PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | September 24, 2009
Proc. SPIE. 7485, Millimetre Wave and Terahertz Sensors and Technology II
KEYWORDS: Extremely high frequency, Polarization, Imaging systems, Sensors, Image processing, Fourier transforms, Image sensors, Modulation transfer functions, Millimeter wave sensors, Targeting Task Performance metric
Passive millimeter wave (mmW) imagers have improved in terms of resolution sensitivity and
frame rate. Currently, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), along with the US Army Research,
Development and Engineering Command, Communications Electronics Research Development
and Engineering Center (RDECOM CERDEC) Night Vision and Electronic Sensor Directorate
(NVESD), are investigating the current state-of-the-art of mmW imaging systems. The focus of
this study was the performance of mmW imaging systems for the task of small watercraft / boat
identification field performance. First mmW signatures were collected. This consisted of a set of
eight small watercrafts; at 5 different aspects, during the daylight hours over a 48 hour period in
the spring of 2008. Target characteristics were measured and characteristic dimension, signatures,
and Root Sum Squared of Target's Temperature (RRSΔT) tabulated. Then an eight-alternative,
forced choice (8AFC) human perception experiment was developed and conducted at NVESD.
The ability of observers to discriminate between small watercraft was quantified. Next, the task
difficulty criterion, V50, was quantified by applying this data to NVESD's target acquisition
models using the Targeting Task Performance (TTP) metric. These parameters can be used to
evaluate sensor field performance for Anti-Terrorism / Force Protection (AT/FP) and navigation
tasks for the U.S. Navy, as well as for design and evaluation of imaging passive mmW sensors for
both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard.
