Goodrich Introduces Shortwave Infrared Camera for Unmanned Vehicles
Source/Type: News - Staff reports

Author: CompoundSemi News Staff

August 23, 2010... Goodrich Corporation of Charlotte, North Carolina USA has introduced what it claims is the smallest SWaP (size, weight and power) shortwave infrared (SWIR) camera for unmanned vehicles. The SWIR camera weighs less than four and a half ounces and has a total volume of less than 4.9 cubic inches (about 80.3 cc). The company points out that the small size makes it suitable to fit on board almost any unmanned aerial or ground vehicle. Currently it is installed in the nosecone of a Raven hand-launched unmanned aerial system (UAS).

The new camera, which was developed by Goodrich's ISR Systems team in Princeton, New Jersey USA, features the company's proprietary indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) technology to see light wavelengths from 0.7 micrometers to 1.7 micrometers. According to the company, the new SWIR camera can detect wavelengths that are 30 percent shorter than the 1.0 micrometer wavelengths detected by traditional night vision cameras. The company says its SWIR camera's expanded capabilities allow the user to detect and track a wide range of military lasers, day or night, with exceptional clarity.

The camera is installed on the Raven UAS with a 320x240 resolution long-wave infrared (LWIR) microbolometer. The camera reportedly augments the microbolometer's thermal night imaging capabilities by enabling visual verification of laser location and imaging during the hours of sunrise and sunset when the performance of traditional thermal imaging systems is degraded.

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