Lockheed Martin Corporation

Martin Marietta Corporation

James M Martin

Ronald R Selleck

Ruey-Yuan Han

Tommy J Piper

William S Brockett

Robert P Castagno

Michael G Croteau

Computer software for and a method of determining location of a target image within a two-dimensional input image by employing a three-dimensional reference image comprising determining object edge points in the input image; given estimated seeker line-of-sight orientation and range data, computing a two-dimensional reference image from the three-dimensional reference image; applying a weighted-direction-cross-product Hough Transform to the object edge points and points of the two-dimensional reference image; classifying the input image as containing a target image or not; if the image contains a target image, identifying a location of the target image within the two-dimensional input image; computing confidence measure as to the selected location of the target image; and in the case of sequential decision, also performing confidence accumulation through multi-frames or multi-looks.

Automatic scene correlation and identification

A fiber optic rotation rate sensor employs two fiber loop interferometers. Two Sagnac fiber optic interferometers are interleaved such that both fibers are contained in each each interferometer. A coherent light beam at one frequency is proprogated in only one of the fibers, and an opticl beam at another frequency is proprogated in the other fiber. The beam emerging from one of the fibers is combined with the beam emerging from the other of the fibers for each of the two ends of each fiber to produce a pair of interference signals each having a frequency equal to the difference between the two light beam frequencies. The relative phase of these two signals is then determined to provide an indication of the rate of angular rotation of the fiber optic loops, and this determination is independent of any temperature-related characteristics that produce offset phase errors.

Fiber-optic rotation rate sensor having dual interferometer loops

Growing community of inventors

Orlando, FL, United States of America

James M Martin