Raytheon Company

Rayheon Company

Michael Kennedy Burkland

David Brooke Hatfield

Elaine Ellen Seasly

Sean P Kilcoyne

Byron B Taylor

Philip Christopher Theriault

Casey T Streuber

Andrew Michael Wilds

Robert Rinker

Peter A Bellus

Darrell R Rogers

Kristofer E Tvedt

Christopher E Thomas

Methods and apparatus for an assembly having a first wafer including bulk material and a layer having microelectronics and a wafer with a deposited thin film which is bonded to the first wafer such that the reflected film is embedded within the composed assembly. The reflector wafer can include a handle wafer and a thin film having reflectance characteristics to prevent imaging of the microelectronics via light through the bulk material.

Thin film obscurant for microelectronics

A ball joint gimbal (BJG) seeker assembly is provided and includes a back shell, a retaining system disposed to urge the seeker ball toward the back shell and a piezoelectric ultrasonic motor and sensor system arrayed between the seeker ball and the back shell. The piezoelectric ultrasonic motor and sensor system is pre-loaded by the retaining system and configured to controllably drive an angular orientation of the seeker ball.

Ultrasonic electro-optic seeker

A spherically constrained optical seeker assembly includes a spherical lens having an outer surface, an optical sensor assembly associated with the spherical lens, and a gimbal assembly. The optical sensor assembly is coupled to the gimbal assembly. The gimbal assembly is configured to move the optical sensor assembly to at least one desired position on the outer surface of the spherical lens. A method of manipulating the optical sensor assembly includes positioning the optical sensor assembly with respect to the spherical lens and moving the optical sensor assembly to at least one desired position with respect to the outer surface of the spherical lens by the gimbal assembly.

Spherically constrained optical seeker assembly

A method of forming of an item includes: selecting a component of the item that is formed of an element; mixing one or more identifiable additives with the element; forming the component with the mixture; performing an atomic level test on at least a portion of the component; and recording the results of the test.

Systems and methods for component identification

Embodiments of an infrared spectral modulator for scene-based non-uniformity image correction are generally disclosed herein. The spectral modulator may be suitable for use in a system for navigating an object having a flight path comprising an infrared sensor having an optical path; an infrared modulator in the optical path of the infrared sensor, wherein the infrared modulator is configured to allow the infrared sensor to perform in situ, real-time, scene-based non-uniformity correction; and a guidance system within the object, wherein the guidance system can adjust the flight path of the object based on the non-uniformity correction.

Infrared spatial modulator for scene-based non-uniformity image correction and systems and methods related thereto

An infared-based scope configured to obtain and display video imagery that allows a user to estimate wind speed and direction over a trajectory to a target based on observed air motion in the video imagery. In certain examples, the scope further includes electronics configured to calculate the wind speed using video image processing techniques.

Short-wave infrared based scope

In an absolute position encoder, a multi-spectral light source illuminates a position on a topographic surface at an angle of incidence determined from a vector normal to the surface. A target on, and positionally-registered to, the topographic surface comprises a variable grating that diffracts the incident light to form a multi-spectral diffraction pattern in which the angular dispersion of the diffraction pattern varies with the absolute position of the incident light along the grating. A chromatically responsive sensor detects a narrow band of the diffraction pattern through an entrance aperture positioned at an angle of detection determined from the vector normal to the topographic surface and outputs a signal responsive to the change in the angular dispersion of the detected narrow band of the diffraction pattern. The source/sensor unit maintains (within an acceptable noise tolerance) its geometric relationship to the vector normal to the topographic surface at the position of illumination. A processing element uses a system transfer function to map the detected signal to an absolute-position on the topographic surface.

Absolute position encoder

A fixed-source array test station provides a compact cost-effective high-throughput test bed for testing optical sensors that require stimulus at fixed angular positions. An array of fixed collimated sources at different angular positions in the sensor's FOV are positioned on a surface of a focal sphere at the effective focal length of a spherical lens and aligned along respective radial lines to the center of the spherical lens so that each said divergent optical beam is collimated by the spherical lens to form a collimated optical beam that overlaps the entire entrance pupil of the optical seeker. The sources are activated in accordance with an activation profile in order to calibrate or otherwise test the sensor.

Compact fixed-source array test station for calibration of a semi-active laser (SAL) seeker

A fixed-source array test station provides a cost-effective high-throughput test bed for testing optical sensors that require stimulus at fixed angular positions. A SAL seeker requires stimulus at fixed angular position across its FOV to calibrate its spatial transfer function (STF). An array of fixed collimated sources at different angular positions is aligned so that their beams overlap the entrance pupil of the sensor under test. Each source may comprise an inexpensive light emitting diode (LED) or vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and collimator. To simplify alignment the sources may be positioned on and perpendicular to the surface of a sphere with the seeker's entrance pupil located at the center of the sphere. The sources are activated in accordance with an activation profile in order to calibrate or otherwise test the sensor.

Fixed-source array test station for calibration of a semi-active laser (SAL) seeker

A system and method for modeling the effect of a molecular contaminant film on performance of an optical system is disclosed. A mass of material outgassed from materials of the optical system is correlated to spectrum of outgassed products. The spectrum of outgassed products is normalized, and an aggregate molecular contaminant film thickness is predicted from each material. The absorbance spectrum of the aggregate molecular contaminant film is derived, and the derived absorbance spectrum of the aggregate contaminant film is convolved with an optical system instrument function. A plot of at least one transmission band as a function of source temperature is performed to determine the degradation in performance of the optical system.

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Tucson, AZ, United States of America

Michael Kennedy Burkland