Raytheon Company

James E Hopson

Troy E Plunk

Arthur B Slater

A dual mode RF/IR seeker suitable for use in an anti-radiation missile is disclosed. The infrared sensor is responsive to radiation within the 4.0 to 4.8 micron band and the radio frequency sensor is responsive to radio frequency signals within a 6.5 to 16.5 GHz band. The infrared sensor comprises a folded Cassegrainian telescope arrangement, including a primary mirror which is transparent to radio frequency energy. The radio frequency sensor comprises an annular array of orthogonally disposed stripline flared notch radiating elements. A broadband microwave receiver, fabricated in a multilayered stripline package, is provided for forming radio frequency monopulse sum' (E) and difference (A) signals and for converting such radio frequency monopulse signals to suitable intermediate frequency signals for processing in an I.F. receiver.

Dual mode seeker

An optical tracking system in which an image of an object to be tracked is nutated about the image plane. Individual detector elements are arranged in a hexagonal array within the image plane such that each of the individual detector elements are located at respectively the centers of contiguous hexagonal cells. The nutation is provided, in one embodiment, by means of a tiltable mirror which rotates about an axis through the center of the mirror. The angle of tilt is variable so that the nutation can be varied to provide circular motion of an image point in circles concentric with a hexagonal cell and of varying diameter and, in particular, the image point can thereby be made to spiral inwardly toward the center of a hexagonal cell. The nutation of image points relative to the positions of the detector elements permit the various portions of an image to be scanned by individual detector elements. The inward spiraling of image points is utilized to provide for acquisition of the image points, and the position of an image point relative to a detector element at a given instant of time is utilized to provide elevation and azimuthal tracking data for tracking a desired object.

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Wellesley, MA, United States of America

James E Hopson