Rockwell International Corporation

The Boeing Company

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Boeing North American, Inc.

Cecil L Hayes

Shi-Kay Yao

Harold R Fetterman

John Ferencz Takacs

Derek T Cheung

Robert L Caswell

Richard A Gudmundsen

James P Hauck

Michael J McNutt

Stanley R Dawson

Frederick L Davis

James E Brown

Kyung Joon Kim

Jack E Soohoo

Wilfred Shigeki Otaguro

James D McMullen

An apparatus comprising a vibration generation system, a vibration measurement system, and an optical system associated with the vibration measurement system, and a controller. The vibration generation system is configured to generate acoustic energy that causes vibrations to occur in the ground. The vibration measurement system is configured to transmit laser beams to the surface of the ground in which the vibrations occur, receive responses to the laser beams, and generate vibration data from the responses. The optical system is configured to direct the laser beams to the surface of the ground such that the laser beams have a selected spatial arrangement relative to the surface. The controller is configured to determine whether an object is present under the surface of the ground using the vibration data.

Hidden object detection system

A fiber-coupled receiver and associated method are provided for detecting two-dimensional and three-dimensional images in a cost-effective manner. The fiber-coupled receiver includes a plurality of optical fibers extending between respective first and second ends. At least some of the optical fibers impose different optical delays such that signals that are received in parallel by the first ends of the optical fibers are emitted at different times from the second ends of the optical fibers. For example, at least some of the optical fibers can have different lengths to thereby impose different optical delays. The fiber-coupled receiver also includes at least one detector for receiving the signals emitted at different times from the second ends of the optical fibers such that the signals that are received in parallel by the first ends of the optical fibers are received in series by the detector. By presenting the signals in series to the detector, the fiber-coupled receiver need not include a detector having separate array elements for each optical fiber. Instead, the fiber-coupled receiver of the present invention has a significantly fewer number of detectors than the number of optical fibers since each detector can receive signals in series from a number of optical fibers.

Fiber-coupled receiver and associated method

The inventive laser radar uses a multiple frequency processing technique for the purpose of extracting relative range information from a received signal by transmitting and receiving two frequencies that are derived from a reference signal source modulated by two modulators that are driven by a different frequency, the reference frequency source also serving as a local oscillator.

Laser radar

A laser radar for scanning a target aperture having a predetermined array of locations comprising a laser means having a power source and a resonator cavity containing a lasing medium, the laser means providing a SINGLE FREQUENCY LIGHT SOURCE (FO); means for dividing the SINGLE FREQUENCY LIGHT SOURCE into FIRST and SECOND REFERENCE FREQUENCY BEAMS; frequency shifting means for frequency shifting the FIRST REFERENCE FREQUENCY BEAM to form a FREQUENCY SHIFTED BEAM; control means for providing APERTURE DIRECTION SIGNALS; scanner means responsive to the APERTURE DIRECTION SIGNALS for combining and directing the FIRST REFERENCE FREQUENCY BEAM and the FREQUENCY SHIFTED BEAM to each predetermined target aperture location and for receiving a combined REFLECTED REFERENCE FREQUENCY BEAM SIGNAL and a REFLECTED FREQUENCY SHIFTED BEAM SIGNAL from the target; detector means for combining and detecting a sample of the SECOND REFERENCE FREQUENCY BEAMS in combination with the REFLECTED REFERENCE FREQUENCY BEAM SIGNAL and the REFLECTED FREQUENCY SHIFTED BEAM SIGNAL to provide a RANGE CARRIER SIGNAL; monitor means for combining and detecting a sample of the SINGLE FREQUENCY LIGHT SOURCE, and a sample of the FREQUENCY SHIFTED BEAM to form a DEMODULATION REFERENCE SIGNAL; phase demodulation means referenced to the DEMODULATION REFERENCE SIGNAL and responsive to the RANGE CARRIER SIGNAL for demodulating the RANGE CARRIER SIGNAL to provide a RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE RANGE SIGNAL; and signal processor and display means responsive to the RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE RANGE SIGNAL and to the APERTURE DIRECTION SIGNALS for quantizing and storing the digital the digital value of the amplitude of the corresponding relative phase delay between the RELATIVE RANGE SIGNAL and the DEMODULATION REFERENCE SIGNAL for each respective location in the target aperture.

Radar laser transmitter

A millimeter wave power generator combines two laser beams, tuning the beat frequency to the desired millimeter wave value with an opposing pair of millimeter wave cavities. The combined beam is diffracted onto a plurality of externally powered, modulation doped field effect photodetectors (MDFEPs). A plurality of antennas is provided, one between each pair of adjoining MDFEPs. The antennas are parallel, and each is driven by the MDFEPs at its ends. The back propagating millimeter wave radiation is reflected forward by a wire grid parallel to the antennas. The grid is situated between the diffractor and the MDFEPs, and is spatially tuned to constructively interfere the reflected back propagating with the forward propagating millimeter wave radiation.

Millimeter wave power generator

A pair of single mode laser light sources are tuned to opposite sides of a frequency response curve which forms either a peak or a valley. The laser light sources are offset in frequency from each other by a fixed frequency interval. The average frequency may thus be stabilized at the peak or valley. A third single mode laser light source, offset in frequency at a fixed point between the frequencies of the pair of laser sources, may thus be actively stabilized at the peak or valley. The frequency spectrum is simple, and of high power.

Dither-free actively stabilized laser

A rigid, lightweight, base for a portable laser system, the base including a heat exchanger for dissipating heat conducted thereto from the laser system.

Heat exchanger base for a portable laser system

Apparatus for generating a high-energy temporally shaped, coherent series of laser pulses having signal components on pre-selected rotational vibrational transitions, comprising: a waveguide laser array having an output comprising a desired temporally shaped coherent series of laser pulses on one pre-selected rotational vibrational transition, a second-harmonic generator arranged to double the waveguide laser array output frequency, a line matching laser array having a plurality of outputs of another temporal shape on additional rotational vibrational transitions, and means comprising an array of difference frequency mixers responsive to synchronized reception of line matching laser array outputs and said frequency doubled waveguide laser array output to form a corresponding high-energy, coherent series of laser pulses having a waveguide laser array output-determined temporal shape and line matching laser array output-determined rotational vibrational transitions.

Apparatus for generating temporally shaped, laser pulses

A digital-to-analog optical recorder incorporating both CCD and integrated optics technologies which is fabricated as a single integral unit including an electro-optical layer portion and a semiconductor layer portion. Sampling circuits and digital-to-analog converters are implemented on the semiconductor layer portion using CCD technology, and a plurality of optical channel waveguides and electro-optical modulators are implemented on the electro-optical layer portion. Each digital signal is converted into two complementary light spots at the output of the recorder.

Digital-to-analog optical recorder

A multiple frequency laser technique for enhancing the detection of discrete targets amid a clutter background while also increasing the range performance or power limits of the laser type radar. Each of a plurality of laser oscillators cooperates by heterodyned phase-lock means to provide a mutually exclusive one of a plurality of mutually coherent frequencies, whereby the transmitted continuous wave energy comprises a coherent pulse train.

High energy coherent pulse source for laser system

In a multi-element array of laser oscillators, each having a control input for adjusting the output laser light frequency thereof, apparatus for phase and frequency locking each laser oscillator of the array to a reference laser oscillator. An optical phase shifter cooperates with the reference laser oscillator and with a radio frequency source to provide a local oscillator energy source. Mixing of the local oscillator energy with that of a respective one of the array oscillators by photodetector and then phase detection of the mixed or down-converted signals, relative to the radio frequency source, provides a control signal for phase and frequency control of the array oscillator.

Phase-locking of independent laser oscillators

Optimum energy delivery in a high energy laser system is realized by intensity modulating the transmitted laser beam and demodulating the received reflected laser energy to obtain phase error signals. The error signals are used by a servo system to direct the transmitted beam. Beam intensity modulation is accomplished by angle/focus dither. In systems having relatively small slewing or scanning mirrors the angle dither is accomplished by manipulating the mirror itself. For systems having large slewing mirrors a small aperture mirror is positioned adjacent to the slewing mirror and used to impart the required dither to a small portion of the transmitted laser beam.

Growing community of inventors

Placentia, CA, United States of America

Cecil L Hayes