The performance of IR sensors for target detection is analyzed with model SENSAT. The model calculates the radiometric relations for passive IR sensors with up to three homogeneous objects in the instantaneous field of view. For the atmospheric part, the computer code LOwTRAN-6 is used within SENSAT. The sensor model has been improved by introducing a noise model for quantum detectors. It takes into account photon noise, thermal detector/preamplifier noise, and g-r and 1/ƒ noise. In combination with a spectral band optimization with respect to the SNR an efficient tool for the radiometric analysis of IR sensor performance is presented. The comparison of model calculations in the 3–5-µ and 8–14-µm bands with experimental measurements yields excellent agreement.

© 1988 Optical Society of America

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