Raytheon Company

Michael R Whalen

Scott W Sparrold

James P Mills

Dean B McKenney

Blake G Crowther

Mitchell D Gamble

A sensor system includes a sensor, and an optical train adjustable to provide an optical beam to the sensor from a selected line of sight that may be varied. The optical train includes a wavefront error-introducing element in the optical train, which introduces a wavefront error that is a function of the selected line of sight. There is further a rigid-body wavefront error-correcting element in the optical train. The rigid-body wavefront error-correcting element has a spatially dependent correction structure with the nature of the correction being a function of the selected line of sight. The adjustment of the optical train to the selected line of sight moves the optical beam to the appropriate location of the rigid-body wavefront error-correcting element to correct for the corresponding introduced wavefront error of the wavefront error-introducing element at that selected line of sight.

Sensor system with rigid-body error correcting element

A scanning sensor system includes a light sensor and a scanning telescope having a first telescope subassembly and a second telescope subassembly. Each of the telescope subassemblies has a primary telescope mirror oriented to receive an incident light beam over an angular viewing range as the primary telescope mirror is rotated about a primary-mirror rotation axis, and at least one additional telescope mirror positioned to receive a reflected light beam from the primary telescope mirror. A primary mirror drive rotates the primary telescope mirrors about the primary-mirror rotation axis at a primary mirror angular instantaneous rate of rotation. A half-angle derotation mirror has a derotation-mirror axis parallel to the primary-mirror rotation axis. The half-angle derotation mirror is positioned to reflect light in the optical path when each primary telescope mirror is within the angular viewing range and to direct the reflected image along the optical path toward the sensor. A derotation mirror drive rotates the derotation mirror about the derotation-mirror axis at a derotation angular rate of rotation that is one-half of the primary mirror angular instantaneous rate of rotation.

Scanning sensor system with multiple rotating telescope subassemblies

An optical correction technique which utilizes a pair of toroidal optical elements which are translated axially to provide dynamic correction of astigmatic aberrations induced by conformal/aspheric domes and windows as a function of sensor gimbal angle. This correction technique provides dual axis, variable optical power correction within the dynamic operation of gimballed optical sensors, and is particularly suited to correction of aberrations introduced by conformal/aspheric domes and windows used in both missile and airborne fire control systems.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Barbara, CA, United States of America

Michael R Whalen