Blue Line Engineering Company

Kaman Aerospace Corporation

Kaman Instrumentation Corporation

Kaman Corporation

Blue Line Engineering

Gregory H Ames

Bobby L Ulich

Albert J Lazzarini

Steven Douglas Roach

John D Rather

Philip N Zercher

Edward K Conklin

William A Holmgren

Austin L Widener

William A Williams, Jr

Wiley F Rich

Joseph Mangano

A Lee Widener

Edward K Conkun

A single sensing unit having two electrodes with a common thermal reference is positioned near the centroid of the inertial mass of a differential inductive accelerometer. As the mass is displaced a first sensor detects an increase in inductance while a second sensor detects a decrease in inductance. Significantly, the first and second sensors share a common thermal reference eliminating any thermal differential. As the sensor system is closely aligned with the centroid of the inertial mass the sensor system of the present invention reduces or eliminates any systemic error.

Thermally balanced differential accelerometer

A transconductor converts voltage on an inductive sensor to a proportional current using two 'coupling' capacitors. Responsive to movement of an electrically conductive target from the null position a resonant current is formed between the two sensor coils. A single differential transistor pair switched by periodic drive signals commutes the net alternating current at the single input to direct current.

Inductive sensor with demodulator

The present invention detects, determines, and mitigates signal-path processing errors. An extracted and inverted reference signal is compared to the carrier signal produced by various functional components to determine the error introduced to that signal by functional components. After the signal has been processed by various signal-processing components, the signal can once again be compared to the inverted reference signal so that a signal-path processing bias can be determined. Using that determination, a signal modification can be initiated to substantially reduce or eliminate all signal-path processing error.

Signal path processing bias error detector

A method and apparatus for linearizing an analog signal. The signal is converted into a digital form and digital gain and offset words are fetched based upon the value of the measurement signal and any other parameters which affect linearity, such as temperature for example. The digital gain and offset words are converted to analog values and inserted into an analog signal path of the measurement signal.

Method and apparatus for digitally controlled linearization of an analog

An adaptive optics wavefront control system is presented wherein phase errors are reduced to a minimum using a coarse/fine gradient sensor.

Wavefront control system using optical coarse/fine gradient sensor

A distance measuring device transmits a continuous alternating wave from a wave source to a target which reflects it back toward the device. The wave source is activated until such time that a detector associated with the device senses the beginning of the reflected wave at which time the wave source is deactivated. The wave source is deactivated during the time that the reflected wave is sensed by the detector and upon the sensing of the end of the reflected wave, the wave source is again activated. The frequency at which the wave source is alternately activated and deactivated is a measure of the distance between the measuring device and the target.

Distance measuring device

An electromagnetic actuator used with a segmented optical element includes a central pole piece that is affixed at one end to the segment, and is movable along a displacement axis. Oppositely wound, longitudinally displaced electical coils on the pole piece are encompassed by an outer magnet. Pole piece displacement is the result of the net axial force generated from the current flowing through the coils.

Differentially wound electromagnetic actuator

An extendable large aperture phased array mirror system includes a plurality of mirror segments cooperatively configured to receive an incoming electromagnetic beam. In response to signals from a sensor indicative of wavefront distortion in the beam, a control apparatus displaces a plurality of segment actuators to configure the mirror segments to generate an outgoing conjugate phase electromagnetic beam.

Extendable large aperture phased array mirror system

An inductive displacement sensor includes an oscillator circuit that is characterized by primary and secondary pairs of coils disposed on opposing surfaces of adjacent optical segments. Each coil in both coil pairs is alternately positioned along a respective axes perpendicular to a segment displacement axis. The secondary coils are respectively tuned to frequencies above and below the oscillator circuit resonant frequency. Any motion between segments along the displacement axis induces a detectable change in phase between the current and voltage of the oscillator signal.

Inductive sensor for detecting displacement of adjacent surfaces

A constant length strut includes an axially elongated body having a fixed attachment point at one end and an attachment point carried at its opposite end and supported for axial movement toward and away from the fixed attachment point. A quartz reference rod is connected at one end to one attachment point and extends internally for substantially the length of the strut. The free end of the reference rod moves axially lengthwise relative to the other attachment point as the strut changes length due to thermal expansion and contraction or tensile and compressive loading. A positional displacement transducer senses this relative movement. An electrical signal directly proportional to the displacement excites a linear actuator connected between the telescopic attachment point and the strut body to provide a corrective displacement to maintain the strut at a constant length.

Growing community of inventors

Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Gregory H Ames