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APRIL 22, 2002, 12:30EDT
COSTA MESA, Calif., -- Irvine Sensors Corporation has entered into a contract for the second of the two pending follow-on Phase 2 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards announced in January. The approximate $728,000 contract, from the U.S. Army CECOM, is for the development and demonstration of a miniaturized, night vision weapons sight for infantry weapons that senses thermal (heat) radiation rather than low levels of light.
"Existing night vision weapon sights for infantry use are relatively large, uncomfortably heavy and have moderate power demands. However, everything emits heat, and that heat can be detected by infrared sensors and converted into images. What is needed is a means to shrink an infrared weapons sight and extend its operating time. We believe our chip-stacking technology provides a means to that end," said John Carson, Irvine Sensors' Chief Operating Officer. "Such a miniaturized thermal imager could also have important civilian applications, particularly for firefighters."
The new CECOM contract expands on the development started in 1999 by Irvine Sensors, funded initially by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), for a broad range of infrared camera systems to serve both military and civilian applications. The DARPA funding allowed Irvine Sensors to incorporate the use of chip stacking combined with pre-calibration of the sensor into an Irvine Sensors thermal camera and eliminate the need for cooling or temperature stabilization. This approach not only enables low power operation over a broad temperature range, but also allows for "instant-on" functionality. The CECOM contract, in addition to further miniaturizing Irvine Sensors' infrared camera, has the goal of adding the capability for a head-mounted display coupled to an infantry weapon. The resulting combination of extended operating time, remote display and high resolution is expected to significantly reduce the load being carried by soldiers. It could also offer an additional mode of sensing to small, drone aircraft that are increasingly being used for surveillance.
Irvine Sensors Corporation, headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, is primarily engaged in research and development related to high density electronics, miniaturized sensors and cameras, optical interconnection technology, high speed routers, image processing and low-power analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits for diverse systems applications.
Military & Aerospace Electronics
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