Variable Emissivity Panel for Identification of Friend or Foe

To address the Army’s need for an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) technology with dynamic contrast at short-wave infrared (SWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) wavelengths, Intellisense Systems, Inc. proposes to advance the development of the new Variable Emissivity Panel for Identification of Friend or Foe (VEPIFF) that has been successfully proven feasible in Phase I. VEPIFF consists of a two-dimensional segment (pixel) array with each segment individually electro-optically controllable for variable SWIR or LWIR emissivity, which enables VEPIFF to adjust emissivity independently and dynamically (<1 second switching speed) at each segment, while the panel maintains its hue with visible reflectivity within 10% during infrared switching. Being optically transparent, VEPIFF show any Army camouflage pattern behind the panel and therefore allowing two and more distinct contrasting colors found in standard Army camouflage pattern scheme. With the combination of SWIR and LWIR segments, VEPIFF offers an IFF technology with dynamic, electrically adjustable SWIR and LWIR contrast when viewed through Night Vision devices (for SWIR) and LWIR imagers (for LWIR) with minimum detection distance of 300 meters. The VEPIFF can be turned on/off independently at each segment depending upon the mission profile and can be swiftly adjusted for various backgrounds. Scalable and conformable, small size (i.e., 2×3 inches with 4×6 or more pixels) VEPIFF can be mounted on, integrated into, or removed from the clothing and individual equipment (CIE) of the allied dismounted soldiers and big size VEPIFF (i.e., 24×24 inch with 6x6 segments) can be mounted on allied military ground vehicles for covert, secure, verifiable IFF. Enabled by the low power consumption of liquid crystal technology, the VEPIF for CIE of the dismounted soldier can be powered by battery with the expected two cell AA battery life 72 hours. Based on mature and proven components, VEPIFF is reliable and has low technology risk, directly addressing the Army requirements and can be accelerated for transition. In Phase II, we will finalize VEPIFF development suitable for use on military ground vehicles, and will integrate and evaluate Phase II prototype with a switching system utilizing open-source architecture and commands and iterating between several patterns on demand that demonstrate SWIR and LWIR variable emissivity. The prototype will be delivered to the Army for evaluation.