Raytheon Company

David G Anthony

David James Knapp

Wayne Lee Sunne

David G Garrett

Jim Hicks

Daniel W Brunton

James P Mills

Robert Rinker

Daniel C Harrison

Emmet R Anderson

Frank E Smith, Iii

Frederick B Koehler

Byron B Taylor

David J Markason

Elka E Koehler

William D Werries

Robert Stein

Thomas E Roberts

Frank E Iii Smith

An optical position sensing system and method for sensing a gimbal position in a gimbal-based optical system. One example of an optical position sensing system includes an off-gimbal light source that generates a position sensing light beam and transmits the position sensing light beam along an optical coude path of the optical system, and an on-gimbal optical element that causes a change in an intensity of the position sensing light beam based on rotation of the gimbal about the axis. The system further includes an off-gimbal detector configured to receive the position sensing light beam returned from the optical element and to detect the change in the intensity of the position sensing light beam, and a controller coupled to the detector and configured to determine the gimbal position based on a correlation between the change in the intensity of the position sensing light beam and the gimbal position.

Remote optical position sensing device and methods

An optical switching assembly having an optical path therethrough includes an optical element, a base frame, an optical support that supports the optical element and is pivotably mounted to the base frame, and a linkage. The linkage interconnects the base frame and the optical support to effect movement of the optical support between an aligned position where the optical element is in the optical path and a non-aligned position removed from the aligned position. The linkage has two over-center positions that respectively correspond to the aligned position and the non-aligned position. No additional energy is required to hold the linkage in the over-center positions.

Optical switching assembly with over-center lock

Embodiments of a gimbaled system with an optical coud&#xe9; path and method for transferring data are generally described herein. In some embodiments, the gimbaled system includes optical coud&#xe9; path to provide a data communication path with a gimbaled payload, an on-gimbal communication laser to transmit modulated camera data via the coud&#xe9; path, and an off-gimbal communication detector to detect the camera data received via the coud&#xe9; path. In some embodiments, the optical coud&#xe9; path may include at least two mirrors to provide a bi-directional communication path through an azimuth axis and an elevation axis of the gimbaled payload.

Gimbaled system with optical coud&#xe9; path and method transferring data

A control mechanism pins an optical fiber assembly on and off gimbal and between gimbals to route the assembly from an off-gimbal optical source across the gimbal axis/axes to an on-gimbal optical element so that the fiber assembly moves with the rotation of the gimbals. To accommodate a relatively large range of motion, the control mechanism is suitably configured to route the fiber assembly in a 'U-shaped' loop with one end pinned off-gimbal in a stationary guide track and the other end pinned on-gimbal point in a rotating guide track so that the loose fiber assembly is constrained in the concentric tracks on and off gimbal. As the gimbal rotates, the loop seats onto one guiding track and peels off of the other guiding track while always maintaining its U shape. To accommodate a relatively small range of motion in other gimbal configurations, the control mechanism is suitably configured to pin one end of the fiber assembly off-gimbal and pass the fiber assembly directly over the gimbal where it is pinned on the other side of the gimbal. In a multi-gimbal pointer, the fiber assembly preferably exhibits different mechanical stresses as it crosses the different gimbals.

Optical fiber assembly wrapped across roll-nod gimbal axes in a DIRCM system

Optical fiber assembly wrapped across gimbal axes

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Marana, AZ, United States of America

David G Anthony