The U.S. Army Aviation Technical Test Center (ATTC) provides developmental test support to the Army's aviation community. An increasing dependence on modeling and simulation activities has been required to obtain more data as funding decreases for traditional flight-testing. The Mobile Infrared Scene Projector (MIRSP) system, maintained and operated by ATTC, is being used to gather initial data to measure the progress of developmental Forward Looking IR (FLIR) system activities. The Army continues to upgrade and add new features and algorithms to their FLIR sensors. The history with MIRSP shows that it can benefit the FLIR system development engineers with immediate feedback on algorithm changes. ATTC is also heavily involved with testing pilotage FLIR sensors that typically are less algorithm intensive. The more subjective nature of the pilotage sensor performance specifications requires a unique test approach when using IRSP technologies. This paper will highlight areas where IRSP capabilities have benefited the aviation community to date, describe lessons that ATTC has gained using a mobile system, and outline the areas being planned for upgrades and future support efforts to include pilotage sensors.
Testing advanced weapons systems, like the Comanche helicopter, has always presented technical challenges to the Test and Evaluation (T&E) community. Because these weapon systems are on the cutting edge of technology, it is the tester's responsibility to develop the tools and techniques to fully exercise a new weapon system's capability. As with most testing, state-of-the-art tools which provide test stimuli that matches or exceeds the fidelity of the systems under test must be developed. One such tool under development to test FLIR senors is the Mobile Infrared Scene Projector (MIRSP). This paper will investigate current plans to support the T&E of the Comanche FLIR sensor during SIL testing. Planning the T&E usage of the MIRSP has involved identifying limitations, both in hardware and software, and determining how to minimize the effects of these limitations or proposing solutions to correct these limitations. The final result of this effort is to maximize the operational effectiveness of the MIRSP in order to benefit T&E of all FLIR sensors in the future.
The utilization of a 672 X 544-resistor array based Mobile Infrared Scene Projector (MIRSP) for hardware-in-the- loop test and evaluation of installed imaging infrared (I2R) sensors is presented. The Army US Test and Evaluation Command is developing MIRSP systems for T&E of I2R sensors installed on both aviation and ground platforms. The initial pathfinder MIRSP, discussed here, will be used as a risk-mitigation tool to help determine and define requirements for the objective MIRSP systems. A description of the pathfinder MIRSP configuration, performance characteristics, and operational modes is provided.
Many test facilities currently have the requirement to project dynamic, infrared (IR) imagery into sensors under test. This imagery must be of sufficient quality and resolution so that, sensors under test will perceive and respond just as they do to real-world scenes. In order to achieve this fidelity from an infrared micro-resistor based emitter array, Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC) is necessary. An important step in performing NUC is to calibrate the IR projection system so as to be capable of projecting a uniform temperature/IR image. The quality of the projected image is significantly enhanced by proper application of this calibration. To properly implement non-uniformity correction, it is necessary to accurately measure the IR emissions of each display element, or display pixel (dixel), in the emitter array. Performing these measurements involves collecting a large volume of data at a high rate. The U.S. Army's Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM) has developed a high-speed, relatively inexpensive and flexible means of digitally capturing IR emissions from an emitter array. This method of digitally capturing IR imagery is also useful in performing sensor and overall system characterization. TECOM has investigated, planned, and developed a non-uniformity data collection system, using primarily Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware and software, capable of digitally capturing the emissions of a long wave IR emitter array at 30 frames per second. The digital images are then processed to characterize individual dixels of the IR scene projection system. This paper presents a description of a test facility's need, along with a history of the design, development and actual implementation of a non- uniformity data collection system. In addition to the primary purpose of collecting digital imagery for NUC, other system uses for digital imagery collection are discussed.
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