The Boeing Company

Theboeing Company

Jonathan Martin Saint Clair

David Christien Soreide

Mitchell D Voth

William D Sherman

Ordie Dean Butterfield

Robert Paul Higgins

Barbara A Capron

Stephen Kerry Wilcken

Jeffrey H Hunt

David Arthur Whelan

Minas Hagop Tanielian

Gary Alan Ray

Dennis Gary Koshinz

Julio A Navarro

Fong Shi

Eric Yuen-Jun Chan

Stephen A Walls

Paul Frederic Sjoholm

Donald Allen Spurgeon

Tyler M Anderson

Derek E Iverson

Philip E Cassady

Jian Jim Ma

Bing Wen

Manny S Urcia

Tai Anh Lam

Lixin Cai

Alec Adams

Scott A Raby

Bentley Edwin Northon

Christopher M La Fata

Ronald N Murata

James Ridgeway Gillis

Robert Roland Keever

John G Castagno

Stephen T Tyahla

Gary A Ray

Robert P Higgins

David C Soreide

Paul F Sjoholm

Systems, methods, and apparatus for an electromagnetic (EM) panel are disclosed. In one or more embodiments, a disclosed electromagnetic (EM) panel comprises an outer skin, an inner skin, a core disposed between the outer skin and the inner skin, and at least one receiver to receive at least one first signal. In at least one embodiment, at least one receiver is disposed within an opening on the outer skin of the EM panel. At least one receiver is an optical sensor(s) and/or a radio frequency (RF) antenna(s). In one or more embodiments, the EM panel further comprises at least one transmitter to transmit at least one second signal. In at least one embodiment, at least one transmitter is disposed within an opening on the outer skin of the EM panel. At least one transmitter is a laser(s) and/or a RF antenna(s).

Conformal load bearing distributed sensing arrays

A method and apparatus comprising a group of passive sensor systems, an active sensor system, and a processor unit. The group of passive sensor systems is configured to generate first sensor information from light in an environment around the group of passive sensor systems. The active sensor system is configured to send signals, receive responses from the signals, and generate second sensor information from the responses. The processor unit is configured to control the active sensor system to send the signals in a direction toward an object using the first sensor information and generate information about the object using the second sensor information.

Object detection system for mobile platforms

A laser Doppler vibrometer architecture and detection technique that can remotely identify targets based on their natural vibration frequencies using a scanning Fabry-P&#xe9;rot interferometer. The proposed systems and methods can have stand-off distances longer than the coherence length of the laser by using spectroscopic detection methods instead of coherent heterodyne detection using a local oscillator. Pulsed lasers can be used which have high power output. In addition, by not using an acousto-optic modulator, the speed of the detectable target is not limited. Also the mixing efficiency of the return signal can be improved.

Remote target identification using laser Doppler vibrometry

Methods and an apparatus for processing fuselage sections. Measurements of a first fuselage section are generated using a scanning system. The scanning system includes a first scanner and a second scanner. The first scanner generates measurements of a first portion of the first fuselage section and the second scanner generates measurements of a second portion of the first fuselage section. The first fuselage section is held in a cradle system. The measurements of the first portion of the first fuselage section are combined with the measurements of the second portion of the first fuselage section to generate an ensemble of measurements of the first fuselage section. Using the cradle system, one or more of the first fuselage section or a second fuselage section are shaped based on the ensemble of measurements. Using the cradle system, the first fuselage section is joined with the second fuselage section.

Metrology system for generating measurements of fuselage sections

Systems and methods for measuring a distance to an object. An exemplary method includes directing light beams from three or more continuous-wave lasers onto a target, and also frequency shifting the light beams split off from the lasers to generate local oscillator beams. When the reflected sensor beam (reflected off the target) and the local oscillator beams are combined, the method further includes determining optical phases of heterodynes produced by combining the light beams within the reflected sensor beam and the local oscillator beams, and determining synthetic phases by taking the difference between the optical phases of the heterodynes. The method further includes determining synthetic wavelengths based on the differences between the frequencies of the lasers. The method further includes determining a distance to the target based on the synthetic phases and the synthetic wavelengths.

Laser ranging sensors and methods that use a ladder of synthetic waves having increasing wavelengths to calculate a distance measurement

A precision optical encoder that utilizes interferometric measurements of displacement to provide angle measurements using a laser which is injection locked to a reference laser having a secondary optical frequency which has been verified with respect to a primary optical frequency standard. The encoder shape encodes distance to rotation angle. By utilizing a laser source locked to a reference laser having a standardized (i.e., verified) secondary optical frequency for fundamental measurements of the encoder surface and real-time interferometer measurements, the encoder reports rotation angle measurements that are directly traceable to a primary optical frequency standard through the injected secondary optical frequency.

Interferometric rotary encoder

A laser metrology system may include a modulated measurement beam, a beam splitter for splitting the measurement beam into a local oscillator beam and a transmitted beam, an optical assembly for projecting the transmitted beam to a measured area on a surface of a target structure and for receiving a reflected beam from the measured area, a beam combiner for combining the reflected beam and the local oscillator beam into a detection beam, a detector for processing the detection beam, the detector including a micro-lens for projecting the detection beam, a photodetector for carrying out coherent detection of the detection beam and detector electronics in communication with the photodetector for generating informational data from the detection beam, and a range processor for computing dimensional data about the measured area from the informational data.

Laser metrology system and method

An integral phased array module may include a substrate and a radio frequency (RF) element provided in relation to the substrate. The RF element being configured to at least one of transmit and receive RF signals. The RF element includes a footprint of a particular size and shape with respect to the substrate and the substrate is sized to accommodate the footprint of the RF element. The integral phased array module may also include an optical function element configured to perform an optical function. The optical function element is located relative to the RF element on the substrate for integrating multi-band functionality into a single aperture.

Integral RF-optical phased array module

Systems and methods for measuring a surface of an object. The system, in one embodiment, includes a laser projector device mounted at a fixed location relative to an object being formed by a fabrication process, and a videogrammetry device mounted at another fixed location relative to the object. The laser projector device includes a laser element mounted on a two-axis gimbal assembly, and the gimbal assembly directs laser beams from the laser element onto target points on a surface of the object. The laser projector device measures angles of the laser beams to the target points, while the videogrammetry device simultaneously performs measurements of the target points by capturing video images of the laser beams reflecting off of the target points. A controller processes the measurements from the laser projector device and the videogrammetry device to calculate x, y, z coordinates of the target points in a 3D coordinate system.

Laser videogrammetry

A method and apparatus for processing fuselage sections. A scanning system is positioned between a first fuselage section held in a first cradle and a second fuselage section held in a second cradle. A group of beams of light is transmitted from the scanning system to targets on a first interior surface of the first fuselage section and a second interior surface of the second fuselage section. A reflected light is detected from a beam of light. Measurements of the first fuselage section and the second fuselage section are generated from using the reflected light generated in response to the beam of light. The measurements enable shaping at least one of the first fuselage section and the second fuselage section for joining the first fuselage section to the second fuselage section.

A free-space laser communication system for bidirectional transmission of telemetry data in Gigabit Ethernet (GBE) protocol using a dual atmospheric effect mitigation approach. This free-space bidirectional GBE laser communication system utilizes an Optical Combining Receiver Array and a Framer/Forward Error Correction/Interleaver (FFI) device to mitigate the combined effects of atmospheric turbulence and channel fading. Since the FFI device is designed for Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) protocol, an intelligent (or smart) media converter is used to convert GBE telemetry data to SONET frames, which enables the FFI device to perform an error correction algorithm and provide a seamless error-free GBE laser communication link for distance over a kilometer. This bidirectional laser communication system can be implemented with low-cost commercially available components.

System for bidirectional free-space laser communication of gigabit Ethernet telemetry data

A wide angle scanning system includes a plurality of rotationally symmetrical transmissive optical elements each having a non-refracting surface and a refracting surface; and a mechanical beam steering system including micro-mechanical steering elements, each being coupled to a respective one of the plurality of rotationally symmetrical transmissive optical elements for rotating a respective rotationally symmetrical transmissive optical element about a center of rotation that coincides with a center of the non-refracting surface.

Agile conformal scanner

A non-contact biometric sensing device is described. The device includes a processing device, a user interface communicatively coupled to the processing device, a display communicatively coupled to the processing device, a laser doppler vibrometer sensor communicatively coupled to the processing device, and an infrared camera communicatively coupled to the processing device. The processing device is programmed to utilize mechanical motion data received from the laser doppler vibrometer sensor and thermal distributions data from the infrared camera to calculate biometric data, when signals originating from the laser doppler vibrometer sensor and the infrared camera are reflected back towards the device from a target.

Systems and methods for non-contact biometric sensing

Systems and methods for determining the position of an object in a coordinate system. An exemplary system includes three or more laser ranging sensors each configured to direct a sensor beam of continuous-wave light toward a target. Light reflecting off the target interferes with the sensor beam creating an interference beam. The interference beam is combined with local oscillator beams in each laser ranging sensor to create a synthetic wave beam. Each of the laser ranging sensors also includes an array of photodetectors that sense the synthetic wave beam, and is able to measure a distance to the target based on output from the array of photodetectors. The system further includes a controller that receives a distance measurement from each of the laser ranging sensors, and calculates a position of the target in the coordinate system based on the distance measurements.

Position determination using synthetic wave laser ranging

A method and apparatus comprising a sensor array, a primary lens, and a moveable lens array. The sensor array comprises sensors arranged in an array in which the sensors are configured to generate image data. The primary lens is configured to direct light towards the sensor array. The moveable lens array comprises a number of lenses. The moveable lens array is moveable to a plurality of positions between the primary lens and the sensor array. Each lens in the number of lenses is configured to focus the light.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Jonathan Martin Saint Clair