Vtech worked closely with our client, Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI), to develop their AIRIS WAD instrument (Adaptive Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometers Wide Area Detection, shown below). The AIRIS WAD is an IR multispectral remote imaging instrument based on PSI’s patented tunable etalon technology. Vtech contributed electrical systems design and engineering capabilities to develop electronics that readout and digitize the IR focal plane array data, process the multispectral data to produce chemical images, display the combined image data, and synchronize and control the overall instrument operation. The electronics for the instrument were developed over a 15 month period beginning in October 2003. The instrument successfully demonstrated its chemical cloud detection capability from a US Army helicopter in March 2005.
Vtech has developed electronics to read and control an electronic imager for an optically based missile warning sensor. The sensor is part of an overall IR countermeasures system designed to protect fighter aircraft from missile attack. The electronics also contain sophisticated analog temperature compensation circuitry to correct the imaging output at elevated temperatures. The sensor is qualified over the full military temperature range of -55°C to +125°C for the CMWS program (AN/AAR-57). Wrap around rigid flex technology was utilized to fit the electronics into the approximate form factor of a coffee cup.
The battery powered, wearable CBIS instrument (Chemical/Biological Individual Sampler, shown below) contains electronics to read and process the results from a multi-channel chemical sensor array. The instrument features low-power sleep mode, interruptible by pre-scheduled data acquisition cycles or by external event trigger; built-in self test; real time clock (RTC) with battery backup; PC interface for calibration and diagnostics; visual and audible alerts to the user in the event of target detection; and nonvolatile archive for storage of detection data. The instrument is designed for low power operation from a single 1.5 V, AAA alkaline battery. The 2.5" x 5" x 0.5" instrument uses advanced power saving techniques to rapidly transition between sleep and active mode. The unit can be operated for nearly one week continuously on a single AAA battery. Vtech has manufactured and tested over 200 CBIS unit electronic assemblies.
This complete charge acquisition system has a single channel for input charge collection. Precise onboard timing circuitry enables dual charge integration windows on a single input channel. Dynamic range exceeds 90 dB with 10 MHz input bandwidth. The onboard DSP can be used to discriminate and filter events in real-time.
Vtech has developed a miniature laser pulse driver that efficiently produces 16 amp pulses at 2 MHz repetition rate. Pulse widths can be less than 10 ns FWHM (full width half maximum). Applications include pulse drivers for quantum cascade lasers (QCL).
Vtech has developed a 100 KHz to10 MHz board-level lock-in amplifier. This product has an analog front-end preamplifier, as well as a DSP back-end processor. Data is output in either analog or digital format.
Vtech designed, fabricated, and tested a complete electronics interface to drive and read our customer’s custom ROIC (Read Out Integrated Circuit) and piezo-electric sensor array. The array consisted of 128 x 128 detector elements. Vtech worked with our customer to design an electronics package that amplified and digitized 16 analog channels, then digitally processed this data and transmitted it on 4 serial data links of 300 Mbit/second each. The electronics also communicated with an external computer to receive camera mode commands and adjusted the array clocking appropriately for the various ultrasonic imaging modes and camera settings. Vtech packaged the electronics in a form factor of the approximate dimensions of a 12 oz. beverage can.