Development of automated procedures for expedient and cost-efficient acceptance testing of iamging infrared systems

摘要

An improved acceptance test procedure for imaging infrared (IIR) equipment has been developed to remove subjectivity, improve repeatability, and decrease the time and expense over existing methods. Traditional procedures for acceptance testing of IIR equipment require manual minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD) measurements as multiple spatial frequencies with both positive and negative contrast targets. Although the manual measurmeent of MRTD is the standard evalaution technique used in developmental tesitng, it is deficient for use as an acceptance test. The main limitations are subjectivity, length of tiem required, and manpower (i.e., cost). The Missile Guidance Directorate (MGD) of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Researhc, Development, and Engineering Center has developed the autoamted ifnrared sensor test facility (AISTF) to perform autoamted acceptance tests and remove the subjectivity of the test procedure. The AISTF measures the modulation transfer function, noise equivalent temperature difference, 3-dimensional noise analysis, field-of-view, and non-subjective MRTD of the unit under test (UUT). The software interface for the AISTF provides an efficient means for a signle test conductor to set up and conduct the test. The software controls the experiments by selecting the appropriate targe,t setting thermal contrast, acquiring digital imagery, and performing image analysis. Test resutls are provided in a detailed report and stored in a database. In addition to production line acceptance testing, the AISTF should be applicable to flight-line testing, R&D analysis, and ensor characterization.