Paper
18 September 2001 Development of a portable instrument for measuring the photon irradiance response (PIR) of UV missile warning sensors
Benoit Montminy
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
A large number of military aircraft are equipped with the AN/AAR-47 missile approach warning system (MAWS). The AN/AAR-47 comprises four ultraviolet (UV) sensors, a computer processor (CP) and a control indicator (CI). In-band photon irradiance from incoming missiles produces sensor outputs that are analyzed by the CP to produce threat declaration. The output signal level produced by each sensor for a given photon irradiance level depends on its sensitivity, expressed in terms of photon irradiance response (PIR). All new sensors are tested in manufacture for a minimum PIR before delivery. However, years of operation in harsh military environment may cause sensitivity degradation that makes a sensor unserviceable. A new instrument, the PIR Meter, developed by the Defence Research Establishment Valcartier (DREV), allows for accurately measuring the PIR of AAR-47 sensors, making it possible to identify those sensors whose sensitivity has dropped below the serviceable level. This paper describes the PIR Meter, its components, its interconnections with installed or uninstalled AAR-47 sensors and the PIR measurement procedure. It also covers the signal processing algorithms that were developed to obtain accurate PIR measurements in the operational environment.
© (2001) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Benoit Montminy "Development of a portable instrument for measuring the photon irradiance response (PIR) of UV missile warning sensors", Proc. SPIE 4370, Targets and Backgrounds VII: Characterization and Representation, (18 September 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.440077
Advertisement
Advertisement
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission  Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace
KEYWORDS
Sensors

Photon counting

Digital filtering

Missiles

Power supplies

Ultraviolet radiation

Linear filtering

RELATED CONTENT

Parametric surface denoising
Proceedings of SPIE (September 17 2005)
The Binomial Window
Proceedings of SPIE (December 23 1980)
Digital Filters For Infrared Target Acquisition Sensors
Proceedings of SPIE (December 23 1980)

Back to Top