Modification, Testing, and Calibration of Infrared Search and Target Designator Hardware Received from NSWC

Abstract

The detecting system of the IRST(Infrared Search and Track), as received at the NPG, was inoperative because of failure of the cooling engine and detector Dewar flask thermal insulation. This system has now been converted to liquid nitrogen cooling with foam thermal insulation and has been successfully operated with the scanning head rotating. All surfaces are now temperature controlled and the system is provided with automatic controls to prevent thermal runaway during cool-down or warm-up. The present system eliminates the inner germanium window of the former Dewar flask. Besides simplifying the structure, this permits imaging closer objects than was previously possible. The optical system of the Schmidt telescope has been tested with a collimating system, and by imaging of real objects at finite distances. A system has been provided for relative calibration and identification of the position of the 180 individual detector elements, and the relative response of each element measured at the detector and at the output of its preamplifier. Signals obtained from a heated Calrod source and from clouds and the surrounding terrain have been recorded with the optical system rotating.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 09, 1989
Accession Number
ADA217920

Entities

People

  • A. W. Cooper
  • E. C. Crittenden Jr.

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Calibration
  • Classification
  • Detectors
  • Elements
  • Gas Flow
  • Germanium
  • Heat Exchangers
  • Heat Shields
  • Insulation
  • Nitrogen
  • Preamplifiers
  • Security
  • Stainless Steel
  • Target Designators
  • Telescopes
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Thermal Insulation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy/Astrophysics
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems
  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster
  • Space - Space Objects