Goodrich introduces low SWaP shortwave infrared camera for unmanned vehicles

Goodrich Corporation has introduced the smallest SWaP (size, weight and power) shortwave infrared (SWIR) camera for unmanned vehicles. The camera weighs less than four and a half ounces and has a total volume of less than 4.9 cubic inches, making 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, developed by Goodrich's ISR Systems team in Princeton, NJ, features the company's proprietary indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) technology to see light wavelengths from 0.7 micrometers to 1.7 micrometers, whereas traditional night vision cameras can detect wavelengths up to roughly 1.0 micrometers. The Goodrich 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 augments the microbolometer's thermal night imaging capabilities by enabling visual verification of laser location and imaging during thermal crossover - the hours of sunrise and sunset - when the performance of traditional thermal imaging systems is degraded.

According to Martin Ettenberg, director of business development for Goodrich's ISR Systems Princeton team, "The Goodrich SWIR camera combined with the LWIR microbolometer on the same platform allows 24-hour coverage from a single unmanned aerial system. This provides warfighters new capabilities and new concept of operations while meeting the low-SWaP requirements of the modern battlefield. It also eases the physical burden on warfighters by allowing them to carry a single camera payload."

Goodrich will be showcasing its SWIR cameras for UAV applications at AUVSI's Unmanned Systems North America show from Aug. 24-27, 2010 at the Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo. Please stop by Goodrich's booth #2215 for a demonstration.

Source: Goodrich

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