Detection Range Performance Analysis and Verification of the Long-Wavelength Infrared Optical System for Drones

The detection performance of an IR camera was analyzed using GRD analysis and NVTherm to detect a target size of 3 m x 6 m. The optical system design specifications were set with a F-number of 1.6, focal length range of 76.2 mm to 24.456 mm, and field of view of 9.1 degrees x 6.1 degrees - 29.9 degrees x 22.0 degrees, using a method to convert recognition range performance into GRD. We measured the image resolution performance of the camera produced based on the analysis results, in a laboratory environment. We installed a 4-bar target (I') with a spatial frequency corresponding to GRD (I) m at target distance A km on an optical collimator and acquired a photographic imagery of bar-target by setting the temperature difference corresponding to the target distance A km for distance simulation. The GRD resolution was defined as the resolution for which the number of clearly resolved images among the 50 acquired images was 80 % or higher (40 images or more). The measurement results confirmed that the GRD target corresponding to A km was well resolved. The detection range performance derived based on the GRD analysis was experimentally well demonstrated.