Raytheon Company

Lockheed Martin Corporation

University of Central Florida Research Foundation, Inc.

Benn H Gleason

Gerald P Uyeno

Sean D Keller

Eric Rogala

Craig O Shott

Mark K Lange

Garret A Odom

Jon E Leigh

Vanessa Reyna

Zachary D Barker

David James Knapp

Clara Rivero Baleine

John Paul Gianvittorio

David G Manzi

Kathleen Richardson

Larry C Martin

Jeffrey Linn Ruckman

Paul R Spyak

An active situational sensor uses a beam steerer to steer a spot-beam onto a conical shape of a fixed mirror oriented along an optical axis to scan a FOR. The sensor may rapidly scan a 360° horizontal FOR with a specified vertical FOR or any portion thereof, move discretely between multiple specific objects per frame, vary the dwell time on an object or compensate for other external factors to tailor the scan to a particular application or changing conditions in real-time. The fixed mirror includes a MEMS MMA that approximates the conical shape of the mirror. The MEMS MMA being configurable to extend the vertical FOR or shape the spot-beam to adjust size, focus or intensity profile or to produce deviations in the wavefront of the spot-beam to compensate for path length differences or atmospheric distortion. The MEMS MMA being configurable to produce and independently steer a plurality of spot-beams of the same or different wavelengths.

Conic micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror array (MMA) steered active situational awareness sensor

An obstacle detector uses a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-mirror Array (MMA) for scanning one or more laser beams over a field of regard to identify negative obstacles in the path of an autonomous vehicle or in other limited visual environments. In certain examples, the MEMS MMA may be segmented to concurrently and independently form and scan multiple laser beams over the field of regard to interrogate different areas, concurrently identify and verify candidate objects, maintain specified spatial resolution or implement a composite scan pattern. The MEMS MMA may be configured to concurrently and independently scan multiple laser beams at different wavelengths or spectral bands. The MEMS MMA may be configured to adjust a size, divergence or intensity profile of the laser beam(s) or to provide wavefront correction to compensate for atmospheric distortion. In certain embodiments, the MEMS MMA may be provided with tip, tilt and piston actuation of the mirrors to form the laser beams.

Negative obstacle detector using micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror array (MMA) beam steering

A steerable laser transmitter pairs a MEMS MMA with an optical amplifier to provide a high-power steered laser beam over a wide FOR. A single MEMS MMA may be positioned downstream of the optical amplifier. In a two-stage architecture, a MEMS MMA provides continuous fine steer upstream of the optical amplifier and a beam steerer, another MEMS MMA or a QWP and stack of switchable PGs, provides discrete coarse steering downstream. In the two-stage architecture, the upstream MEMS MMA is configured to limit its steering range to the acceptance angle of the optical amplifier, at most ±2°×±2°. The MEMS MMA may include piston capability to shape the wavefront of the beam.

Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror array (MMA) steered high-power laser transmitter

The design of an existing air-to-air missile seeker is adapted to new missions that require both active laser illumination and detection (passive or active) capabilities. The gimbal is used to point the laser beam to a desired location in a transmit FOR. This approach minimizes the size, weight and power of the sensor because only a small portion of the transmit FOR is illuminated at any instant. This minimizes the laser output required, which reduces the power to operate the laser and the power to maintain the laser at operating temperature. In existing seekers, the gimbal points the detector in the desired direction to expand its FOR. To address the limitations of coupling the laser beam into the gimbaled optical system, the gimbal cannot perform the steering function for the detector. Instead, a staring detector receives light through an off-gimbal aperture within a fixed receive FOR that overlaps the transmit FOR.

Optical sensor with dual-axis gimballed transmitter and staring detector

A steerable laser transmitter and active situational awareness sensor that achieves SWaP-C, steering rate and spectral diversity improvements by scanning a beam with a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Minor Array (MMA). One or more sections of non-linear material (NLM) positioned in the optical path (e.g. as annular sections around a conic mirror or as reflective optical coatings on the MMA) are used to convert the wavelength of the beam to a different wavelength while preserving the steering of the beam. The MEMS MMA may include piston actuation of the mirrors to shape the spot-beam.

Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror array steered laser transmitter and situational awareness sensor with wavelength conversion

Optical systems and methods for object detection and location. One example of an optical system includes a laser radar optical source positioned to emit a pulsed laser beam, a MEMS MMA positioned to scan the beam in a linear scan over a first area of a scene, a laser radar detector positioned to receive and integrate a reflection of the beam, a read-out integrated circuit (ROIC) configured to provide a first read-out signal based on the integrated reflection, and a controller configured to receive the first read-out signal, determine a range to the first area based on a time of flight of the pulsed laser beam, and identify a presence of an object within the scene based on a signal level of the first read-out signal, the first signal level corresponding to a reflectivity of a portion of the object within the first area of the scene. The MEMS MMA being configurable to shape the pulsed laser beam to adjust size, focus or intensity profile or to produce deviations in the wavefront of the beam to compensate for path length differences or atmospheric distortion. The MEMS MMA being configurable to produce and independently steer a plurality of pulsed laser beams of the same or different wavelengths.

Optical system for object detection and location using a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Array (MMA) beamsteering device

An optical scanning system includes one or more Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) used to scan a field-of-view (FOV) over a field-of-regard (FOR). The MEMS MMA is configured such that optical radiation from each point in the FOV does not land on or originate from out-of-phase mirror segments and a diffraction limited resolution of the optical system is limited by the size of the entrance pupil and not by the size of individual mirrors.

Optical scanning system using micro-electro-mechanical system (mems) micro-mirror arrays (MMAs)

An active situational sensor uses a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Array (MMA) to steer an optical beam to different off-axis sections of a parabolic mirror, an 'OAP', to re-direct and focus optical radiation into a spot-beam onto a conical shape of a fixed mirror, which redirects the spot-beam to scan a FOR. The sensor may rapidly scan a 360° horizontal FOR with a specified vertical FOR or any portion thereof, move discretely between multiple specific objects per frame, vary the dwell time on an object or compensate for other external factors to tailor the scan to a particular application or changing conditions in real-time. The MEMS MMA may be configurable to shape the spot-beam to adjust size, focus or intensity profile or to produce deviations in the wavefront of the spot-beam to compensate for path length differences or atmospheric distortion. The MEMS MMA being configurable to produce and independently steer a plurality of spot-beams of the same or different wavelengths.

Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror array (MMA) and off-axis parabola (OAP) steered active situational awareness sensor

Optical sensors and particularly gimbaled optical sensors transmit an active signal at a given wavelength(s) and receive passive signals over a range of wavelengths and the active signal in a common aperture. The sensor includes a Tx/Rx Aperture Sharing Element (ASE) configured with a center region that couples the active signal to the telescope for transmission and an annular region that couples the passive emissions and the returned active signal to the detector. A filter wheel may be positioned behind the ASE to present separate passive and active images to the detector. These optical sensors may, for example, be used with guided munitions or autonomous vehicles.

Optical sensor with Tx/Rx aperture sharing element (ASE) for processing passive and active signals

A sensing system. In some embodiments, the system includes a first imaging radio frequency receiver, a second imaging radio frequency receiver, a first optical beam combiner, a first imaging optical receiver, a second optical beam combiner, and an optical detector array. The first optical beam combiner may be configured to combine optical signals of the imaging radio frequency receivers. The second optical beam combiner may be configured to combine the optical signals of the imaging radio frequency receivers, and the optical signal of the first imaging optical receiver.

Sensor for degraded visual environment

A multiple target tracker and beam steerer utilizes a MEMs MMA for beam steering to simultaneously illuminate multiple tracked targets per frame. The MMA can be adaptively segmented to change the number of output beams, and the power in a given beam, based on a list of tracked targets, range to targets, threat level etc. The MMA can be adaptively configured to simultaneously perform one or more Designation, Range Finding and Active Imaging modes on the same or different tracked targets. The MMA can be segmented so that each segment includes a plurality of mirrors to 'oversample' the input beam. The mirrors in a given segment may be controlled to provide wavefront correction to the corresponding output beam.

MEMS micro-mirror array laser beam steerer for simultaneous illumination of multiple tracked targets

Optical sensors and particularly gimbaled optical sensors transmit an active signal at a given wavelength and receive passive signals over a range of wavelengths while controlling pointing without benefit of measuring and locating the active signal return. The sensor includes a Tx/Rx Aperture Sharing Element (ASE) is configured to block the received active signal (e.g. reflections off a target in a scene) and process only the passive emissions. These optical sensors may, for example, be used with guided munitions or autonomous vehicles.

Optical sensor with Tx/Rx aperture sharing element (ASE) to block detection of the received active signal

A beam steering architecture for an optical sensor is based upon a pair of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Arrays (MMAs) and a fold mirror. The MEMS MMAs scan both primary and secondary FOR providing considerable flexibility to scan a scene to provide not only active imaging (to supplement passive imaging) but also simultaneously allowing for other optical functions such as establishing a communications link, providing an optical transmit beam for another detection platform or determining a range to target. A special class of MEMS MMAs that provides a 'piston' capability in which the individual mirrors may translate enables a suite of optical functions to 'shape' the optical transmit beam.

Optical sensor with micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror array (MMA) steering of the optical transmit beam

An active imaging system uses a MEMS Micro-Mirror Array to form and scan an optical beam over a first portion of scene within a first edge region of the field-of-view of the optical receiver in the direction of motion of the imaging system. In addition to tip and tilt control of the mirrors, the MMA may have piston control which can be used to minimize diffraction losses when focusing and scanning the beam, provide wavefront correction or to compensate for path length variations. The MMA may be partitioned into segments to independently form and scan a plurality of optical beams, which may be used to scan the first or different portions of the scene. The different segments may be provided with reflective coatings at different wavelengths to provide for multi-spectral imaging. The different segments may be used to combine multiple optical sources to increase power or provide multi-spectral illumination.

Active pushbroom imaging system using a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror array (MMA)

An RF imaging receiver using photonic spatial beam processing is provided with an optical beam steerer that directs the modulated optical signals to steer the composite optical signal and move the location of the spot on the optical detector array. The optical beam steerer may be implemented with one or more phase-dependent steering units in which each unit includes a waveplate and polarization grating to steer the modulated optical signals. The optical beam steerer may be configured to act on the individual modulated optical signals to induce individual phase delays that produce a phase delay with a linear term, and possibly spherical or aspherical terms, to steer the composite optical signal in which case the optical beam steerer may be implemented, for example, with an optical phase modulator and optical antenna in each optical channel which together form an OPA, a Risley prism or a liquid crystal or MEMs spatial light modulator.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Benn H Gleason