Hardware-based multi-platform architecture for super-lattice light emitting diode infrared scene projectors
Date
2025
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Infrared scene projectors(IRSP) are critical laboratory tools used for the setup, calibration, and testing of Infrared(IR) imaging systems within a hardware-in-the-loop environment. These IRSPs are used to display dynamic user-defined video scenery that is then detected by an IR sensor in real-time simulations. IRSP technology until now has been dominated by resistor arrays that emit a heat signature to produce a desired image. A great deal of research has been put into a new IRSP system that can replace these arrays. In 2014, the CVORG research group, led by Dr. Kiamilev, and the University of Iowa research group, led by Dr. Thomas Boggess, produced the first IR Light Emitting Diodes(IRLED) scene projectors through SLEDs(Super-Lattice Light Emitting Diode’s) technology. Since then, the projectors have gone through different iterations, with each version improving greatly upon the prior array technology. ☐ SLEDs IRSP systems are designed to be modular and scalable to accommodate the demand for higher resolutions and faster frame rates for future-generation arrays. As existing IRSP technology advances, IRSP hardware capabilities need to expand in tandem. The current state-of-the-art projectors use commercial off-the-shelf Dewar products that cannot be easily modified and run at frame rates around 120 Hz, while also only being able to support up to 1K x 1K sized arrays. These limitations, in addition to physical limitations such as the fixed window size of the Dewar enclosure being limited to 1.6” and 100 built-in transmission line Input/Output(I/O) signals, put forth a central open question for IRSP technology: how do we improve performance such that kilohertz frame rates can be attained at larger resolutions? One of the major avenues would be to expand the hardware architecture to be able to accommodate this, giving room for the software structures to develop without the limitation of hardware resources. This research will focus on the design of a multi-platform approach to expand the hardware architecture, making the system more flexible and adaptable, by not only bypassing the limitations of the current cryogenic Dewar package but also providing a more direct connection to the array pads themselves. Using the multi-platform approach on the Close Support Electronics(CSE), the goal of the multiple CSE setup is to replace a single CSE with various multi-CSE configurations to increase the frame rate.
Description
Keywords
Hardware architecture, Infrared imaging systems, Close Support Electronics, IR Light Emitting Diodes, IRSP hardware capabilities