Dynamic infrared scene simulation using grayscale modulation imaging

Dynamic infrared scene simulation is an important means to discover and solve the problems encountered in designing, developing and manufacturing infrared imaging guidance weapons. The infrared scene simulation was explored by developing the digital grayscale modulation technology. The infrared image modulation model of a digital micro-mirror device (DMD) was established and the infrared scene simulator prototype was developed which was based on DMD grayscale modulation. To evaluate its main technical specifications as resolution, contrast, minimum temperature difference, gray scale, various DMD subsystems were studied and designed such as signal decoding, image normalization, synchronization driving, pulse width modulation (PWM) and DMD chip periphery circuits. Real-time infrared scene was created using the sensor-vision module of the Vega. The simulator was tested on a certain infrared missile seeker. The experimental results show preliminarily that the infrared scene simulator has high gray scale, small geometrical deformation, high imaging resolution and contrast, and yields high-fidelity images, which meets the needs of the infrared scene simulation inside a laboratory.