SBIR-STTR Award

The ability to quickly detect and accurately map fire areas is an invaluable asset for fighting fires. An airborne imaging system which can accurately map both the flame and ash areas with respect to ground features can greatly aid fire-fighting teams and airborne water-tanker pilots. The thermal infrared systems now used for fire detection mapping have three significant problems: 1) limited dynamic range which saturates when viewing fires due to the high frame temperatures, 2) lack of an inflight calibration system to provide accurate calibration of the flame intensities, 3) burdensome complexity, weight and expense to operate and maintain. The Fire Intensity Mapper will employ newly developed thermal infrared detector arrays which operate at ambient temperature without cryogenic cooling. By operating these detector arrays in a "pushbroom mode", mechanical scanning will no longer be necessary. This eliminates mechanical complexity while providing longer dwell time, resulting in increased radiometric accuracy. The proposed project will combine our novel, high-temperature, through-the-lens, calibration system with this recently developed uncooled infrared detector technology. This system will not saturate at flame intensities and will provide an accurate real-time, image of the nature and extent of fires.

Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research:
: This proposed system is compact and rugged and can be flown in small aircraft or positioned on tower based vantage points for fire detection or ecosystem research. Because it is inexpensive and has high radiometric precision, it is well suited for a wide variety of commercial applications such as: 1) Forest and urban fire fighting; 2) Oil spill and pollution mapping; 3) Airborne geological surveying; 4) Ocean temperature mapping at nuclear plant outflow sites; 5) Ecological research from fixed towers; 6) High temperature material processing.

The ability to quickly detect and accurately map fire areas is an invaluable asset for fighting fires. An airborne imaging system which can accurately map both the flame and ash areas with respect to ground features can greatly aid fire-fighting teams and airborne water-tanker pilots. The thermal infrared systems now used for fire detection mapping have three significant problems: 1) limited dynamic range which saturates when viewing fires due to the high flame temperatures; 2) lack of inflight calibration system to provide accurate calibration of flame intensities; 3) burdensome complexity, weight, logistics and expense to operate and maintain. The FireMapper will employ newly developed thermal infrared detector arrays which operate at ambient temperature without cryogenic cooling. Since the sensor operates in a "pushbroom mode" mechanical scanning will no longer be necessary. This eliminates mechanical complexity while providing longer dwell time and superior radiometric accuracy. The proposed project will combine our novel, high-temperature, through-the-lens calibration system with this recently developed uncooled infrared detector technology. This system will not saturate at flame intensities and will provide an accurate realtime image of the nature and extent of fires.Applications:This proposed system is compact and rugged and can be flown in small aircraft for fire detection or ecosystem research. Because it is inexpensive and has high radio-metric precision, it is well suited for a wide variety of commercial applications, such as: 1. Forest and urban fire fighting 2. Oil spill and pollution mapping 3. Airborne geological surveying 4. Ocean temperature mapping at nuclear plant outflow sites 5. Ecological research