Oxley – Selecting effective lighting solutions for turrets in modern warfare
In modern warfare the battlefield focus is on human and machine interface, users increasingly need ‘fit and forget technology’ and controllable solutions, but there are also many other factors to consider in selecting an appropriate lighting solution.
Turrets contain powerful electronic equipment, users specifying lighting need to consider EMC characteristics and choose a solution that offers advanced Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) which prevents interference with other on-board equipment.
Increasingly in a ‘network battlefield’ scenario the user requires a digital solution that can interface with other battlefield technology and offer the user full controllability. Solutions should be software controlled and offer functions such as dimming & tactical modes and work in conjunction with night vision systems. Digital control also enables remote operation where required.
Users are increasingly looking at LED solutions for both new build and retrofit programmes, the use of LEDs that are correctly housed and managed will offer longer life, which could be extended by five times, and consistency in performance over existing technology. LEDs offer a fit and forget solution, extended working life reduces overall costs including replacement, maintenance, disposal and labour costs.
Advanced lighting solutions now can incorporate health monitoring, and products such as the Oxley DC Combi contain sophisticated internal electronic controls and feedback circuits to maintain thermal balance and provide usage and performance data. Health monitoring allows dynamic life extension of lights as replacement isn’t necessary after a set time period, reducing service and hardware costs.
Oxley LED turret lights are specifically designed for both the military vehicle retrofit and new build market with a low-profile rugged design which increases the available headroom, they have high MTBF and outstanding durability. The DC Combi delivers white light plus a software controlled integrated tactical secondary or blackout mode which can come in a choice of colours. The MTBF at 50,000 hours, dramatically reduces through life costs compared to existing lighting technology.
The Oxley DC Combi is qualified to the latest and most stringent UK military vehicle standards for EMC standard DEF-STAN 59-411 Land Class A and B and to Input Voltage standard DEF-STAN 61-5 PART 5.
IEE’s Range of Specialist Displays
Since 1946, Industrial Electronic Engineers, IEE, has specialized in the design, test, support and fielding of display products for use in demanding military and aerospace applications throughout the world. IEE has developed an extensive product portfolio that today includes enhanced flat panel displays, smart displays and handheld devices.
From rapid prototyping of custom designs to full-scale production runs, IEE, produces displays with advanced features like low-latency video processing, high-bright and NVIS backlighting, and lightweight rugged enclosures. Their SWaP-C products employ the latest lightweight composite materials; low power, high performance integrated ARM processors; standard Ethernet and USB communication, in a low cost, highly producible design.
In-house California facilities include optical bonding, clean rooms for display assembly, a dark room for optical measurements and environmental chambers for pre-compliance and customer acceptance testing. On-site manufacturing includes PCB assembly and flow soldering. IEE has manufactured handheld, in-vehicle, airborne and naval LCD displays for all military branches as well as leading aerospace firms both domestically and internationally.
The Rugged Smart Display features an enhanced 12.1” color TFT technology LCD screen with adjustable brightness to allow operation from night vision to direct sunlight. The Rugged Smart Display supports operator interfacing through a resistive touch screen and optional programmable hard keys around the bezel. Hard keys are night vision compatible backlit with white on black legend for sunlight readability. The environmentally sealed enclosure allows for reliable operation in high humidity, rainy, sandy and dusty conditions. Along with a wide operating temperature range and low (adjustable) power consumption, the unit meets the demanding environmental requirements. The display is a color TFT LCD with 1024 x 768 resolution. The minimum brightness is 500 cd/m2, through the optical stack, and contrast ratio is 700:1, enhanced through cover glass filters and optical coatings. EMI shielding ensures compatibility with other system electronics. A single board computer provides a platform for operating system and application software as well as internal graphics generation. Multiple interfaces include VGA in and out, FLIR, SVHS and composite video inputs, Ethernet, USB, RS-232, CAN bus, and opto-isolated Discrete I/O’s. The video inputs may be selected, scaled, cropped, picture-in-picture formatted, text and graphics overlay and positioned under software control. The video may be synchronized via a generation locking reference input signal. A video screen capture function provides freeze-frame images as requested by an external trigger signal. An integral heater allows functionality in cold environments and passive heat exchangers provide cooling in high ambient temperature conditions.
LATENCY:
Input video signal to displayed image latency is minimized with 40 milliseconds maximum (and only 16 msec for Analog RGB VGA input) from the receipt of a video frame to displayed image. This is accomplished via a hardware-intensive video processing solution with minimum software involvement.
VIDEO PROCESSING:
The Rugged Smart Display accommodates eight (8) individual video hardware connections comprised of one primary VGA input, up to three (3) S-Video, two (2) composite and two (2) FLIR. The displayed video is software selectable with only one video source displayed at any time. Bezel key selection of the displayed video format is optional.
NIGHT VISION SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY:
The LCD backlight is comprised of white and night vision filtered LED’s arranged in a dual-mode configuration providing for dimmable day and night mode operation. Day mode operation retains the full LCD color spectrum while night mode operation is compatible for use with night vision imaging equipment. The optional bezel keys are night vision compatible backlit only with white on black legend for sunlight readability.
GENLOCK:
The Rugged Smart Display accepts an external generation lock signal and synchronizes displayed video (including graphic overlay) accordingly. This is accomplished by the internal video processing unit.
12.1” Rugged GVA Smart Display Features
The Rugged Smart Display features an enhanced 12.1” wide color TFT technology LCD screen with adjustable brightness to allow operation from night vision to direct sunlight. The Rugged Smart Display supports operator interfacing through a resistive touch screen and programmable hard keys around the bezel. Bezel keys are night vision compatible backlit with white on black legend for sunlight readability. The environmentally sealed enclosure allows for reliable operation in high humidity, rainy, sandy and dusty conditions.
Along with a wide operating temperature range and low (adjustable) power consumption, the unit meets the demanding environmental requirements. The display is a color TFT LCD with 1280 x 800 resolution. The maximum brightness is 500 cd/m2, through the optical stack, and contrast ratio is 700:1, enhanced through cover glass filters and optical coatings. EMI shielding ensures compatibility with other system electronics.
A single board computer provides a platform for operating system and application software as well as internal graphics generation. Multiple interfaces include HD-SDI in, VGA in and out, FLIR, SVHS and composite video inputs, Ethernet, USB, RS-232, CAN bus, and opto-isolated Discrete I/O’s. The video inputs may be selected, scaled, cropped, picture-in-picture formatted, text and graphics overlay and positioned under software control. The video may be synchronized via a generation locking reference input signal. A video screen capture function provides freeze-frame images as requested by an external trigger signal. An integral heater allows functionality in cold environments and passive heatexchangers provide cooling in high ambient temperature conditions.
VIDEO PROCESSING:
The Rugged Smart Display accommodates eight (8) individual video hardware connections comprised of one HD-SDI input, one primary VGA input, up to three (3) S-Video, two (2) composite and one FLIR. The displayed video is software selectable with only one video source displayed at any time. Bezel key selection of the displayed video format is optional.
The Rugged Smart Display accepts an external generation lock signal and synchronizes displayed video (including graphic overlay) accordingly. This is accomplished by the internal video processing unit.
NIGHT VISION SYSTEM COMPATIBILITY:
The LCD backlight is comprised of white and night vision filtered LED’s arranged in a dual-mode configuration providing for dimmable day and night mode operation. Day mode operation retains the full LCD color spectrum while night mode operation is compatible for use with night vision imaging equipment. The optional bezel keys are night vision compatible backlit only with white on black legend for sunlight readability.