A PC-based imaging system for the Naval Postgraduate School Infrared Search and Target Designation (NPS-IRSTD) system.
Authors
Engel, Raymond Charles
Subjects
IRSTD
framegrabber
thermal imaging
framegrabber
thermal imaging
Advisors
Cooper, Alfred W.
Date of Issue
1989-09
Date
September 1989
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
en_US
Abstract
A system to display images from data generated by the Naval Postgraduate School Infrared Search and Target Designation (NPS-IRSTD) system (modified AN/SAR-8 ADM) was developed using an Intel 80386 CPU based desktop computer as the base platform. This computer was enhanced with a Metrabyte PDMA-16 Input/output board to facilitate data transfers and a Data Translation DT2861 framegrabber board for image processing. Images are displayed on a 512 by480 pixel resolution color monitor.
Digitized NPS-IRSTD data is stored on recording tape, and accessed for imaging during playback at reduced speeds. Data is received into the 386 computer through the PDMA-16 using Direct Memory Access (DMA) transfers into Random Access Memory (RAM). Data is sorted in RAM into the proper format for display, and then moved to a frame buffer in the DT2861. FORTRAN programs using Data Translation DT-IRIS subroutines were written to manage image display and processing.
Images produced using the system showed clearly identifiable features from the scene observed by the IRSTD. They also provided valuable insight into the IRSTD operation. For example, the detector AC-coupling undershoot was clearly evident. Additionally, images showed the number of non-operational detectors to be larger than previously noted.
Recommendations are made for system improvements to enhance speed and reliability, and for additional study of the imaging properties of the NPS-IRSTD.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Physics
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
138 p.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.