Patent ID: 8269893

Claim:
An optical payload for directing a primary pointing axis at a target area comprising: a yoke assembly rotatably attached to a support structure and driven to rotate about an azimuth axis (A); an optical payload assembly rotatably attached to the yoke assembly and driven to rotate about an elevation axis (E) wherein the optical payload assembly includes a primary video camera suitable for rendering a primary video image of the target area in a first infrared spectral range and a secondary video camera suitable for rendering a secondary video image of the target area in a second infrared spectral range; and an electrical control system comprising a payload controller, housed in the optical payload assembly, for operating the primary and secondary video cameras, and a master controller, housed in the yoke assembly for correcting a primary video image of the target area from the primary video camera and for correcting a secondary video image of the target area from the secondary video camera, a network switch for receiving each of the corrected primary and secondary video images therein and a communication processor in communications with a network switch for merging the corrected primary and secondary images into a single network packetized data stream suitable for transmission over a radio transceiver wherein data packets associated with the primary video image are addressed to a first IP address and data packets associated with the secondary video image are addressed to a second IP address.