The Boeing Company

Other

Neil F Ruggieri

Robert R Rice

Robert A Morgan

Richard A Skogman

J Stanley Whiteley

Mark S Zediker

Jack Herbert Hollister

Kenneth Leonard Bernier

Joe B Russek

Robert G Becnel

Richard J Tansey

Karol Grabczewski

Patricia W Stevens

A method and apparatus for monitoring vehicles. The vehicles are monitored using a sensor unit. The sensor unit comprises a housing, a camera system, a wireless communications system, and a controller associated with the housing. The camera system has a field of view and is configured to generate images. The wireless communications system is configured to transmit wireless signals. The controller is configured to detect a number of vehicles in the images, generate information for the number of vehicles, and send the information in the wireless signals. The information for the number of vehicles is sent to a remote location.

Portable and persistent vehicle surveillance system

A fiber optic phased array, as well as associated methods and apparatus for controllably adjusting the frequency of the optical signals emitted by a fiber optic phased array, are provided that permit wide band phase control and may be implemented utilizing conventional analog electronics. In this regard, the method and apparatus can independently control the phase of the optical signals propagating through each fiber optic amplifier of the fiber optic phased array, even as large optical phase disturbances occur. As such, the control method and apparatus permit a fiber optic phased array to generate a flat phase front that, in turn, can provide a diffraction limited output laser beam. Alternatively, the control method and apparatus may be designed such that the output signals emitted by an array of fiber optic amplifiers has any other desired phase front, such as to compensate for atmospheric perturbations or the like.

Method and apparatus for controlling a fiber optic phased array utilizing frequency shifting

An electron beam pumped semiconductor laser screen and an associated fabrication method are described which provide a display screen that has a relatively long operating lifetime, is less expensive to produce, and operates at lower electron voltages and near room temperature conditions. The laser screen includes a multi quantum well active gain region having quantum wells of GaInP and barrier layers of (Al Ga )InP, thereby permitting operation in the visible, red spectrum. Moreover, the first layer epitaxially grown on the sacrificial substrate is an etch stop layer of (Ga Al ) In P that acts as an etch stop during the subsequent etching of the sacrificial substrate and may also be used to adjust the cavity length to the correct resonance condition. The laser screen also includes an output mirror having alternating layers of two different compositions of Ga Al As that are epitaxially grown on the multi quantum well active gain region. The output mirror can also include a thin, final layer of GaAs to cap the structure and prevent degradation of the Ga Al As layers. The semiconductor laser screen also includes a carrier that is affixed to the output mirror. Further, the laser screen includes a metallic mirror and, in one embodiment, a hybrid metallic-dielectric mirror on the etch stop layer opposite the output mirror. As such, a laser cavity is defined between the output mirror and the metallic mirror. The semiconductor laser screen may be integrated into an electron beam pumped semiconductor laser which forms the basis for a projection display. A fabrication method is also provided.

Electron beam pumped semiconductor laser screen and associated fabrication method

An optical fiber amplifier employing a prism to optimally couple pump energy into the pump core of a dual clad fiber. The optical fiber amplifier consists of a dual clad fiber having an inner (e.g., signal) core, an outer (e.g., pump) core surrounding the inner core, and a cladding layer at least partially surrounding the outer core. Pump energy can be injected into the outer core through the prism located adjacent to the outer core in order to amplify signals propagating through the inner core.

Fiber amplifier having a prism for efficient coupling of pump energy

A fiber optic projection device is provided that includes red, green and blue fiber optic sources, each of which includes at least one fiber amplifier for emitting an amplified signal of a predetermined wavelength. To provide signals that are scalable to high power levels, each fiber optic source can include a master oscillator, a plurality of fiber amplifiers for amplifying the input signals provided by the master oscillator and a combiner for combining the amplified signals emitted by each of the fiber amplifiers. While the fiber amplifier of each fiber optic source can be a dual core fiber that is appropriately doped, the red fiber optic source can include fiber amplifiers that rely upon Raman gain to provide the desired amplification. The red fiber optic source therefore not only includes a master oscillator, but also includes a red subharmonic oscillator for generating signals having a Raman seed wavelength for amplification by the fiber amplifiers. Each fiber optic source also includes a frequency altering device, such as a frequency doubler, for altering the frequency of the amplified signals to produce a signal having the respective color. The fiber optic projection device also includes at least one modulator for individually modulating the intensity of the signals having the respective colors. For example, the master oscillator can be modulated to control the duty cycle of the emitted signals. Further, the fiber optic projection device can include a projector for mixing the modulated signals having the different colors to create a full color image.

Fiber optic projection device

Growing community of inventors

St. Louis, MO, United States of America

Neil F Ruggieri