Raytheon Company

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Drs Sensors & Targeting Systems, Inc.

Neil R Nelson

Steven R Wilkinson

Marco A Lopez

Lacy G Cook

Makan Mohageg

Harold J Orlando

Jeffrey L Sabala

Lawrence M Scherr

Jose B Quezada

Alexander S Sohn

An all-reflective coronagraph optical system for continuously imaging a wide field of view. The optical system can comprise a fore-optics assembly comprising a plurality of mirrors that reflect light rays, about a wide field of view centered around the Sun, to an aft-optics assembly that reflects the light rays to an image sensor. A fold mirror, having an aperture, is optically supported between the fore-optics assembly and the aft-optics assembly. The aperture defines an angular subtense (e.g., 1.0 degree) sized larger than the angular subtense of the Sun. The aperture facilitates passage of a direct solar image and a solar thermal load. A thermal control subsystem comprises a shroud radiatively coupled to each fore-optics mirror and the fold mirror. A cold radiator is thermally coupled to each shroud. Heaters adjacent fore optics mirrors and the fold mirror control temperature to provide a steady state optical system to minimize wavefront error.

All-reflective solar coronagraph sensor and thermal control subsystem

An apparatus includes a four-braid resistive heater, which includes a conductive structure configured to transport electrical currents and to generate heat based on the electrical currents. The conductive structure has first, second, third, and fourth electrical conductors. The first and second electrical conductors are looped around each other along a length of the conductive structure. The third and fourth electrical conductors are looped around each other along the length of the conductive structure. Loops formed with the first and second conductors are interleaved with loops formed with the third and fourth conductors along the length of the conductive structure. The first and third electrical conductors can be electrically coupled together, and the second and fourth electrical conductors can be electrically coupled together.

Four-braid resistive heater and devices incorporating such resistive heater

A system for synchronizing a first clock and a second clock includes a receiver associated with the first clock, configured to receive a remote pulse from the second clock. The remote pulse has a pulse repetition frequency and spectral characteristics that are known to the local clock. The system also includes a local pulse emitter configured to create a local pulse at the first clock, and optics configured to align the local pulse and the remote pulse. The system further includes an interferometer configured to create an interference pattern between the local pulse and the remote pulse. A controller is provided that is configured to calculate a time delay between the first clock and the second clock based on the interference pattern between the local pulse and the remote pulse.

System and method for synchronizing a local clock with a remote clock

Synchronization of remote clocks

A hyperspectral scene generator generates a projected linear scene where the spectral characteristics at each location that forms the scene are dynamically and arbitrarily controllable. The generator can be controlled to generate a projected linear scene including a targeted object and arbitrary spectral content that duplicates the spectral content of real targets and backgrounds to facilitate testing of target identification software of a hyperspectral imaging system in view of expected actual field operation of the sensor of the imaging system.

Hyperspectral scene generator and method of use

This invention is an apparatus and method that is able to accurately measure the system level modulation transfer function in the presence of fixed pattern noise from an imaging system electronics.

Fixed pattern compensation with adaptive window for MTF testing

A non-mechanically scanned optical sensor system includes a stationary sensor array having an image plane, a lens system characterized by a field of view corresponding to image of a scene viewed by the lens system, an image divider for dividing the image into plural contiguous sub-images and a device for directing each of the sub-images onto substantially the entirety of the image plane of the sensor array. The directing device in one embodiment is an array of small lenses coextensive with respective light beams of respective sub-images of an image viewed by the lens system. In another embodiment, both the image divider and the directing device are realized together as an X-Y addressable array of electrically deformable optical elements, such as silicon micro-mirrors, individually directing respective ones of the sub-images to the sensor array. In another embodiment, the image divider is a spatial light modulator having an array of optical shutters controlling respective sub-images.

Growing community of inventors

Anaheim, CA, United States of America

Neil R Nelson