A SWIR radiance model for cockpit instrumentation

Abstract

Night Vision Imaging Systems technology is advancing at a rapid pace. These advances can be broadly divided in two distinct categories; performance and data management. There is an encouraging trend towards higher sensitivity, better resolution, and lower power consuming devices. These improvements, coupled with the shift from analog to digital data output, promise to provide a powerful night vision device. Given a digital system, the data can be managed to enhance the pilot’s view (image processing), overlay data from multiple sensors (image fusion), and send data to remote locations for analysis (image sharing). The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has an active program to introduce a helmet mounted digital imaging system that extends the detection range from the near infrared (NIR) band to the short-wave infrared (SWIR) band. Aside from the digital output, part of the motivation to develop a SWIR imaging system includes the desire to exploit the SWIR ambient night glow spectrum, see through some levels of fog and haze, and use a robust sensor technology suitable for 24 hours per day imaging. Integrating this advanced SWIR imaging system into a cockpit presents some human factor issues. Light emitted from illuminated instruments may hinder the performance of the imaging system, reducing the pilot’s ability to detect lowvisible objects at night. The transmission of light through cockpit transparencies and through the atmosphere may also impact performance. In this paper we propose a model that establishes cockpit lighting SWIR radiance limits, much like MIL-STD-3009 specifies NVIS radiance limits for NVGs. This model is the culmination of a two year program sponsored by AFRL.