No abstract

Miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are a category of aircraft small enough to be transported, launched, operated, and retrieved by a crew of one or two. The concept is not new, having been in limited use by the U.S. military over the past fifteen years, but interest in potential applications is growing as size and cost of the vehicles come down. An application that is particularly significant to the military and law-enforcement agencies is remote reconnaissance, with one or more onboard sensors transmitting data back to the operator(s) in real time. Typically, a miniature UAV is capable of flying a pre-programmed route autonomously, with manual override as an option. At the conclusion of the mission, the vehicle returns for landing, after which it can be quickly disassembled and stowed until its next use. Thermal imaging extends the utility of miniature UAVs to operations in complete darkness and limited visibility, but historically thermal imagers have been too large and heavy for this application.

No abstract

The proliferation of small infrared cameras in high-volume commercial applications (e.g. firefighting, law-enforcement, and automotive) presents a tremendous opportunity for truly low-cost military micro-sensors. Indigo Systems Corporation's UL3 Omega™ camera is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) thermal imager that offers ultra-small size (3.5 in 3 ), light weight (102g), and low power (< 1.3 W). It employs a 164x120 microbolometer focal plane array (FPA) and is currently entering full-scale production. Furthermore, a 324x240 upgrade is in development. While aimed primarily at the commercial market, small size and low-power consumption make UL3 well-suited for other applications, including miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) weapon-sights, and unattended ground sensors (UGS). This paper focuses on the key features of the UL3 family of miniature IR cameras and their utility in soldier systems.

No abstract