Raytheon Company

Lawrence A Westhoven, Jr

David R Smith

Nicholas Bert Saccketti

James R Myers

Darin Scot Williams

Scott W Sparrold

Richard J Wright

Daniel W Brunton

David Brooke Hatfield

Christopher L Hernandez

Stephen M Jensen

Alexandra L Blake

Jason R Petty

William J Degnan, Iii

A stray light baffle for a seeker or other sensor system and a method for making the same are provided. The seeker, for example, may include a first receiver configured to receive an infrared signal, a second receiver configured to receive a radio frequency signal, a dichroic mirror configured to reflect the infrared signal toward the first receiver and to transmit the radio frequency signal toward the second receiver, and a stray light baffle having a coarse surface comprising a plurality of peaks and a plurality of valleys, wherein an average height of the plurality of peaks is greater than or equal to an average width of the plurality of valleys.

Stray light baffle for a seeker or other sensor system and a method for making the same

Embodiments of a guided munition are provided, as are embodiments of a method for equipping a guided munition with a self-deploying dome cover. In one embodiment, the guided munition includes a munition body, a seeker dome coupled to the munition body, and a self-deploying dome cover disposed over the seeker dome. The self-deploying dome cover is configured to deploy and expose the seeker dome during munition flight in response to aerodynamic forces acting on the self-deploying dome cover.

Guided munitions including self-deploying dome covers and methods for equipping guided munitions with the same

An infrared-transparent structure includes a first infrared-transparent element that is transparent to infrared radiation in the 3.6-7 micrometer wavelength range, preferably coated with a zinc-sulfide antireflective coating, and a layer of a solvent-free, infrared-transparent polymer transparent on the first infrared-transparent element. The polymer is formed of an addition-cured silicone, such as addition-cured dimethyl silicone, and a small amount of an adhesion promoter, such as 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane. The polymer layer may either be a surface layer, or it may be used as an adhesive between the first infrared-transparent element and a second infrared-transparent element.

Infrared-transparent structure including an adherent, infrared-transparent polymer layer

A cryostat (12) with an actuator (40) which reacts to sensed temperature changes via externally controlled thermal heating generated therein. The actuator (40) is constructed with material having a high coefficient of thermal expansion. A flexible heating element (44) is embedded in the actuator material. A temperature sensor (62) provides a signal to cryostat control electronics. Responding to the temperature signal, the control circuitry (60) regulates current to the heating element (44) in the actuator (40). As the actuator temperature increases due to the heat generated by the heating element (44), it expands and moves open an attached needle (50) relative to an orifice (30), thereby increasing cryogen flow and regulating cooling. When the desired cold temperature is attained, current and heating are stopped. Flowing cryogen cools the actuator which shortens the actuator and pulls the attached needle into the orifice to regulate flow. The heating and cooling cycle repeats itself when the sensed temperature rises to an unacceptable value. The heating element (44) provides the ability to control actuator heating. It provides greater sensitivity and travel by inducing actuator temperature change rates and magnitude significantly larger than cryogen changes in temperature, which limit passive actuator designs.

Reactive thermo elastic cryostat

A blur film is made of a polymeric film material transmissive to infrared energy of a selected waveband, which is affixed to a surface of a substrate transmissive to energy of the same selected infrared waveband. The blur film has a texture or a plurality of lenslets thereon, where the surface of each lenslet is a surface of revolution. In a spatial-filter wheel application, the blur film and substrate are affixed to a support, which in turn is rotatably mounted on a drive. The support is structured such that a portion of its circumference is covered by the blur film and a portion of its circumference is not covered by the blur film. The spatial-filter wheel is rotated in front of a detector to produce alternating blurred and direct images on the detector.

Blur film assembly for infrared optical applications

Growing community of inventors

Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Lawrence A Westhoven, Jr