Hrl Laboratories, LLC

Hughes Aircraft Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Anson Y Au

David M Pepper

Daniel Yap

Keyvan R Sayyah

Peter David Brewer

Jan Grinberg

Tsung-Yuan Hsu

Ronald George Hegg

Mao-Jin J Chern

Gilmore Joseph Dunning

Shin-Tson Wu

Chiung-Sheng Wu

A conformal retro-modulator optical apparatus. The apparatus includes an array of multiple quantum well devices disposed in a thin array. A plastic support element is bonded to the thin array, the plastic support element having a thickness greater that of the thin array. The plastic support element is preferably plastic at elevated temperatures above room temperature, thereby allowing the plastic support element and the thin array of multiple well device disposed therein to conform to a predetermined shape, yet being rigid at room temperature.

Conformal retro-modulator optical devices

An inter vehicle communication system wherein information transfer between vehicles is provided by data sources, data sensors, and vehicle sensors on each vehicle connected to a central processing unit on each vehicle. The central processing unit receives information from other vehicles via the data sensors and calculates information weights for that data. Information weights may be based upon temporal or spatial displacement, or other factors. The central processing unit then combines that weighted data with data provided by onboard vehicle sensors to determine vehicle and situational status. The central processing unit will then provide control information to the vehicle or vehicle operator. The central processing unit also creates messages for transfer to other vehicles via the data sources contained in the vehicle. Preferably, the data sources are provided by adapting vehicle headlights, taillights, or other existing lights sources for optical data transfer. Data sensors would then be provided by optical data sensors.

Inter vehicle communication system

A method and apparatus for aligning an optical fiber to an optoelectronic element. The optical fiber and optoelectronic element are attached to a base. The base is made from a first crystallographic orientation material, and a lens is made from a second crystallographic orientation material. The lens is aligned to the base using the crystallographic orientations, and the optical fiber and optoelectronic element are aligned to the base/lens assembly.

Apparatus, assembly, and method for making micro-fixtured lensed assembly for optoelectronic devices and optical fibers

The angular and/or spectral bandwidth of a holographic lens assembly can be widened to accomodate highly diverging and/or wide spectral bandwidth illumination sources, respectively. Each lens in the lens assembly is comprised of a plurality of angularly customized holograms (an angularly customized hologram set). Each of the individual holograms in an angularly customized hologram set has an acceptance angle range that is centered on a discrete peak acceptance angle. The separation between the holograms' peak acceptance angles is chosen so that the acceptance angle ranges of the individual holograms overlap. The resulting cumulative acceptance angle range of each angularly customized hologram set provides a holographic lens assembly that has a wider angular bandwidth than prior holographic lenses. The spectral bandwidth of the lens assembly can be similarly widened by adding a spectrally customized hologram set to the lens assembly in which the spectral waveband of each of the individual spectrally customized holograms partially overlap. Specific applications to various types of displays are disclosed, as well as preferred fabrication techniques for the holographic lenses.

Holographic lenses with wide angular and spectral bandwidths for use in

A focal-plane detector imaging system that can tolerate higher intensity optical beams than prior systems, without a reduction in the system's field-of-view, comprises an imaging lens, a fiber optic array positioned at the image plane of the imaging lens and an image detector positioned at the output end of the fiber optic array. The optical fibers that make up the fiber array have core diameters that are larger than the focal spot of an incoming optical beam. In operation, the fiber array transfers the imaged scene to the image detector at its output end. The focused optical beam is also transferred to the image detector at the array's output end, but its diameter is enlarged due to its angular divergence. In a preferred embodiment, the f-number of the imaging lens, diameter of the fiber cores, and the lengths of the fibers in the array are designed so that, as the power of an incoming optical beam increases, the optical damage threshold of the fiber array is reached before that of the image detector. An LCLV imaging system that incorporates the present invention is also provided.

Focal-plane detector imaging system with improved optical damage

A focusable virtual image display system employing a focusable image source such as a cathode ray tube and imaging optics to provide a virtual image. The virtual image is viewable by a user and its effective range may be changed without changing the apparent field of view or resolution. By placing the focus point of the imaging optics at the design eye, the image source is moved backwards and forwards, thus effectively changing the range of the virtual image observed by the user without changing the apparent field of view or resolution. The present invention allows the user to adjust the focus position of the virtual image of the image source by moving it relative to the imaging optics, while maintaining the size and resolution of the image. If the user wants to move the image further away, when the image source is moved, the imaging optics moves the virtual image further away and magnifies the image such that the angular field of view stays the same. The user cannot distinguish between the sizes, although the focus will be more comfortable for a particular accommodation range. The relative cost of the virtual image display system is relatively less expensive than large screen monitors due to the nature and complexity of the smaller components. By including a focus adjustment mechanism, the focusable virtual image display monitor has an added feature that a conventional large screen monitor does not provide.

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Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Anson Y Au