INTELLISENSE SYSTEMS INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N202-110

Description

To address the Navy’s need for a miniature 360-degree multispectral/hyperspectral staring imaging system, Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes to develop a new Multi-Aperture Coordinated Spherical Imaging Gimballed Hyperspectral/Multispectral Tracking Sensor (MacSIGHTS) system. MacSIGHTS is based on a unique integration of multiple coordinated miniature gimballed multispectral/hyperspectral sensor pods distributed on the platform to cover a spherical (360-degree) instantaneous field-of-view, providing low-profile, low drag, low size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) aerodynamic configuration suitable for use on Navy manned and unmanned aircraft platforms. Specifically, the innovative scalable distributed sensor design, each with a compact set of common line-of-sight dual (wide and narrow) field-of-view multispectral/hyperspectral (VIS/NIR, SWIR, MWIR/LWIR) sensors, allows multifunction automatic searching, detection, classification, localization, and tracking of multiple targets simultaneously in all-weather conditions, including attack of surface ships and surfaced submarines in both littoral and clear water environments. As a result of low SWAP-C distributed aperture architecture with real-time imagine stitching process, MacSIGHTS can be applied to a wide range of aircraft with varied platform configurations and environments. In Phase I, Intellisense will develop a design concept for MacSIGHTS that meets or exceeds the Navy requirements, and demonstrate feasibility of the MacSIGHTS system by component/subsystem simulation and experimentation in the laboratory, including prototype plans for Phase II development. In Phase II, the system architecture and algorithms developed in Phase I will be refined to develop a working prototype, including high-level surveillance requirements for automatic detection, tracking, and identification over 4 pi steradians of aircraft, missiles and flight obstructions, software development, initial system testing, and a laboratory and/or ground-based demonstration.