Princeton Scientific Instruments

New Jersey Institute of Technology

John L Lowrance

Stephen R Smith

George F Renda

Walter F Kosonocky

Vincent J Mastrocola

In systems embodying the invention, a battery powered collimated light source is located at the muzzle end of a cannon and is beamed back over the length 'L' of the cannon gun tube to the collecting aperture of an optical transceiver located near the breech end (or trunnion) of the cannon. The turn-on and turn-off of the collimated light source is under the control of the gunner of the tank or the tank's fire control computer system to ensure that the battery power/energy is used only when deemed necessary by the user so that battery power is conserved.

Muzzle reference system

A matrix array of photo elements (pixels) arranged in rows and columns with at least one row conductor per row of the matrix and a column conductor per column of the matrix for selectively the pixels. Each pixel of the matrix array includes: (a) a photodetector for detecting light pulses incident on the pixel and producing an output signal indicative of an incident light pulse; (b) signal processing circuitry coupled to the photodetector and responsive to its output signal for generating an electrical pulse corresponding to each incident light pulse; and (c) counting circuitry coupled to the signal processing circuitry for storing information indicative of the number of light pulses incident on the photodector during a sensing period. Row and column decoders are respectively coupled to the row and column conductors of the matrix array for reading out the contents of the array a row at time and for resetting the pixels of each row after their contents have been read out.

Optical pulse counting imager and system

Apparatus and method for optically testing products such as condoms, gloves or any number of similar objects without contact and non-destructively. In testing for holes, a light source having a wavelength at which the product to be tested is relatively opaque is used to illuminate either the inner or outer wall of the product and a photo sensor sensitive to the particular wavelength is located to sense the amount of light passing through the wall of the product. In testing for embedded particles, a light source of visible light is used to illuminate the product to be tested and a photosensor senses any variation in the amount of light passing through the walls of the product. In the testing of products, such as condoms, for the presence of holes, the condom is mounted on a transparent mandrel or distended by inflating the condom with a jet of air. A line of light derived from a light source having a wavelength at which the condom material, if free of defects, is relatively opaque, is projected onto the surface of the condom and a photosensor measures the amount of light passing through the surface of the condom. The light may be scanned about the surface of the condom while the condom is stationary. Alternatively, the line of light is stationary and the condom is rotated about the light. The photo sensor is positioned to sense the amount of light passing through the condom wall along a line corresponding to the line of light for determining the presence of a defect and its location.

Apparatus and method for testing elastic articles

An autocollimator having particular utility in optical aiming systems for the cannons of battle tanks comprises a pair of light sources for directing two beams of light along different paths towards a light reflector mounted, for example, on the muzzle of a tank barrel. The two beams of light are thus reflected along different paths towards a position sensitive light detector suitable for providing an output electrical signal indicative of both the receipt thereon of one or both of the reflected light beams and the position of the light beams on the light detector. The light sources are alternately turned on and off in non-overlapping time periods to provide identification of which of the two beams is being detected by the light detector.

Autocollimator

Circuits and systems embodying the invention include an image sensor comprising an array of 'M' photo sensing elements arranged in 'R' rows and 'C' columns, where R and C are integers greater than one and R times C is equal to M. Coupled to each one of the photo sensing elements is a storage register functioning as a local memory, with each storage register comprising N storage elements, where N may range from a few to several hundred (or even several thousand) storage elements. Each photo sensing element is coupled to its associated N storage elements for selectively enabling the high speed transfer of photo information from each photo sensing element to its associated N storage elements during a photo data acquisition phase. The N storage elements associated with each photosensing element function as a local memory enabling up to 'N' frames of information to be captured and transferred at a high frame rate from the photosensing element to the storage elements during image (photo) sensing and the storage of the 'N' frames of information until the subsequent read-out of the stored information. The registers are preferably formed using charge coupled devices (CCD's). The N storage elements of each register may be arranged in a purely serial format or in a serial-parallel format or arranged like an X-Y memory array.

Growing community of inventors

Princeton, NJ, United States of America

John L Lowrance