Direct Write Scene Generation Development Efforts for Closed-Loop Evaluation of Focal Plane Arrays

Abstract : Laser based closed loop Direct Write Scene Generation (DWSG) methods are being developed at AEDC to simulate dynamic sensor operations and complex infrared scenes. New photonic image synthesis methods are being developed to employ image to object Whittaker Shannon sampling, anisoplanatic optical convolution by quasi-isoplanatic spatial decomposition, and high speed digital electronics for acoustooptic modulation. Because of the large terabyte volume of data to be processed, the increased bandwidth requirements, and the increased simulation fidelity required for DT&E and OT&E of focal plane array sensors, the laser based DWSG methodology is being extended to accommodate optical and computational decomposition methods to better exploit highly and massively parallel real time image processing schemes. Optical and computational decomposition will not only provide high fidelity optical simulation for anisoplanatic optical sensors and complex infrared scenes, but will also facilitate high speed parallel processing schemes for real time closed loop DWSG and sensor operations. A computer simulation has been constructed and is being used to develop and evaluate the high speed computational algorithms required for scene extraction and convolutions. A Proof of Principle demonstration using existing DWSG hardware also illustrated the feasibility of the concept. This technology effort helps to establish and provide new focal plane array optical diagnostics for cost effective and systematic DT&E and OT&E of large FPA sensors using parametric and statistical methods not amenable to costly field or flight testing methods.