Captive flight testing (CFT) of sensors and seekers requires accurate data collection and display for sensor performance evaluation. The U.S. Army Redstone Technical Test Center (RTTC), in support of the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), has developed a data collection suite to facilitate airborne test of hyperspectral chemical/biological sensors. The data collection suite combines global positioning system (GPS) tracking, inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, accurate timing streams, and other test scenario information. This data collection suite also contains an advanced real-time display of aircraft and sensor field-of-view information. The latest evolution of this system has been used in support of the Adaptive InfraRed Imaging Spectroradiometer (AIRIS), currently under development by Physical Sciences Incorporated for ECBC. For this test, images from the AIRIS sensor were overlaid on a digitized background of the test area, with latencies of 1 second or less. Detects of surrogate chemicals were displayed and geo-referenced. Video overlay was accurate and reliable. This software suite offers great versatility in the display of imaging sensor data; support of future tests with the AIRIS sensor are planned as the system evolves.
Airborne testing of sensors presents unique challenges to the researcher. Prototype sensors are not typically configured for aircraft mounting, and testing requires comparative (truth) data for accurate sensor performance evaluation. The U.S. Army Redstone Technical Test Center (RTTC) has developed a large Stabilized Electro-optical Airborne Instrumentation Platform (SEAIP) for use with rotary wing aircraft as a sensor test bed. This system is designed to accommodate the rapid integration of multiple sensors into the
gimbal, greatly reducing the time required to enter a sensor into testing. The SEAIP has been designed for use with UH-1 or UH-60 aircraft. It provides nominal 35 μradian (RMS) line-of-sight stabilization in two axes. Design has been optimized for support of multiple/large prototype (brassboard) sensors. Payload combinations up to 80 lbs can be accommodated. Gimbal angle ranges are large to permit flexibility for sensor pointing. Target acquisition may be done manually, or with the use of a GPS tracker. Non-visible
targets may be engaged, and sensor information may be mapped real-time to digitized maps or photographs of the test area. Two SEAIP systems are currently used at RTTC. Numerous sensors have been
successfully integrated and tested, including MMW, LADAR, IR, SAL, multi-spectral, visible, and night vision.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.