Infrared signature matching system, control circuit, and related method
View Patent ↗An infrared (IR) signature matching system comprises a heating and cooling device, a plurality of sensors configured to detect information related to the IR signature of the heating and cooling device and a background environment, a controller operably coupled with the heating and cooling device and the plurality of sensors. The controller is configured to receive the information from the plurality of sensors and adjust the temperature of the heating and cooling device until the IR signature of the heating and cooling device and the IR signature of the background environment are at least substantially matched in a selectable sub-region of the IR spectrum. Other systems, control circuits and related methods for matching IR signatures and cloaking objects in the IR spectrum are disclosed herein.
1. An infrared (IR) signature matching system, comprising:
a vehicle heating and cooling device;
a plurality of sensors configured to detect information related to an IR signature of the vehicle heating and cooling device and an IR signature of a background environment; and
a controller operably coupled with the vehicle heating and cooling device and the plurality of sensors, wherein the controller is configured to receive the information from the plurality of sensors and adjust the temperature of the vehicle heating and cooling device until the IR signature of the vehicle heating and cooling device and the IR signature of the background environment are at least substantially matched in a selectable sub-region of the IR spectrum.
2. The IR signature matching system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sensors include:
a first sensor operatively associated with the vehicle heating and cooling device and configured to detect the IR signature of the vehicle heating and cooling device in a first sub-region of the IR spectrum;
a second sensor operatively associated with the background environment and configured to detect the IR signature of the background environment in the first sub-region of the IR spectrum;
a third sensor operatively associated with the vehicle heating and cooling device and configured to detect the IR signature of the vehicle heating and cooling device in a second sub-region of the IR spectrum; and
a fourth sensor operatively associated with the background environment and configured to detect the IR signature of the background environment in the second sub-region of the IR spectrum.
3. The IR signature matching system of claim 2 , wherein one of the first sub-region and the second sub-region is a mid-wavelength infrared region of the IR spectrum.
4. The IR signature matching system of claim 2 , wherein one of the first sub-region and the second sub-region is a long-wavelength infrared region of the IR spectrum.
5. The IR signature matching system of claim 2 , wherein one of the first sub-region and the second sub-region includes an IR emission wavelength range of approximately 3 microns and 5 microns.
6. The IR signature matching system of claim 2 , wherein one of the first sub-region and the second sub-region includes an IR emission wavelength range of approximately 8 microns and 12 microns.
7. The IR signature matching system of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle heating and cooling device is coupled with a modular panel of a vehicle.
8. The IR signature matching system of claim 7 , wherein the vehicle is selected from the group consisting of a land vehicle, marine vehicle, and aircraft.
9. The IR signature matching system of claim 1 , wherein the background environment is a stationary mass, structure, material, or foliage in the background with respect to the vehicle heating and cooling device.
10. The IR signature matching system of claim 1 , wherein the background environment comprises an object and the vehicle heating and cooling device is attached to the object.
11. A control circuit, comprising:
a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor of the plurality is operatively associated with detecting infrared (IR) emissions from one of a vehicle heating and cooling device and a background environment; and
a controller operatively coupled to the plurality of sensors, wherein the controller is configured to selectively operate between a plurality of sub-regions of the IR spectrum and adjust a temperature of the vehicle heating and cooling device until the IR emissions of the vehicle heating and cooling device at least substantially matches the IR emissions of the background environment within a selected sub-region of the IR spectrum.
12. The control circuit of claim 11 , wherein the control circuit is configured as an open loop circuit, wherein a first sensor of the plurality and a second sensor of the plurality are coupled in separate forward paths to the controller.
13. The control circuit of claim 12 , further comprising a differential amplifier operatively coupled to the controller and configured to remove system bias from one of the first sensor and the second sensor.
14. The control circuit of claim 11 , wherein the control circuit is configured as an active feedback circuit, wherein at least one of a first sensor and a second sensor transmit signals to the controller through an active feedback path to an amplifier.
15. The control circuit of claim 11 , wherein each of the plurality of sensors include another plurality of sensors configured to operate within a plurality of different sub-regions of the IR spectrum.
16. A method for concealing an object from detection in the infrared (IR) spectrum, the method comprising:
detecting an IR signature of a background environment;
detecting an IR signature of a vehicle heating and cooling device; and
matching the IR signature of the vehicle heating and cooling device and the IR signature of the background environment within a sub-region of the IR spectrum selectable by a controller from a plurality of different sub-regions of the IR spectrum.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein matching the IR signatures includes adjusting the temperature of the vehicle heating and cooling device in response to a detected difference in IR signatures of the vehicle heating and cooling device and the background environment.
18. The method of claim 16 , wherein detecting the IR signatures of the background environment and the vehicle heating and cooling device includes detecting surface temperatures from the vehicle heating and cooling device and the background environment and combining the surface temperatures with known emissivity data for the vehicle heating and cooling device and the background environment in a selected sub-region of the IR spectrum.
19. The method of claim 16 , wherein detecting the IR signatures of the background environment and the vehicle heating and cooling device includes detecting IR intensity from the IR emissions of the vehicle heating and cooling device and the background environment for a selected sub-region of the IR spectrum.
20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of sub-regions of the IR spectrum include a mid-wavelength IR region and a long-wavelength IR region.