USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Peter L Wick, Jr

David O Hubble

Kevin A Boulais

Francisco Santiago

Victor H Gehman, Jr

Karen J Long

Alfredo N Rayms-Keller

Evan Manley Bates

Alexander Strugatsky

A spinning flat plate calorimeter device is provided for receiving and measuring laser energy. The device includes a circular disk, a shaft, a structure and a motor. The circular disk has temperature-detection instrumentation for measuring temperature from the laser energy. The shaft is supported by distal and proximal bearings. The structure supports the disk, shaft and its bearings. The motor turns the shaft and the disk. Additionally, the disk further includes a flat plate, a yoke wheel and a plurality of spacers. The plate has an obverse face for receiving the laser energy and a reverse face with a spiral groove for attaching the instrumentation. The yoke wheel attaches to the shaft. The thermal isolator spacers mechanically attach the yoke wheel to the flat plate.

Spinning flat plate calorimeter

An actuator mechanism is provided for disposing a plurality of filters into and out of a camera line-of-sight. The mechanism includes a base, a pair of frames, an axial shaft, a plurality of filter housings and a plurality of pivotable drivers. The base includes an auxiliary platform. The frames flank the base, and the shaft is disposed between the frames. Each filter housing holds a corresponding optical filter and is disposable in a deployment position in the line-of-sight and a withdrawn position out of the line-of-sight. The drivers are disposed on the platform. Each driver corresponds to an associated housing and is rotatable along the shaft to swing at least one housing between deployment and withdrawn positions upon command.

Actuator for positioning optical filters

A method for characterizing a laser beam profile is provided. The method includes disposing a laser target, moving the surface of the target, directing a laser to emit the beam at the surface, measuring a reflection from the surface as intensities, and averaging the intensities. The target's surface is disposed substantially perpendicular to an incident direction. The surface is reflective at a wavelength corresponding to the laser beam. The travel direction is substantially parallel to the surface. The laser beam travels along said incident direction to the surface. The reflection represents a plurality of intensities having a distribution of positions along the surface and during a temporal interval. The intensities are averaged over the temporal interval for each position of the distribution to produce an analyzed beam profile. Each position corresponds to a speed along the travel direction based on movement of the surface. The surface can be preferably spun along an axis substantially parallel to the incident beam.

Laser beam profile measurement

A micro designator dart engages a target to allow for designation and tracking of the target by transmitting a radio-frequency identification code. The housing of the micro designator dart is configured to enclose its components and deform upon impact with a target to allow a target-engaging member to physically attach the micro designator dart to the target. Also upon impact with the target, an impact-sensitive triggering mechanism in the micro designator dart activates a power source, causing a transmitter to send a predetermined coded infrared signal to the seeker unit of a precision guided munitions system. The micro designator dart may also include a self-destruct device.

Growing community of inventors

Fredericksburg, VA, United States of America

Peter L Wick, Jr