Raytheon Company

Hughes Aircraft Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Lacy G Cook

Ian S Robinson

Bryce A Wheeler

Chungte W Chen

John F Silny

Eric M Moskun

John J Ferrer

Mark T Busch

Roger J Withrington

Philip T Shimon

Brian D Cohn

Stuart H Klapper

Robert William Byren

Andrew Lyle Bullard

Kalin Spariosu

Gaylord E Moss

Mao-Jin J Chern

David A Ansley

William B King

Gerard L Rafanelli

Michael N Ernstoff

David M Masarik

Matthew J Klotz

Neil R Nelson

Paul R Salvio

Dominic R Gooden

Susan B Spencer

Howard M De Ruyter

Alex L Kormos

Brendan H Robinson

Larry L Cunningham

William R Lichty

Timothy P Johnson

Daryl R Iossi

Helene H Jones

Yifal J Shaham

Harvey M Spencer

Joshua J Thornes

Anthony S Lau

Alfred H Koppensteiner

George F Baker

Andrew J Avrick

Joseph M Kunick

Ronald C Loveridge

John S Hoos

Howard Laitin

Ray D Kroll

Roy A Patience

Gerard M Perron

Brian K Zellers

John F Silny, I

Adriane Stebbins

Jose B Quezada

Darcy J Morgan

John Hoos

Andrew J Lewanski

Roger Withrington

An optical sensor comprises foreoptics configured to receive an image signal, an image optic operable to focus the image signal, at least one focal plane array (FPA) configured to detect the image signal, and a jitter stabilization system. The jitter stabilization system can comprise a transmitter configured to transmit a jitter source signal to the foreoptics and a position sensor configured to receive a jitter return signal. The position sensor can be positioned at a shared focus with the at least one FPA. The optical sensor further comprises a diffraction grating operable to reflect and diffract at least a portion of the jitter source signal. The jitter return signal received at the position sensor comprises at least a portion of the reflected and diffracted jitter source signal.

Diffraction grating return mirror for wide field of view line of sight jitter sensing

A scan mirror reflectivity calibration device is provided for monitoring and calibration of a rotating two-sided scan mirror. The scan mirror reflectivity calibration device can comprise at least one light source assembly operable to direct light onto a back side of a rotating two-sided scan mirror. The at least one light source assembly can be mounted outside a swept volume of the rotating two-sided scan mirror. The scan mirror reflectivity calibration device further comprises at least one detector assembly operable to detect light that is emitted from the at least one light source assembly and is reflected off of the back side of the rotating two-sided scan mirror. The at least one detector assembly can be mounted outside the swept volume of the rotating two-sided scan mirror.

Scan mirror reflectivity calibration method and apparatus

A multi-function sensor system including an auto-alignment system. The multi-function sensor system includes a laser module configured to provide a transmit beam and an auto-alignment beam, a shared aperture component, a first channel configured to direct the transmit beam and the auto-alignment beam to the shared aperture component, a second channel configured to receive the transmit beam from the shared aperture component and provide a receive beam to the shared aperture component, and a third channel including a passive imager configured to receive the auto-alignment beam and a first portion of the receive beam from the shared aperture component, wherein the auto-alignment beam propagates through the passive imager to provide an indication of a line of sight (LOS) of the transmit beam relative to a field of view (FOV) of the passive imager.

WFOV backward-propagating active-to-passive autoalignment system

A LADAR system includes a transmitter configured to emit a directed optical signal. The LADAR system includes a shared optical aperture through which the directed optical signal is emitted. The shared optical aperture includes a first pupil plane. The shared optical aperture receives a return optical signal that is based on the directed optical signal. The system includes a mirror with a hole through which the directed optical signal passes. The mirror also reflects the return optical signal towards an imager. The imager receives the return optical signal and generates an image. The image is based on a portion of the return optical signal. The system also includes a partial aperture obscuration at a second pupil plane. The partial aperture obscuration may block a portion of internal backscatter in the return optical signal. The system also includes a focal plane to record the image.

Optical system to reduce local internal backscatter

A millimeter-wave optical imaging system including an imaging detector located at a focal plane of the optical imaging system, the imaging detector being responsive to electromagnetic radiation in wavelength range of approximately 5-50 millimeters, an immersion lens directly coupled to the imaging detector and configured to focus the electromagnetic radiation onto the imaging detector, wherein the focal plane is located on a planar surface of the immersion lens and the imaging detector is directly coupled to the planar surface, a positive power primary mirror configured to reflect the electromagnetic radiation towards the immersion lens, and one of a Fresnel lens or a diffraction grating configured to receive and direct the electromagnetic radiation towards the primary mirror.

Mm-wave short flat-field Schmidt imager using one or more diffraction grating(s) and/or Fresnel lens(s)

A system and method for measuring and removing jitter from an optical sensor includes a jitter stabilization system and at least one focal plane array. The jitter stabilization system is positioned at a shared focus of the focal plane array, which can be generated by an optical imager. A jitter signal of the jitter stabilization system makes a double pass through the system, contacting every reflective surface along the optical path within the system, before returning to a position sensing detector (PSD).

Optical sensor with jitter stabiliization

An optical sensor system includes a primary mirror configured to receive electromagnetic radiation from the objects, a secondary mirror configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the primary mirror, and a tertiary mirror configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation reflected from the secondary mirror. The system further includes a dichroic beamsplitter configured to direct electromagnetic radiation from a first spectrum along a first axis and to direct electromagnetic radiation from a second spectrum along a second axis. The system further includes a first image plane configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation from the first spectrum along the first axis to form a first image of the objects and a second image plane configured to receive the electromagnetic radiation from the second spectrum along the second axis to form a second image of the objects.

Multi-channel sensor using a rear-stopped reflective triplet

Methods and apparatus for sensor calibration of a system having an aperture, primary mirror, secondary mirror, and a sensor, such as an FPA IR sensor. A calibration system includes calibration energy sources with a movable first mirror configured to be selectively inserted into the optical path and select one of the calibration energy sources and a second mirror configured to image the selected calibration energy source.

Radiometric calibration of detector

An optical imaging system including refractive optics and a blocking component. The refractive optical having an entrance aperture and configured to receive optical radiation via an operational aperture, to focus the optical radiation onto a focal plane to form a telecentric image plane co-located with the focal plane, the operational aperture being co-located with the entrance aperture, having a diameter less than half a diameter of the entrance aperture, and being offset from a primary optical axis that bisects the entrance aperture by at least a radius of the entrance aperture, and a blocking component located at the entrance aperture on an opposite side of the primary optical axis from the operational aperture. The blocking component being configured to block the optical radiation from exiting the refractive optics via a region of the entrance aperture where the blocking component is located.

Methods and apparatus for reducing specular return from wide field-of-view refractive optics

An coronagraph optical system and method for continuously imaging a wide field of view that includes the Sun. Examples of the coronagraph optical system include an all-reflective foreoptics assembly that receives light rays from a viewed scene and a direct solar image of the Sun, a sensor assembly configured to produce an image of the viewed scene, an all-reflective relay optics assembly configured to receive the light rays from the foreoptics assembly and to reflect the light rays to the sensor assembly, and a solar rejection optical component positioned between the foreoptics assembly and the relay optics assembly and dynamically configurable such that the direct solar image of the Sun is reflected away from the relay optics assembly and the light rays are reflected to the relay optics assembly while an entrance aperture of the foreoptics assembly is continuously positioned towards the Sun.

All-reflective solar coronagraph sensor and thermal control subsystem

All-reflective optics for use in imaging spectrometers. In one example, an imaging spectrometer includes an entrance slit and spectrometer optics consisting of a primary mirror, a secondary mirror having a diffraction grating formed thereon, and a tertiary mirror, each of the primary mirror, the secondary mirror, and the tertiary mirror having free-form non-rotationally symmetric surface figures defined by Zernike polynomials. The spectrometer optics are configured to receive the telecentric image at the entrance slit, to disperse the optical radiation into its spectral components to provide dispersed optical radiation, and to focus the dispersed optical radiation onto an image plane positioned in a common plane with the entrance slit. The spectrometer optics have a physical length that is twice the length of the entrance slit, a ratio of a distance of the secondary mirror from the entrance slit to a distance of the primary mirror from the entrance slit being approximately 0.32.

Large format three-mirror dispersive spectrometer optics

A dual-band refractive inverse telephoto lens system configured for mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) operation. In certain examples the dual-band refractive inverse telephoto lens system includes first, second, third, and fourth lenses, each constructed from a material that is optically transparent in the mid-wave infrared and long-wave infrared spectral bands, and has an external pupil coincident with an aperture stop of the refractive inverse telephoto lens system, the aperture stop being located between the first, second, third, and fourth lenses and the infrared imaging detector to allow for 100% cold shielding.

Two-color inverse telephoto refractive optical form with external pupil for cold shielding

A system for imaging a biological target includes a light excitation source providing an excitation laser pulse. The system also includes an objective lens that receives reflections of the excitation laser pulse. The system further includes a reimaging optical lens that generates an image of an entrance pupil of the objective lens. The system includes a time-delayed detector that detects the image of the entrance pupil.

High sensitivity sensor utilizing ultra-fast laser pulse excitation and time delayed detector

A dual-band refractive optical system having an eyepiece-type arrangement and configured for mid-wave infrared and long-wave infrared operation. In one example the optical system includes a plurality of lenses, each constructed from a material that is optically transparent in the mid-wave infrared and long-wave infrared spectral bands. The lenses are arranged to receive infrared electromagnetic radiation in an operating waveband that includes at least a portion of the mid-wave infrared and at least a portion of the long-wave infrared spectral bands via a front external aperture stop and to focus the infrared electromagnetic radiation onto a rear image plane, the lenses being positioned between the front external aperture stop and rear image plane. The optical system can further include a corrector plate positioned coincident with the front aperture stop.

Two-color very wide field of view refractive eyepiece-type optical form

An all-reflective coronagraph optical system for continuously imaging a wide field of view. The optical system can comprise a fore-optics assembly comprising a plurality of mirrors that reflect light rays, about a wide field of view centered around the Sun, to an aft-optics assembly that reflects the light rays to an image sensor. A fold mirror, having an aperture, is optically supported between the fore-optics assembly and the aft-optics assembly. The aperture defines an angular subtense (e.g., 1.0 degree) sized larger than the angular subtense of the Sun. The aperture facilitates passage of a direct solar image and a solar thermal load. A thermal control subsystem comprises a shroud radiatively coupled to each fore-optics mirror and the fold mirror. A cold radiator is thermally coupled to each shroud. Heaters adjacent fore optics mirrors and the fold mirror control temperature to provide a steady state optical system to minimize wavefront error.

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El Segundo, CA, United States of America

Lacy G Cook