CAMOUFLAGE DETECTION BY LASER-INDUCED FLUORESCENCE (LIF) REMOTE SENSING

RECENT SPECTRAL LUMINESCENCE INVESTIGATIONS INDICATE THAT CAMOUFLAGE FABRICS AND PAINTS HAVE UNIQUE SPECTRAL SIGNATURES THAT CAN BE EXPLOITED BY A LASER-INDUCED LUMINESCENCE REMOTE SENSOR. SPEC IS PROPOSING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LASER INDUCED FLUORESCENE (LIF) LIFETIME SENSOR CAPABLE OF DISCRIMINATING CAMOUFLAGE MATERIALS AND PAINTS IN THE PRESENCE OF BACKGROUND VEGETATION AND SOILS, THUS RENDERING CURRENT AND FUTURE CAMOUFLAGES INEFFECTIVE. THE PROPOSED LIF REMOTE SENSOR USES PHASE-RESOLVED FLUORESCENCE SPECTROSCOPY (PRFS) FOR DETECTION OF CAMOUFLAGE MATERIALS. A MODULATED EXCITATION WAVELENGTH IS ABSORVED BY THE CAMOUFLAGE MATERIAL. THE FLOURESCENCE EMITTED BY THE LASER EXCITED COMPONENT IS PHASE-SHIFTED AND DEMODULATED FROM THE EXCITATION WAVELENGTH. SPEC'S INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE AND DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING DESIGN FOR THIS LASER REMOTE SENSING SYSTEM INCORPORATES A DIGITAL OPTICAL PHASE-LOCK-LOOP (DOPLL) FOR HIGH RESOLUTION PHASE MEAUSREMENT AND LIFETIME DETERMINATION. MODULATION FREQUENCY CAN BE VARIED FOR SELECTIVE FLUORESCENCE LIFETIME MEASUREMENTS WHICH RELIABLY IDENTIFYNATURAL AND MANMADE CAMOUFLAGE MATERIALS. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS OF THE RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT. THIS TECHNOLOGY WILL ALLOW THE SELECTIVE DETECTTION OF CAMOUFLAGED TARGETS. LIF TECHNOLOGY WILL PROVIDE A MEANS FOR: CAMOUFLAGE, TARGET, AND UNIFORM DETECTION; CHEMICAL WEAPONS TREATY VERIFICATION; CHEMICAL DETECTION; ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING; VEHICLE EMISSIONS MONITORING; AND CROP MONITORING.