Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Videojet Systems International, Inc.

John Edwin Jackson

Christopher Brendan Svec

Daniel Joseph Ryan

Alan Greenland

Carl J Sarro

Brian L Peterson

Systems and methods are provided for providing wideband diffraction limited performance in an optical receiver. A first lens is constructed from a first material and has a first surface and a second surface. A second lens is constructed from a second material and having a first surface and a second surface. The second lens is positioned such that a first surface of the second lens faces a second surface of the first lens across a gap of air. A diffraction grating is applied to one of the first and second surfaces of the first and second lenses.

Wideband diffraction limited optical receiver

A wide field of view heterodyne receiver is provided for enhancing mixing efficiency of a returned signal with a local oscillator signal to generate a heterodyned signal. The returned signal defines a first wave front, and the local oscillator signal defines a second wave front. The receiver includes an optics system, a local oscillator, and a focal plane array. The optics system is operative to transmit the returned signal along an optical path and to focus the returned signal onto a focal plane. The local oscillator is operative to provide the local oscillator signal being directable toward the focal plane. The focal plane array is disposed coincident with the focal plane and is operative to receive the focused returned signal and the local oscillator signal. Upon reaching the focal plane array, the first wave front and the second wave front are planar and oriented substantially parallel relative each other.

Wide field of view heterodyne receiver

An optical system having at least one dichroic Mangin mirror. The optical system has a front-end optical sub-system or a light source operative to emit an optical beam. The optical beam is dispersed into at least a first color beam and a second color beam and has certain degree of monochromatic aberration. The dichroic Mangin mirror is disposed along the optical paths of both the first and second color beams. The dichroic Mangin mirror includes a first surface operative to transmit the first color beam only, but reflects the second color beam. Therefore, upon incident on the dichroic Mangin mirror, the second color beam is reflected, while the first color beam transmits through the first surface and is then reflected off from the second surface. Thereby, the first and second color beams can be focused at the same position, which is referred as an achromatic system focus. Thereby, the chromatic aberration caused by the dispersion can be eliminated.

Dichroic mangin mirror

A beam steerer comprising a mirror, a joint, and two linear actuators. The joint, which is attached to a periphery of the mirror is rotatable about two perpendicular axes. The linear actuators control rotational movement of the mirror about the two axes. A laser beam or other signal is reflected off of the mirror and redirected to define a field of regard and a focal point in front of the mirror. The beam steerer may be mounted behind a window of an object such that a plane of the window and the focal point coincides and a foot print of the field of regard of the beam through the window is smaller compared to a corresponding foot print when the beam directed onto the mirror is aligned with the joint and the alignment is maintained throughout the rotation of the mirror about the joint.

Two axis independent driven single hinged gimbaled mirror beam steerer

An apparatus in one example comprises a corner cube that comprises a first side, a second side, and a third side that cooperate to retro-reflect an incoming beam of light and output an outgoing beam of light. One or more of the first side, the second side, and the third side of the corner cube serve to contribute substantially to a decrease of over twenty percent in an amplitude of the outgoing beam of light relative to an amplitude of the incoming beam of light.

Corner cube side decrease of amplitude of beam of light

A laser module with integral cooling is disclosed. The module is intended for coupling to a fiber optic cable for various applications. The module is generally cylindrical and has a laser diode array mounted centrally therein. A cooling channel is in thermal relation with the array either directly or via a diamond substrate. A fiber optic coupler mates with the portion of the housing carrying the array and carries a lens subassembly. During assembly, the coupler is positioned to accurately focus the output of the array into a beam suitable for transmission to the fiber optic cable. Coolant is coupled to the channel with a removable coupling manifold or similar arrangement which may also carry electrical contacts for energizing the array.

Growing community of inventors

Carol Stream, IL, United States of America

John Edwin Jackson