The Titan Corporation

Itt Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.

John B Abbiss

Anthony E Smart

Douglas Lent Cohen

Donald David Gregory

Stephen Charles Cain

Peter Michael Mantica

Medhat Azzazy

Robert W McCullough

Roger P Woodward

In an optical system having a detector means and processor means in which imaging data is obtained comprising noisy blurred scene data containing an object to be reconstructed, and noisy blurred background data of the same scene, a method for increasing the spatial resolution of the imaging data produced by the optical system, comprising the steps of converting the imaging data into a first matrix, regularizing the first matrix by performing nth order Tikhonov regularization to the first matrix to provide a regularized pseudo-inverse (RPI) matrix and applying the RPI matrix to the first matrix to provide a reconstructed image of the object.

Super resolution methods for electro-optical systems

There is disclosed in an optical system having a predetermined Numerical aperture which provides a corresponding level of spatial resolution and having detector means and processor means in which image data is obtained comprising noisy blurred scene data containing an object to be reconstructed, and noisy blurred background data of the same scene, an improved method for increasing the spatial resolution of the imaging data produced by the diffraction limited optical system. The improvement comprises filtering the noisy blurred background data of the same scene to obtain noise suppressed data; applying estimations of point spread functions associated with the noise suppressed data and optical system to estimates of the noise suppressed data to obtain a reconstructed background image (I,(x)); and low pass filtering the noisy blurred scene data containing the object to be reconstructed (D,) and using the reconstructed background image (I,(x)) to eliminate the background data from the image data to obtain a reconstructed image of an object with increased spatial resolution.

This system measures the speed of an airborne vehicle relative to the surrounding atmosphere. The measurement is based on the scattering of pulses of coherent laser radiation, generated in the vehicle, preferably in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, by particles naturally present in the atmosphere at all times. The pulses are focused into the atmosphere at a sufficient distance from the vehicle, preferably 10-30 meters, to be beyond that region perturbed by the passage of the vehicle. The frequency of the radiation scattered by the particles differs from the frequency of the transmitted pulses by virtue of the relative motion of the vehicle and the atmosphere. Equipment in the vehicle digitally processes the received energy to determine this frequency difference for each pulse, and hence the component of the vehicle's velocity in the direction of the pulse transmission. Successive pulses are transmitted into the atmosphere in differing directions lying on the surface of a cone whose axis is fixed with respect to the vehicle, making possible the vectorial determination of the vehicle's relative motion. This conical scan is repeated without interruption over successive cycles of pulses. In determining the vehicle's velocity vector from the measured velocity components, account is taken, through weighting factors, of the statistically variable quality of the individual measurements from successive pulses. These weighting factors are derived from the properties of the measurements themselves and are applied to the data to enhance both accuracy and continuity of information.

System for, and method of, determining the speed of an airborne vehicle

A source produces light, preferably in a wavelength band of approximately 185-200 nm and in pulses at a suitable frequency (e.g., 100 Hz). The light may be directed in a progressively diverging beam into the atmosphere for a Rayleigh scattering by molecules in the atmosphere in the 185-200 nm wavelength band and for fluorescence by particular molecules (e.g. oxygen) in the atmosphere in another wavelength band (e.g. 210-260 nm). The Rayleigh scattered light and the fluorescent light may pass in a progressively converging beam to two detectors, one responsive to the Rayleigh scattered light to produce first signals and the other responsive to the fluorescent light to produce second signals. Optical elements may prevent the second detector from responding to the fluorescent light and the second detector from responding to the scattered Rayleigh light. A data processor processes the first and second signals to provide outputs representative of the atmospheric pressure and temperature. These outputs may have a great accuracy, in part by regulating the characteristics of the light source and the first and second detectors at times between the successive light pulses from the source. The progressively diverging and progressively converging beams may have a focal point displaced externally of the housing by at least a particular distance to avoid effects of turbulence when the housing is in a moving vehicle.

System for measuring ambient pressure and temperature

A plurality of lasers, each regulated to operate at a particular temperature, are supported by a manifold to direct coherent light into space. The regulation may be provided by producing pulses of a trickle current of a particular magnitude through the laser, measuring the voltage required to produce the trickle current and adjusting the characteristics of a thermoelectric member in accordance with the magnitude of such voltage to adjust the rate at which the thermoelectric member transfers heat from the laser. The lasers produce substantially parallel and thin beams of light in pairs. The light beams in each pair provide an optimum angle for the interception by such paired beams of particles having individual trajectories in space. These particles scatter the light to a receiving lens system disposed within the manifold. The received light then passes through masks which restrict the collected light to a spatial pattern corresponding to the pattern of the light beams from the lasers. The received light beams passing through the masks are detected to produce signals indicative of the light in such beams. The manifold temperature may be regulated to maintain the optical characteristics of the lasers and the receiving system at a constant and optimum value. The regulation may be provided by disposing heat sleeves on the manifold periphery, preferably in both axial and annular directions, and disposing in each heat sleeve a porous wick and a material convertible between liquid and gaseous forms. At positions above the regulated temperature, the liquid vaporizes and travels through the wick toward cooler spots where it vaporizes.

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Irvine, CA, United States of America

John B Abbiss