Army Uses SUI Camera Prototypes

PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 5 -- Sensors Unlimited Inc. (SUI), a supplier of shortwave infrared (SWIR) cameras and detector systems based on indium gallium arsenide technology, announced it has developed four small, high-sensitivity SWIR camera prototypes for use by the US Army's Soldier Mobility and Rifle Targeting (Smarts) system. SUI developed the new camera format, the SU320KTX, from the high-sensitivity 320 x 240 (40-µm pitch) focal-plane array used in its SU320MX cameras.
SUI designed the new miniature prototype shortwave IR imager for use in day/night operations in conjunction with Kaiser Electro-Optics Inc., a Carlsbad, Calif., maker of optics, optical systems, electro-optical products and display systems for the aerospace, medical and defense industries. It said the camera, which weighs 80 g (without a lens) and consumes less than 1.6 W of power, can potentially be used on the Army's Smarts helmet system, designed by Kaiser Electro-Optics, and that its small detector and board could be packaged as an imaging engine for use in other systems.

The new packaging for the SU320KTX offers a custom lens with a 40-degree field of view, also developed at SUI. The tiny camera prototype supports an RS-170 video-compatible output and a 12-bit digital Camera Link output. Input ranges from 7 to 16 volts.

SUI said the SU320KTX will be commercially available by the end of the year.

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