Itt Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.

Peter J Wheel

Michael E Dobbs

Scott Nelson Mendenhall

Loren Woody

Michael W Millard

A light wave rangefinder includes a light transmitting optical system for directing a laser pulse at a target, and a light receiving optical system for receiving reflected light from the target, including a Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (APD) array and a non-imaging optical device. The non-imaging optical device is positioned between the received reflected light and the APD array, and is configured to uniformly distribute the received reflected light across the APD array. The APD array is uniformly illuminated by a single received reflected laser pulse, producing a plurality of Geiger-mode avalanche events.

Photon-counting, non-imaging, direct-detect LADAR

In an imaging system providing an image of a target of interest, a method of reducing interference from a laser beam includes the steps of: (a) receiving optical energy from the target of interest and the laser beam; (b) forming an interferogram of spectral energy, at each spatial position of an image, based on the optical energy received in step (a); (c) detecting the interferogram of spectral energy, at each of the spatial positions, to provide a corresponding spectral band of intensity values; (d) selecting an intensity level in the spectral band, detected in step (c), that is greater than a predetermined value, and reducing the selected intensity level; and (e) forming an image of the target of interest, after reducing the selected intensity level of step (d).

Laser counter-measure using fourier transform imaging spectrometers

A system for tuning one or more second radiant sources relative to a first radiant source may include a coupler configured to combine output signals from the first radiant source and a second radiant source to generate a heterodyne signal containing a frequency difference between the output signals from the first radiant source and the second radiant source. A photodetector may be configured to convert the heterodyne signal into an electrical signal containing the frequency difference. A spectrum analyzer may be configured to measure the frequency difference in the electrical signal and generate a precise difference value. A controller may be configured to adjust a wavelength of the second radiant source relative to that of the first radiant source based on the precise difference value. Laser spectroscopy may be performed by passing the output signals from the first radiant source and the second radiant source through a sample volume and detecting reflected or emitted radiation.

Laser spectroscopy using a master/slave architecture

An apparatus and method of dynamically optimizing an acquisition range of a radar system, including modulating a CW radar signal with a PN code that has an adjustable code frequency of modulation and an adjustable chip length. The method includes transmitting the modulated radar signal and receiving a return radar signal, based on the transmitted radar signal. The method continuously measures a SNR of the received return radar signal, and adaptively tunes the adjustable code frequency of modulation, and adaptively tunes the adjustable chip length, based on the continuously measured SNR. In this manner, the acquisition range of the radar system is optimized.

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Fort Wayne, IN, United States of America

Peter J Wheel