INTELLISENSE SYSTEMS INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: A20-081

Description

To address the Army’s need for a low light level camera sensor to replace Gen III NVGs, Intellisense Systems, Inc. proposes to develop a new Digital Night Vision Sensor (DNVS) based on an innovative design modification of a commercial high-resolution large-pixel low light level sensor and a compact low-profile wide FOV objective lens system. The innovations of DNVS include the use of the high-resolution large pixel size sensor with multiple pixel binning to gain sensitivity, and the use of the new low F-number (f/#), wide aperture objective lens design that significantly reduces the size and complexity of a standard lens system. As a result, DNVS can have a brightness gain equivalent to Gen III NVGs, have minimal size, weight, center of gravity moment arm and power consumption, not exceeding that of the existing fielded NVGs modified with the night HUD, the resolution and field-of-view matching that of the visor projected head-mounted-display (VPHMD) for subsequent integration into a single day-night VPHMD system. In Phase I, Intellisense will identify an existing low light level sensor, develop the camera design with a selected objective lens concept, and demonstrate the feasibility by a laboratory breadboard and experimental test. A plan for Phase II integration with the VPHMD will be developed. In Phase II, Intellisense will build DNVS prototypes for integration into the VPHMD being developed by the company, to provide night video input to the VPHMD. A total of eight or more sensors with all interface hardware will be built and delivered.