Foliage Penetrating Camera

Technology Description

ThruView™ is a foliage penetrating camera technology that is able to reveal concealed threats in dense foliage.  The technology is ideal for border patrol vehicles, border cameras and Riverine boats patrolling rivers and bays where there is need to identify threats or illicit activity in dense shoreline vegetation.  ThruView™ leverages common-off—the-shelf (COTS) camera technology to accomplish a task currently limited to expensive, high power technologies like RADAR. To date, proof-of-concept measurements in an outdoor setting with two different versions of the system have been done, demonstrating that imaging can be accomplished through partially obscuring foliage.  The system can support the use of imagers throughout the visible and infrared spectrum and leverages their video capabilities with software and processing in order to see through partially-obscuring objects. (Fig 1)

Figure 1. Using an early prototype, the camera can focus on a point in the distance, revealing a house. Advanced prototypes with gyro-stabilization or platform mounted will offer further clarity and are nearing final development.

Technology Benefits

ThruView™ offers a simplified approach to a complex problem that is currently addressed by only expensive and less than ideal technologies.

Benefits include:

Low cost of ownership – leveraging current COTS technologies, acquisition cost and long term maintenance costs are at a minimum.

Broad application – may be used with night vision, IR, commercial cameras, geo-stabilized platforms to allow use in night or day operations, boats, buildings, motor vehicles and more.

Natural view of target – ThruView™ shows the actual target in real time, not a radar signature or other technology simply representing a threat. ThruView™ visibly reduces or removes obscurations from the viewing field and lets the chosen camera platform do its job better.

Prototype Video

In the first video, a stationary imaging system scans a dense grouping of trees from the near field out to about 25 meters. As the video plays, note how leaves in the near field give way to the branches behind, then they disappear as trunks come into view. At the end, notice the cars in the background. Close observation can even show you that the car is an early model Lincoln Continental.

In this video, the camera is mounted on a car and patrolling a stretch of road. While the goal for the prototype was to simply reveal more details on the house, it is clear that identification of persons or smaller objects could be seen just as well.