• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.259-268
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• 1997

We present the development process of a prototype CCD imaging system which is being built at Korea Astronomy Observatory(KAO) for astronomical applications. The CCD imaging system requires very low noise and high stability characteristics and is widely used for astronomical purposes from infrared to ultraviolet wavelength regions. However its system design, particularly for the controller design technique, as heart of the system, is not secured in Korea so far. The prototype electronics developed in this study consists of a signal chip controller which was implemented in an EPLD(Erasable Programable Logic Device) and an analog driver, a video processor with a LN2 cooling cryostat. A PC system was employed to control the whole system and to store the image data considering compatibility of the system. We have successfully obtained the first image in the laboratory with the prototype of this imaging system, and an image of the M15 at Sobaeksan Astronomy Observatory.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.169-175
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• 2007

The international cooperation project CIBER (Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment) is a rocket-borne instrument, of which the scientific goal is to measure the cosmic near-infrared extra-galactic background to search for signatures of primordial galaxy formation. CIBER consists of a wide-field two-color camera, a low-resolution absolute spectrometer, and a high-resolution narrow-band imaging spectrometer. Currently, all the subsystems have been built, and the integration, testing, and calibration of the CIBER system are on process for the scheduled launch in June 2008.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.420-429
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• 2022

In this paper, the details and design process of an optical system for space target detection cameras are introduced. The whole system is divided into three structures. The first structure is a short-focus visible light system for rough detection in a large field of view. The field of view is 2°, the effective focal length is 1,125 mm, and the F-number is 3.83. The second structure is a telephoto visible light system for precise detection in a small field of view. The field of view is 1°, the effective focal length is 2,300 mm, and the F-number is 7.67. The third structure is an infrared light detection system. The field of view is 2°, the effective focal length is 390 mm, and the F-number is 1.3. The visible long-focus narrow field of view and visible short-focus wide field of view are switched through a turning mirror. Design results show that the modulation transfer functions of the three structures of the system are close to the diffraction limit. It can further be seen that the short-focus wide-field-of-view distortion is controlled within 0.1%, the long-focus narrow-field-of-view distortion within 0.5%, and the infrared subsystem distortion within 0.2%. The imaging effect is good and the purpose of the design is achieved.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.4 s.19
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• pp.79-86
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• 2004

This paper has presented to the design results of the analog and digital signal processor for the 2nd generation thermal imaging system using $480\times6$ infrared focal plane array In order to correct non-uniformities of detector arrays, we have developed the 2-point correction method using the thermo electric cooler. Additionally, to enhance the image of low contrast and improve the detection capability, we developed the new technique of histogram processing being suitable for the characteristics of contrast distribution of thermal imagery. Through these image processing techniques, we obtained a high qualify thermal image and acquired good result.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.3 s.18
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• pp.101-109
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• 2004

Image enhancement for Infrared imaging system is mainly based on the global histogram equalization. The global histogram equalization(GHE) is a method in which each pixel is equalized by using a whole histogram of an image. GHE is speedy and effective for real-time imaging system but its method fails to enhance the fine details. On the other hand, the basic local histogram equalization(LHE) method uses sliding a window and. the pixels under the window region are equalized over the whole output dynamic range. The LHE is adequate to enhance the fine details. But this method is computationally slow and noises are over-enhanced. So various local histogram equalization methods have been already presented to overcome these problems of LHE. In this paper, a new regional dynamic range histogram equalization (RDRHE) is presented. RDRHE improves the equalization quality while reducing the computational burden.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers D
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.76-85
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• 2004

In this paper, the contrast enhancement method of thermal image is proposed and it is the plateau equalization algorithm using local histogram for the real time display of infrared imagery. Through hardware implementing, its practicality and adequacy are proved. Examinations are executed to verify the effect of contrast enhancement by bright control and contrast control automatic to the plateau value in the manual mode, and that verified the effect of contrast enhancement in the automatic mode and the practicality in the real system. According to the experiment results, the proposed "the application of local histogram and plateau equalization algorithm for contrast enhancement of real time thermal image"in this dissertation is the verified method for the thermal imaging contrast enhancement.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.82.2-82.2
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• 2013

The NISS (Near-infrared Imaging Spectrometer for Star formation history) onboard NEXTSat-1 is being developed by KASI. The NISS will perform the imaging low-resolution spectroscopic observation in the near-infrared range for nearby galaxies, low background regions, starforming regions and so on. The off-axis reflecting telescope with a wide field of view (2 deg. ${\times}$ 2 deg.) will be operated in the wavelength range from 0.95 to $3.8{\mu}m$. In order to reduce thermal noise, a telescope and a HgCdTe infrared sensor will be cooled down to 200K and 80K, respectively. To evade a stray light outside a field of view and use limited space efficiently, the NISS adopted the off-axis reflective optical system. The primary and secondary mirrors, optomechanical part and mechanical structure were designed to use the same material. It will lessen the degradation of optical performance due to a thermal variation. The purpose of NISS is the observation of cosmic near-infrared background in the wide wavelength range as well as the detection of near-infrared spectral lines in nearby galaxies, cluster of galaxies and star forming regions. It will give us less biased information on the star formation history. In addition, we will demonstrate the space technologies related to the development of the Korea's leading near-infrared instrument for the future large infrared telescope, SPICA.

• Current Optics and Photonics
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2019

We describe a common optical system that merges a LADAR system, which generates a point cloud, and a more traditional imaging system operating in the LWIR, which generates image data. The optimum diameter of the entrance pupil was determined by analysis of detection ranges of the LADAR sensor, and the result was applied to design a common optical system using LADAR sensors and LWIR sensors; the performance of these sensors was then evaluated. The minimum detectable signal of the $128{\times}128-pixel$ LADAR detector was calculated as 20.5 nW. The detection range of the LADAR optical system was calculated to be 1,000 m, and according to the results, the optimum diameter of the entrance pupil was determined to be 15.7 cm. The modulation transfer function (MTF) in relation to the diffraction limit of the designed common optical system was analyzed and, according to the results, the MTF of the LADAR optical system was 98.8% at the spatial frequency of 5 cycles per millimeter, while that of the LWIR optical system was 92.4% at the spatial frequency of 29 cycles per millimeter. The detection, recognition, and identification distances of the LWIR optical system were determined to be 5.12, 2.82, and 1.96 km, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.414-421
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• 2023

Infrared radiation (IR) refers to the region of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum where wavelengths range from about 700 nm to 1 mm. Any object with a temperature above absolute zero (0 K) radiates in the infrared region, and a material that transmits radiant energy in the range of 0.74 to 1.4 um is referred to as a near-infrared optical material. Germanate-based glass is attracting attention as a glass material for infrared optical lenses because of its simple manufacturing process. With the recent development of the glass molding press (GMP) process, thermal imaging cameras using oxide-based infrared lenses can be easily mass-produced, expanding their uses. To improve the mechanical and optical properties of commercial materials consisting of ternary systems, germanate-based heavy metal oxide glasses were prepared using a melt-cooling method. The fabricated samples were evaluated for thermal, structural, and optical properties using DSC, XRD, and XRF, respectively. To derive a composition with high glass stability for lens applications, ZnO and Sb₂O₃ were substituted at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mol%. The glass with 1 mol% added Sb₂O₃ was confirmed to have the optimal conditions, with an optical transmittance of 80 % or more, a glass transition temperature of 660 ℃, a refractive index of 1.810, and a Vickers hardness of 558. The possibility of its application as an alternative infrared lens material to existing commercial materials capable of GMP processing was confirmed.

• Electronics and Telecommunications Trends
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.97-105
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• 2021

The terahertz wave (THz wave) is a band between infrared and microwaves and is defined as an electromagnetic wave having a frequency of 0.1 to 10 THz band. THz waves have the property of transmitting nonpolar materials, which the visible light cannot be transmitted, such as ceramics, plastics, and paper; and the photon energy is low, such as several meV. For this reason, non-destructive testing equipment based on THz imaging technology can be applied to the industrial field. Recently, THz imaging technology was applied in wide industrial fields, such as automobiles, batteries, food, medical, and security, and being actively studied. In this paper, we describe the research trends of terahertz imaging technology and experimental results. Furthermore, we summarize the recent commercialized terahertz camera. Finally, we present the research results in the field of the human security scanner system.