seeks to design and construct a mobile calibration system equipped with an array of extended blackbody sources. The primary objective is to provide field reference calibration data for radiometric imagers, which are essential for obtaining accurate signature data of air and ground targets, as well as airborne strategic expendables such as flares and chaff. The goal is to develop a mobile trailer outfitted with six to eight blackbody source panels and these blackbody panels will serve as truth sources, radiating across an extended area to ensure better calibration for radiometric imagers on test ranges. ĀAlphacore Inc. Āwill be partnering with Santa Barbara Infrared Inc. a leading American supplier of blackbody systems, on the development of these unique 24" extended area blackbodies, which do not exist as COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) products, ensuring that all design and development of will be conducted in the USA, in compliance with Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) rules that research and development need to be done domestically. The Alphacore team will design an intelligent, automated mobile trailer laboratory system called the "Mobile Intelligent Radiometric Evaluation Lab (MIREL).Key features of the mobile testing unit will include: ĀLarge Area Blackbodies designed to Air ForceÆs specifications, Customized Trailer Design housing the blackbodies in an array, with Ācomprehensive environmental control and monitoring, featuring climate control systems to maintain Āoptimal operating conditions within the trailer, and sensors to monitor and notify critical environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, rain, intrusion and other conditions; Trailer Power management System that will be designed in Phase I consisting of a robust power management system with dual power sources (solar panels and a large diesel generator) feeding into a high-capacity battery bank. This setup ensures continuous operation, redundancy and safety protocols, with an Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) to seamlessly switch between power sources and prioritize based on availability. Additionally, sensors and monitoring systems will continuously track power levels in the batteries, solar panels, and generators, with an alert system to notify users of remaining power levels and estimated runtime, including predictive algorithms to estimate the remaining experiment duration based on current power consumption rates; Advanced data management and networking handled by a centralized computer system that collects, processes, logs data, time stamped using IRIG-B standard. This system utilizes a Local Area Network (LAN) with both Wi-Fi and fiber optic options to ensure reliable data transmission, supported by directional antennas for high-bandwidth wireless communication over longer distances, and an (Easy-to-use Graphical User Interface (GUI) accessible through the LAN, allowing for remote control and monitoring of all system components.Ā