Low-cost, dual-mode enhanced vision sensor prototype

As a member of the Southeast SATSLab Consortium and a participant in the NASA small aircraft transportation system (SATS) program, the Rockwell Collins Advanced Technology Center has developed a flyable prototype of a low-cost, dual-mode enhanced vision sensor (EVS). The prototype has been successfully flown on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's experimental Cessna 310 light twin aircraft. The dual-mode system incorporates an uncooled long wave infrared sensor and a low light level visible light imager using a common aperture. The system includes a novel dichroic beamsplitter that provides the same coaxial field of view to both sensors. This paper describes the design, fabrication, sensor performance, and flight test results of the enhanced vision sensor prototype.