Considerations In The Selection And Use Of Calibration Equipment For Simulators Used With Thermal Imaging Systems

Hughes Aircraft Company builds thermal imaging systems which require simulators to verify their performance. The differential temperatures of these simulators need to be calibrated to close limits and to be traceable to the National Bureau of Standards (NBS). In this paper, some of the commonly overlooked calibration problems and solutions are discussed. These include specifications, emissivities, apparent emissivity resulting from ambient irradiance, spectral bandpass of optical devices, and equipment limitations. Also discussed is the calibration philosophy and equipment used by Missile Development Division in Tucson, Arizona.