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Multispectral Imager (MSI) Product Line

QinetiQ North America has a demonstrated track record of producing Multispectral Imager (MSI) cameras integrated into a variety of platforms and systems. Our environmentally-qualified, airborne imagers include our Quad-Prism Aperture Splitting (QPAS) MSI camera and our Spinning Filter Wheel (SFW) MSI camera. This year, QinetiQ North America is introducing a lightweight, low power small-MSI (sMSI) with on-board image processing.

The QPAS MSI produces four unique spectral images of a scene for each charge-coupled device (CCD) camera frame. It includes an auto-exposure meter that samples the scene brightness before each frame and sets exposure to minimize saturated pixels. There are three in-flight selectable quad-filter sets customized for day/night and mission type. The QPAS system also has a fully integrated nighttime imaging capability with an on-board near-infrared (NIR) diode laser array illuminator.

The SFW MSI sequentially acquires six spectral images of the same scene. It also includes an auto-exposure meter which sets integration for each set of six images to minimize saturated pixels. Filter wheel speed is user-adjustable.

The sMSI camera simultaneously acquires three spectral images of the same scene. sMSI serves as a compact, lightweight and low power sensor for a variety of applications, such as improvised explosive device (IED) detection (both disturbed earth for buried objects and change detection for surface objects), camouflage detection and oceanographic and environmental mapping and sensing.

sMSI

SFW MSI

QPAS MSI

MSI System Spectral Bands Pixels (MP) MSI Max Size (cm3) Weight (kg) Power (W) Frame-rate (fps)

QPAS 4 simultaneous 0.33 12 2785 3.4 12 1

(switchable)

SFW 6 (one at a time) 4 1.33 3020 3.6 9

sMSI 3 simultaneous 2 30 <750 <0.75 <8 2

(switchable)

1) Without NIR laser illuminator on2) Includes on-board real-time image processing

www.QinetiQ-NA.com

Multispectral Imager (MSI) Product Line

Connect where innovation lives. Contact TSGinfo@QinetiQ-NA.com or call (571) 521-7600. 12-2-166

QinetiQ North America has demonstrated MSI capabilities on land and at sea. Flight testing of our MSI sensors at multiple altitudes on manned and unmanned platforms have shown the utility of MSI to detect surface and near/subsurface objects in the maritime environment. As pictured in the images to the right, spectrally-processed multispectral images can detect subsurface targets which may not be visible to the naked eye in various sea states.

QinetiQ North America participated in a side-by-side comparison of electro-optical (EO), infrared (IR) and MSI sensors during flight tests over lanes of buried mines. These tests demonstrated that the MSI sensor was superior in detecting buried mines during the day. In fact, as seen on the images to the right, buried mines do not show up in EO imagery and can barely be seen in IR. However, they can be clearly seen in MSI. The long time buried mines MSI imagery reveals mine rows buried over five years earlier in desert terrain.

Multispectral imagery can find “hidden” objects that are invisible in conventional EO imagery. The images to the right show a camouflaged object within foliage. The object is well hidden using conventional color video but stands out dramatically when MSI combines multiple bands to produce a pseudo color image. The broad utility of the MSI camera technology is also demonstrated in the black and white conventional video of a camouflaged tent from an airborne platform. While the image is hard to make out when viewed through a conventional video camera, it clearly displays in single band MSI as seen on the images to the right.

QPAS MSI (with no Spectral Processing)

Conventional Video Camera

MSI

EO MWIR

(long time buried mines)(newly buried mines)