FOCAL PLANE ARRAY SEEKER FOR PROJECTILES

The invention provides a relatively low cost, high resolution precision target acquisition and tracking system capable of operation on nonspinning ballistic munition projectiles, or the like. The system includes an imaging IR sensor head which is preferably gimbal mounted and utilizes an ambient temperature operating, densely packed, two dimensional focal plane array of electromagnetic radiation infrared sensitive (IR) sensors. The array is adapted to operate in a staring mode and a small amount of thermal stabilization is provided. Signal processing electronics are included with stabilizing self-calibrating non-uniformity compensation processing capabilities. This is combined with a high speed, high resolution real-time image processing system to extract target features and which operates with a discriminating, tracking and control system which identifies, targets and initiates tracking to impact on a selected target.