Raytheon Company

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC

Bright Silicon Technologies, Inc.

Gerald P Uyeno

Sean D Keller

Benn H Gleason

Eric Rogala

Craig O Shott

Garret A Odom

Mark K Lange

Vanessa Reyna

Jon E Leigh

John R Becker

Zachary D Barker

Robert Matthew Panas

Irl W Smith

David James Knapp

John Paul Gianvittorio

David G Manzi

Larry C Martin

Michael J Batinica

Brendon R Holt

Brayden Peery

Robert S Mchenry

David D Acton

Jordan Sawyer

Olga Vargas

Paul R Spyak

Andrew W Dutton

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

An image polarimeter includes a MEMS MMA divided into two or more segments in which the mirrors in each segment are provided with a polarizer of a given polarization. The mirrors in each segment are tipped and tilted to steer polarized light onto different portions of an optical detector. In certain configurations the mirrors may also be pistoned to reduce aberrations. Each frame that is read out from the detector includes two or more distinct component polarized images having different polarizations P0, P2, . . . of the same scene to fully characterize the polarization properties of the scene. Since the mirrors only tip/tilt/piston in the dead period between frames, no components are moving during image acquisition and co-registration of the component polarized images is simple. The number of segments and the different polarizations may be selected to implement Jones calculus, Mueller calculus and Stokes parameters or other polarimetry techniques.

Image polarimeter using a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro-mirror array (MMA)

Thermal control of powered systems on-board a flight vehicle is achieved by leveraging the latent heat storage capacity of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) to maintain the operating temperature at or slightly above the melting temperature of the PCM.

System and method for thermal control of powered systems on-board a flight vehicle using phase change materials (PCMs)

A multiple FOV optical sensor includes a primary mirror having first and second rings of differing curvature to collect light from an object within different FOV. A secondary mirror includes a MEMS MMA in which the mirrors tip and tilt in 2 DOF or add piston in 3 DOF to (I) reflect light from the first ring within the first FOV that is focused at an imaging plane coincident with an imaging detector to form a focused image of the object at the imaging detector or (II) reflect light from the second ring within the second FOV onto the imaging detector (either focused to form a focused image or defocused to form a blurred spot). The MEMS MMA may be configured to alternate between (I) and (II) or to perform both (I) and (II) at the same time with the different FOV either overlapped or spatially separated on the detector. The sensor may be configured as an all-passive sensor, a dual-mode sensor or a hybrid of the two.

Multiple field-of-view (FOV) optical sensor using a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) micro- mirror array (MMA)

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)

The present disclosure relates to an optical sensor protection system. The system may have a sensor for receiving an incoming optical signal, a passive sensing and modulation component, and an active sensing and modulation subsystem. The passive sensing and modulation component is configured to sense when a first characteristic is associated with the incoming optical signal is present that adversely affects operation of the sensor, and redirects at least a portion of the incoming optical signal thereof away from the sensor to thus reduce an intensity of the incoming optical signal reaching the sensor. The sensor is located on an image plane downstream of the ISM subsystem, relative to a path of travel of the incoming optical signal. The active sensing and modulation subsystem has an active modulation component and is located upstream of the passive sensing and modulation component, relative to the path of travel of the incoming optical signal, and is also located on a conjugate image plane, and is configured to use the redirected portion of the incoming optical signal as feedback in controlling a modification of the incoming optical signal to reduce a risk of damage to the passive sensing and modulation component.

Systems and methods for optical sensor protection

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 zoom system includes a collection optic Land a reflective Fresnel Lens Lhaving a variable focal length. The reflective Fresnel Lens Lis implemented with a MEMS MMA in which the mirrors tip, tilt and piston form and alter the reflective Fresnel Lens to focus light at a common focal point to set the variable focal length f2, hence the magnification M. In different embodiments, the zoom system may be configured to be 'focal' or “afocal”. In the focal system, both Land Lare fixed such that the system affects the net convergence or divergence of the magnified beam. In an afocal system, a mechanism is used to translate Lto maintain a separation between Land Lof d=f1+f2 as f2 is varied to change the magnification M.

Optical zoom system using an adjustable reflective fresnel lens implemented with a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMs) micro-mirror array (MMA)

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.

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Gerald P Uyeno