General Dynamics Corporation

General Dynamics Corp., Pomona Division

Jay B Winderman

Garry N Hulderman

Fernand Bannie Kuffer

Hans-Peter Schmid

A multi-spectral detection system for detecting radiation within frequency bands that are in diverse portions of the electromagnetic spectrum is disclosed. The preferred embodiment is a Cassegrain system including a primary reflector for reflecting radiant energy in the radio frequency and infrared portions of the electromagnetic spectrum; a subreflector positioned along the axis of the primary reflector for re-reflecting the radiant energy reflected from the primary reflector toward the primary reflector and focusing the re-reflected radiant energy in a common focal plane about the system axis; a feed horn coaxially positioned at the common focal plane and having an entrance in the common focal plane about the system axis for transferring the collected radio frequency radiant energy from the focal plane to a detector of radio frequency radiant energy; and a bundle of optical fibers coaxially positioned at the common focal plane and having openings in the common focal plane about the system axis for transferring collected infrared radiant energy from the focal plane to a detector of infrared radiant energy. A baffle is coaxially positioned for blocking light other than the re-reflected infrared radiation from being received and transferred by the optical fibers.

Multi-spectral detection system with common collecting means

An articulated radome for the front end of a missile or the like comprises a generally dome or spherical shaped articulated housing mounted for rotation about two separate transverse axes, with an infra-red window surrounded by a dielectric window so that both infra-red and radar sending and sensing units may be mounted within the dome for target scanning and the like.

Articulated eyeball radome

A single channel monopulse radar system including an antenna for transmitting and receiving pulsed radar signals; an arithmetic matrix for providing a pulsed sum information signal, a pulsed azimuth difference information signal and a pulsed elevation difference information signal in response to the pulsed radar signals transmitted and received by the antenna, wherein said information signals are RF signals; an azimuth phase comparator for comparing the sum signal to the azimuth difference signal to provide an azimuth angle error signal; and an elevation phase comparator for comparing the sum signal to the elevation difference signal to provide an elevation angle error signal. An RF delay line separately delays the pulsed sum and difference information signals so as to provide a multiplexed signal in which the three pulsed information signals appear serially and are closely spaced in time. A mixer converts the multiplexed signal from an RF signal to an IF signal. An IF amplifier amplifies the multiplexed IF signal and an IF delay line having separate output terminals restores the phase relationship between the pulsed sum and difference information signals contained in the amplified, multiplexed, IF signal, and simultaneously provides the restored signals at respective separate output taps to the phase comparators.

Single channel monopulse radar system

A video detector circuit for a radar system, including a detector diode having one of its electrodes connected to an input terminal for detecting an applied signal containing target information, rms noise voltage and components that are representative of clutter, and its other electrode connected to a load terminal for providing a detected signal; and a load resistance connected between the load terminal and a bias terminal; wherein a dc potential is provided at the bias terminal to forward bias the detector diode to have a quiescent operating point below the midpoint of the knee portion of its characteristic curve, thereby limiting diode rms noise current and components in the detected signal that are representative of clutter. As a result both the signal-to-noise ratio and the target-to-clutter ratio of the video detector circuit are enhanced. A filter network is connected between the load terminal and an output terminal for providing an output signal at the output terminal in which low frequency components representative of clutter in the detected signal are suppressed.

Growing community of inventors

Claremont, CA, United States of America

Jay B Winderman