Raytheon Company

Cheng-Chih Tsai

Chungte W Chen

Robert William Byren

Joseph M Fukumoto

John Steven Anderson

David F Rock

Carl G Pfeiffer

Danny D Nguyen

Christopher Calingaert

D Spyro Gumas

An imaging sensor system images in two different spectral bands a light beam traveling on a light path from a target. The sensor system includes an imaging sensor operable to image light of the two different spectral bands, a common optics having at least one reflective or refractive optical element, and a wavelength-selective beamsplitter on the light path between the target and the imaging sensor. The wavelength-selective beamsplitter splits the light beam into two subbeams, one subbeam for each of the two different spectral bands, that are respectively incident upon two different locations of the imaging sensor. The imaging sensor may be used to detect buried explosive mines.

Dual-band sensor system utilizing a wavelength-selective beamsplitter

A system ( ) and method for focal plane array calibration using an internal non-uniform calibration source ( ). In the illustrative embodiment, the system ( ) includes a first mechanism ( ) for calculating a relative gain of each detector element in the focal plane array ( ) relative to at least one reference element, a second mechanism ( ) for obtaining the absolute gain of the reference element, and a third mechanism ( ) for calculating the absolute gains for all other detector elements using the relative gains in conjunction with the absolute gain of the reference element. The relative response of each pixel is calculated from measurements of the response of each pixel using an internal calibration source ( ) at two or more different source positions, and two illumination intensities at each position. Measurements using a pair of source positions separated by k pixels establishes the relative response of the i pixel with respect to the (i&plus;k) pixel. Through this recursive relationship and other pairs of source position with a different shift vector k, the relative response of every pixel in the FPA can be established. Then, the absolute radiometric calibration of at least one reference pixel is accomplished using a known external source ( ), such as a star. The absolute response calibration of each pixel can then be obtained using the recursive relationship in combination with the reference pixels.

Radiometry calibration system and method for electro-optical sensors

A concentrator including a volume of at least partially transmissive material and a plurality of facets disposed at at least one surface thereof. Each of the facets is disposed at a position dependent angle relative to the surface effective to cause an internal reflection of energy applied to the layer whereby the density of the applied energy varies as a function of position. In the illustrative implementation, the volume is an active medium, i.e., a slab. The slab has substantially parallel, planar upper and lower surfaces and first and second edges therebetween. A plurality of cladding layers are disposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the slab. The facets are provided in the cladding layers on the upper and lower surfaces of the slab and angled as a function of distance relative to the first or the second edge. The facets provide a Fresnel reflecting surface or a binary optic surface.

System and method for pumping a slab laser

A shaping optic for diode light sheets. The Fresnel cylinder lens has a plurality of facets that channel multiple light sheet output from a diode stack having arbitrary pitch and diode bar number into a gaussian pump light deposition profile within a laser gain medium. In a specific embodiment, the lens is formed of fused silica or BK7 glass covered with broad angle anti-reflection coating, and the vertical extent of the facets is matched to the pitch spacing of the diode.

Shaping optic for diode light sheets

A computationally efficient missile detection and tracking system, operating on data samples from a focal plane assembly (FPA) of an electro-optical sensor which is observing the earth and space, detects missiles, aircraft, resident space objects or other objects in the presence of background clutter, determines missile types and estimates missile position and velocity components in an inertial reference frame. Digitized samples from an array of electro-optical detectors which are viewing the earth and/or space are processed to detect and track missiles, aircraft and resident space objects. Streak detection is used for this purpose, where the target is separated from a background scene by exploiting target motion relative to the background scene. This processing system provides superior performance and simplified implementation as compared to conventional methods. The weight and power of a computer which can implement the processing system is much reduced as compared to conventional implementation.

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Cerritos, CA, United States of America

Cheng-Chih Tsai