MIRIADS – Miniature Infrared Imaging Applications Development System Description and Operation

A cooperative effort between the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Nova Research, Inc., the Raytheon Infrared Operations (RIO) and Optics 1, Inc. has successfully produced a miniature infrared camera system that offers significant realtime signal and image processing capabilities by virtue of its modular design. This paper will present an operational overview of the system as well as results from initial testing of the “Modular Infrared Imaging Applications Development System” (MIRIADS) configured as a missile early-warning detection system. The MIRIADS device can operate virtually any infrared focal plane array (FPA) that currently exists. Programmable onboard logic applies user-defined processing functions to the real-time digital image data for a variety of functions. Daughterboards may be plugged onto the system to expand the digital and analog processing capabilities of the system. A unique full hemispherical infrared fisheye optical system designed and produced by Optics 1, Inc. is utilized by the MIRIADS in a missile warning application to demonstrate the flexibility of the overall system to be applied to a variety of current and future AFRL missions. FPA, electronics, dewar packaging, fisheye optics, sensor processing