In partnership with Raytheon Intelligence and Space, Labsphere Inc. has been developing a technology demonstration system for a new type of on-board absolute radiometric calibration source. The Improved Radiometric Calibration of Imaging Systems (IRIS) addresses the need for reduced risk, cost, size, and mass for next generation Earth Observation (EO) satellites through paired onboard and vicarious calibration methods. In particular, the IRIS High-performance Integrated Flat Illuminator (HIFI) is a compact, combined VISNIR and SWIR (0.4 – 2.3μm), and MWIR-LWIR (3-14μm) Jones radiance source. Funded by the NASA Earth Science Technology Office (Grant to Raytheon #80NSSC20K1676), the IRIS Technology Demonstration Unit currently under test successfully meets significant program specifications for radiance, stability, adjustability, uniformity, and polarization. Development is ongoing to further improve system performance and achieve space flight qualification. This type of new technology additionally may provide a path to on-board calibration for small satellite architectures.
Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) is a proven method of disinfection for both bacterial and viral pathogens. Since the acceleration of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, the industry has witnessed significant technological innovation and an influx of UV-C LEDs, devices, and disinfectant enclosures. To ensure germicidal efficacy, UV-C LEDs and associated devices need accurate characterization of their optical power and irradiance. When UV-C sources are installed in enclosures and rooms, additional challenges arise that need to be evaluated to ensure germicidal efficacy is maintained. These challenges include 1) under- and over-dosing due to non-uniformity of UV-C dosage, 2) poorly understood room/chamber dynamics and reflectance, 3) shadowing, and 4) sensor, material, and source degradation. Here, we introduce a new detector portfolio that is calibrated at critical UV-C wavelengths, such as 265 nm, and enables real time UV-C Irradiance measurements at near-field and far-field. Temporal monitoring of irradiance allows for real time dosage calculation. Seasoned optical components ensure accurate detector performance and enable source output degradation monitoring. An adaptable API, network capability, and a dashboard facilitate simultaneous monitoring of multiple detectors and easy integration with existing installation infrastructure. With a proprietary cosine diffuser, these detectors include an exceptional f2 directional response making them ideal for deployment in rooms, enclosures, and HVAC systems.
The SPecular Array Radiometric Calibration (SPARC) methodology uses convex mirrors to relay an image of the sun to a satellite, airborne sensor, or other Earth Observation platform. The signal created by SPARC can be used to derive absolute, traceable calibration coefficients of Earth remote sensing systems in the solar reflective spectrum. This technology has been incorporated into an automated, on-demand commercial calibration network called FLARE (Field Line-of-site Automated Radiance Exposure). The first station, or node, has been successfully commissioned and tested with several government and commercial satellites. Radiometric performance is being validated against existing calibration factors for Sentinel 2A and diffuse target methodologies. A radiometric uncertainty budget indicates conservative 1-sigma uncertainties that are comparable to or below existing vicarious cal/val methods for the VIS-NIR wavelengths. In addition to radiometric performance, SPARC and FLARE can be utilized for characterization of a sensor’s spatial performance. Line and Point Spread Functions, and resulting Modulation Transfer Functions, derived with SPARC mirrors are virtually identical to those measured with traditional diffuse edge targets. Ongoing development of the FLARE network includes improved radiometric calibration, web portal scheduling and data access, and planned expansion of the network to Railroad Valley Playa and Mauna Loa, Hawaii.
Uniformity from Lambertian optical sources such as integrating spheres is often trusted as absolute at levels of 98% (+/- 1%) or greater levels. In the progression of today’s sensors and imaging system technology that 98% uniformity level is good, but not good enough to truly optimize pixel-to-pixel and sensor image response. The demands from industry are often for “perfect” uniformity (100%) which is not physically possible, however, perfectly understood non-uniformity is possible. A barrier to this concept is that the definition and measurement equipment of uniformity measurements often need to be very specific to the optical prescription of the unit under test. Additionally, the resulting data are often a relativistic data set, assigned to an arbitrary reference, but not actually given an expression of uncertainty with a coverage factor. This paper discusses several optical measurement methods and numerical methods that can be used to quantify and express uniformity so that it has meaning to the optical systems that will be tested, and ultimately, that can be related to the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM) to provide an estimated uncertainty. The resulting measurements can then be used to realize very accurate flat field image corrections and sensor characterizations.
Sintered PTFE is an extremely stable, near-perfect Lambertian reflecting diffuser and calibration standard material that has been used by national labs, space, aerospace and commercial sectors for over two decades. New uncertainty targets of 2% on-orbit absolute validation in the Earth Observing Systems community have challenged the industry to improve is characterization and knowledge of almost every aspect of radiometric performance (space and ground). Assuming “near perfect” reflectance for angular dependent measurements is no longer going to suffice for many program needs. The total hemispherical spectral reflectance provides a good mark of general performance; but, without the angular characterization of bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) measurements, critical data is missing from many applications and uncertainty budgets. Therefore, traceable BRDF measurement capability is needed to characterize sintered PTFE’s angular response and provide a full uncertainty profile to users. This paper presents preliminary comparison measurements of the BRDF of sintered PTFE from several laboratories to better quantify the BRDF of sintered PTFE, assess the BRDF measurement comparability between laboratories, and improve estimates of measurement uncertainties under laboratory conditions.
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