Texas Instruments Corporation

Other

Erwin E Cooper

Alan Neal Cooper

Stephen F Sagan

Samuel R McKenney

Franklin L Davis

Robert E Crossland

James K Taylor

An infrared refractive lens triplet having color correcting properties for radiation within the 3 to 13 micrometer spectral band. In certain embodiments of the invention the triplet is capable of simultaneously focusing radiation in the 3-5 micrometer and the 8-12 micrometer atmospheric windows for imaging about a single focal plane. In these embodiments one lens comprises germanium and another is formed of materials selected from the group consisting of sulfides and selenides of zinc and combinations thereof. A third lens is a glass characterized by chromic properties corresponding approximately to

Wide band color correcting infrared lens system

Apparatus and methods for modifying existing forward looking infrared systems and for forming new forward looking infrared systems. Generally, the system comprises a Galilean afocal system in combination with a reimaging afocal system. A reimaging afocal lens system is formed with at least first and second lenses and a plane for forming an image therebetween. A thermal reference source is positioned in the imaging plane of the reimaging system. The method for modifying an existing forward looking infrared imaging system includes positioning the reimaging system along the optical path of the system between the Galilean lens combination and the scanning device. According to a method for forming a forward looking infrared system an imaging lens system is arranged along an optical path in combination with a detector array to focus collimated radiation upon the detector array. The detector array subtends the field of view along a first direction. A reimaging afocal system is incorporated along the optical path to provide collimated radiation to the imaging lens system and a scanning device is positioned between the reimaging afocal system and the imaging lens system to vary the field of view along a second direction in order to provide a two dimensional image. A Galilean afocal lens system is positioned to receive radiation from a scene and transmit the radiation to the reimaging afocal system.

Forward looking infrared imaging system

A radiation scanning system is used with a radiation detector that has a predefined aperture stop. A first relay lens disposed to form a first image of the radiation detector a predefined distance from the aperture stop and a second relay lens is located a predetermined distance from the first relay lens and disposed to form a second image of the radiation detector onto a line scanning apparatus. The line scanning apparatus includes a rotor having a plurality of reflective planar facets disposed uniformly around its circumference. Each of the reflective planar facet has a normal substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotor. The rotor is interposed between the second relay lens and the second image of the radiation detector and has its axis of rotation intersecting the optical axis of the second relay lens and disposed in such a way that as the rotor is rotated the second image is caused to move in a substantially circular locus. A concave substantially toroidal mirror is positioned to receive deviated rays from a field lens position on the locus to deviated rays reflected from any given rotational positional position of the rotor onto the concave substantially toroidal mirror. The concave substantially toroidal mirror collimates the reflected rays into a parallel bundle. A frame scanning apparatus is positioned to reflect the parallel bundle of rays in a predtermined direction. The frame scanning apparatus is located at a pupil formed by the intersection of different bundles of parallel rays from the concave substantially tordoial mirror for different rotational positions of the line scanning apparatus.

Radiation scanning system with pupil control

The disclosure relates to a wide spectral band objective refractive apochromatic lens system capable of operation with infrared light in the 3 to 12 micron range with good color correction simultaneously. The lens system includes three lenses, the first lens being positive and formed of Texas Instruments 1173 glass and the second and third lenses being negative and formed of germanium and zinc sulfide respectively. The germanium lens has a power approximately 0.44 that of the 1173 glass lens and the zinc sulfide lens has a power approximately 0.22 that of the 1173 glass lens.

Wide spectral band infrared refractive lens

A time discrete digital reformattor reformats analog data from a detector system that includes a plurality of detectors. The time discrete digital reformattor includes a summing circuit, an input circuit in which a single input of the input circuit is connected to a single detector of the detector system, a first time discrete digital memory is electrically connected to receive outputs from the input circuit and a second time discrete digital memory is electrically connected to cooperate with the first time discrete digital memory and the summing circuit.

Time discrete digital reformattor

A coaxial wideband refractive optical system is disclosed which permits the use of high resolution optical sensors and transmitters in the visible energy wavelengths centered at 0.5 microns to the 12 microns wavelength in the infrared energy band. The system includes a front objective lens of wideband transmitting material such as, for example, ZnS, ZnSe, GaAs, TI-1173 glass or Ge followed by a beamsplitter and two doublet lenses. The front objective lens, which may be a positive lens, can have large color dispersion characteristics (aberrations) not normally associated with front lenses. A front, solid wideband objective lens is provided for receiving incoming electromagnetic energy radiating at about 0.5 micron to about 12 microns wavelength in the infrared for reducing the size of the beam diameter; thus, the size of the beamsplitter and the elements of the infrared and visible optical paths formed by the beam splitter may be reduced. Each optical path formed by the beamsplitter includes one of the two lens doublets, each of which includes a negative lens of material like that of the front lens for correcting color aberrations and a positive lens which coacts with the remaining optical elements of the optical paths for correcting spherical aberrations introduced by the doublet's negative lens.

Coaxial wideband refractive optical system

An optical flexure joint comprises first and second gimbal mounted lens doublets. The first doublet has a positive surface and the second a negative surface. Each lens doublet consists of two common glasses having index of refractions between about 1.4 and 1.9 that produce the same power as if they were a single lens having an index of refraction of 2.0. The first and second doublets when mounted with the positive and negative surfaces mating and the first doublet rotated with respect to the second form a wedge which has an optical deviation equal to the wedge angle; thus the optical flexure joint allows a small rotary motion to occur in an optical system perpendicular to the optical axis without any perceptable image motion.

Optical flexure joint

A laser beamrider guidance system having an improved launcher based laser transmitter subsystem for illuminating a laser beam receiver subsystem on-board a moving carrier is disclosed. The improved launcher based laser transmitter subsystem includes a boresight compensation mechanism having L-shaped x and y scan diode lasers and a synchronization laser, a rotating scanning means for producing two rotations of the laser beam images for each rotation of the scanning means, a zoom lens in the optical path of the x and y scan rotating lasers for focusing the laser beams within the maximum target range, a first beamsplitter for reflecting a portion of the x and y scan laser beams to a telescopic sight mechanism adapted to determine when the x and y scan laser beams cross the line of sight to target and activate a signal for activating the synchronization laser beam.

Growing community of inventors

Carrollton, TX, United States of America

Erwin E Cooper