Mbda UK Limited

British Aerospace Plc

Matra Bae Dynamics (uk) Limited

Lee Douglas Miller

Martyn Robert Jennings

Thomas J Richards

David Morgan

Karen Louise McKee

George William Game

James S Mulley

David E T F Ashby

John G Morgan

Karen Louise Mckee

A sensor for a missile seeker includes a primary, concave, reflector that is reflective to RF waves and to another kind of waves, but that includes a transmissive region, through which RF waves can pass. A secondary, convex, reflector is reflective to RF waves but transmissive, and not reflective, to the other kind of waves, and is arranged facing the primary reflector to further reflect RF waves reflected by the primary reflector through the transmissive region of the primary reflector. An RF detector is arranged on the opposite side of the primary reflector from the secondary reflector and arranged to detect the RF waves reflected by the secondary reflector through the transmissive region of the primary reflector. A second detector, for detecting the other kind of waves, is arranged on the opposite side of the secondary reflector from the primary reflector and is arranged to detect the other kind of waves after they are reflected by the primary reflector and transmitted through the secondary reflector.

Missile seekers

A building comprising a plurality of rooms () includes a room occupancy sensing apparatus. A light source () emits a series of light pulses (), a plurality of waveguides deliver light from the light source to output nodes () located in the rooms, and a signal capture unit () receives output signals resulting from light reflected by objects in the rooms. The apparatus detects movement, of for example a person (), in a room and ascertains the room concerned by virtue of (i) detecting a difference between the shape of the waveform of the signal () received at the signal capture unit () in response to a first emitted light pulse and the shape of the waveform of the signal () received at the signal capture unit in response to a second emitted light pulse and (ii) relating said reflected light pulses to the appropriate output node and therefore to the room () associated with that output node ().

Room occupancy sensing apparatus and method

A guided munition () includes a warhead () within the nose section () and processing electronics () arranged within the munition () behind the warhead (). A plurality of sensors () are arranged within the nose section () for sensing a target. The sensors () are remote from but in communication with the processing electronics ().

Guided munition

Described herein is an optical fuze for a guided missile that comprises an array of a large number of optical apertures distributed about the outer surface of the missile. An optical waveguide network selectively couples the array of apertures to a laser source and to a photodetector such that light from the laser source is emitted by selected ones of said apertures, and light returned from a target is received by selected ones of said apertures and directed by said optical waveguide network to said photodetector. These apertures might be arranged to form a composite target images in a particular direction, and/or may be arranged to perform a sensing operation along selected directions. The optical proximity fuze described herein provides inherent flexibility in the way the fuze can be configured in the missile for optimisation for different applications.

Optical proximity fuze

A target scene generator for testing an imaging ladar in a Hard Ware in the Loop arrangement, such as might be employed for testing an optical seeker on a guided missile, the generator comprising an array of pixel elements, a photodetector for detecting incident light from a ladar a laser source for generating pulses of light representing returned ladar pulses, and a reconfigurable fiber network including an optical switch selectively coupling the laser to the pixel elements, and a controller which selectively reconfigures the fiber network, to present to selected pixel elements the pulses of light with selected time delay characteristics such that light emitted from the pixels represent light returned from a target illuminated by the ladar.

Target scene generator having a reconfigurable optical waveguide network for testing pulsed laser sensing apparatus

A laser device and a method of pumping a laser gain medium (R) comprise directing pulses of laser light from a pump laser () to a series of separate locations (and) arranged longitudinally along the gain medium (R) in the direction of laser propagation. Each pulse of laser light generates a population inversion in an associated portion of the gain medium (R) just ahead of the laser photons. The pulses from the pump laser () are transmitted by a splitter () to the series of separate locations by optical delay lines (and) and each delay line is arranged to pump a different portion of the gain medium to cause a localised population inversion. The pulse transmission delays deliver a sequence of pulses to the portions of the gain medium (R) such that each portion will in turn contribute to amplification of a laser propagating within the gain medium (R).

Laser

An electromagnetic signal processing system () comprises a plurality of optical fiber arrays (and) each having a cluster of optical fibers with their one ends () oriented to receive electromagnetic radiation from free-space, or to transmit electromagnetic radiation into free-space. Received electromagnetic radiation passes through respective array outputs (and) and optical delays () to the input () of a signal detector (). Transmitted electromagnetic radiation from sources () passes through optical delays () to array inputs (and) so that the one ends () of the optical fibers transmit the electromagnetic radiation into free-space.

Optical imaging system with optical delay lines

A signal processing system () has a plurality of optical fibers () with their one ends () mounted in an array board () to receive electromagnetic radiation. A coupler () interconnects the other ends of the optical fibers () in parallel such that electromagnetic radiation is first coupled together and then directed into two or more independent processing channels ().

Signal processing system

An optical fibre core () having a reflective coating () along a first part of its length such that electromagnetic radiation may travel along the first part of the optical fibre by means of reflection, and further having a cladding () along a second part of its length, the cladding having a refractive index suitable for permitting the electromagnetic radiation to travel along the second part of the optical fibre. The invention also provides a fibre optic coupling arrangement for coupling a light pipe to a clad optical fibre, the coupling arrangement comprising a light pipe comprising an optical fibre core having a reflective coating and a clad optical fibre comprising an optical fibre core with cladding surrounding the core, the optical fibre core of the light pipe being optically joined to the optical fibre core of the clad optical fibre such that electromagnetic radiation is able to travel from the light pipe to the clad optical fibre, wherein tapered cladding is provided in the region where the light pipe is optically joined to the clad optical fibre.

Tapered optical fibre with a reflective coating at the tapered end

A laser-radar receiver comprising an array of optical fibers, wherein the opposite ends of the optical fibers are connected to at least one electromagnetic radiation detector, each of the optical fibers having differing physical characteristics which result in known delays in the transmission time of pulsed electromagnetic radiation.

Pulse shifted array

An electromagnetic radiation (EMR) multiple pulse generator, comprising, an EMR source for producing discrete pulses of radiation, an EMR splitter for receiving the pulses of radiation produced by the EMR source, said splitter providing a plurality of EMR transmission paths for the received pulses, each of said transmission paths having physical characteristics for modifying EMR pulses passing through said paths relative to the input pulses,an EMR combiner for combining the modified outputs of said plurality of EMR transmission paths, andat least one combined EMR output transmission path for transmitting said combined EMR output.

Multiple pulse generation

Apparatus for directing electromagnetic radiation (EMR) comprising an EMR source for producing discrete pulses of radiation, an EMR splitter, the EMR splitter providing a plurality of EMR transmission paths for received pulses, the EMR transmission paths terminating in an array, and optical means for receiving EMR emanating from the array and for directing said EMR.

Apparatus for directing electromagnetic radiation

A system for generating electromagnetic radiation comprising a flux generator for generating a high intensity current and conversion means in the form of a reflex triode or a plasma focus device for converting said current into a high energy radiation beam.

Generation of electromagnetic radiation

A system for tracking a projectile utilizing a laser beam modulated by an acousto-optic cell. Transponders distributed on hemispheres around the rear of the projectile detect the scanned beam and actively transmit a narrow optical beam back to a ground-based receiver in response to a detection of the scanned beam. IFF information can be modulated onto beam actively transmitted from the transponder. The system provides active two-way communications with comparatively simple components.

Growing community of inventors

Portishead, United Kingdom

Lee Douglas Miller