Multispectral Smoke Screen with Real-Time Thermal Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fog systems for military platforms struggle to maintain effective line-of-sight interruption due to environmental factors like wind and movement, leading to inhomogeneous smoke clouds that reduce their effectiveness, especially in infrared ranges, without requiring pre-measured parameters.
Innovation Solution
A multispectral smoke screen system that uses sensors and digital image processing to determine and adjust the density and homogeneity of the fog cloud in real-time, incorporating a combination of visual and thermal imaging, along with UV sensors, to stabilize and expand the smoke screen dynamically, ensuring transparency for friendly thermal imaging devices while maintaining camouflage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fog systems are deployed without environmental parameter measurement, then the system is simple to operate, but the smoke cloud becomes inhomogeneous and loses effectiveness due to wind and movement
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses its own thermal imaging device to automatically measure and evaluate the smoke cloud properties without requiring external measurement equipment. The thermal images are processed to determine particle density and homogeneity, and the system autonomously adjusts fog generator firing to maintain optimal smoke screen effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the smoke cloud using thermal imaging and uses this feedback information to adjust the operation of fog generators. The evaluated particle density and homogeneity data are used to control further fog deployment, creating a closed-loop system that adapts to environmental conditions in real-time.
2Reliability
If the smoke cloud density is increased to improve camouflage effectiveness, then the line-of-sight interruption is enhanced, but the thermal imaging capability of friendly forces is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the physical-chemical parameters of the smoke particles by selecting specific pyrotechnic compositions that emit infrared radiation. This allows the smoke to appear dense in visible light for camouflage while maintaining infrared transparency, effectively decoupling the two opposing requirements through spectral parameter differentiation.
Solution Approach 2:
The smoke cloud is designed to have different optical properties for different wavelengths of radiation. The particle composition is optimized to provide high scattering/absorption in the visible range for camouflage while maintaining low absorption in the infrared range, creating spatially uniform but spectrally differentiated local qualities throughout the smoke cloud.
3Area of stationary object
If the smoke screen is expanded to cover larger areas, then the protection coverage is improved, but the homogeneity of particle distribution deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the firing patterns of multiple fog generators based on real-time thermal imaging feedback. The control system modifies the timing, duration, and intensity of fog deployment from different positions to compensate for wind drift and maintain uniform particle distribution across the entire protected area, transforming a static homogeneous cloud into a dynamically maintained uniform distribution.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a stable and effective smoke screen that remains opaque to enemies while allowing friendly thermal imaging, independent of wind and movement, with optimized particle distribution ensuring continuous camouflage and rapid countermeasure initiation.
Implementation Method 1
These fog pots contain fog-effective substances which cause line-of-sight disruption through scattering and/or reflection and/or absorption and/or emission (over-radiation)
Implementation Method 2
These fog pots contain fog-effective substances which cause line-of-sight disruption through scattering and/or reflection and/or absorption and/or emission (over-radiation)
Implementation Method 3
a pyrotechnic camouflage fog known per se with pyrotechnic scattering particles is deployed and this two-component fog is irradiated from the side of the deployer with an IR radiation source
Implementation Method 4
an infrared fog that is transparent on one side and is formed by a curtain of infrared-emitting particles
Data Source
AI summary
The aim of the invention is to create multi-spectral fog walls, in which the threat direction, threat distance, wind direction, wind speed, driving direction, and driving speed are taken into consideration in the dispensing of the visual and infrared line-of-sight interruption over time and space. In order to determine the effectiveness or effectivity of the fog wall (11, 13), a camera (4) and/or a thermal imaging device (5) is combined with a known launcher (2) and the images of both are evaluated in a computer (3), wherein in the evaluation of said information, the fog wall (11, 13) is stabilized or expanded if certain criteria are not reached. The production of a fog cloud (11, 13) that is opaque in the visible wavelength range but that has a residual transmittance is manipulated by cleverly choosing or selecting and adjusting the fog substance (a) itself, the fog concentration (c1, c2, c3), the thickness of the fog wall (d1, d2, d3), and the concentration of infrared particles over time and space during the fog burn-off. Disturbances are substantially eliminated by the digital image processing of a thermal image on the friendly side, and the thermal image is thus optimized.