Raytheon Company

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Stephen P Shaffer

Russell K Jones

Hector A Quevedo

Stephen M Palik

Conrad Stenton

Richard Chin

Gary Mladjan

Robert L Sendall

Tim Gallagher

John C Bretney

According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a TDI sensor comprising a plurality of light sensing elements arranged in a row, each configured to accumulate charge proportional to an intensity of light incident on it from a field of view, and means for improving the sampling resolution of the TDI sensor by electronically introducing phase shift between a first set of image data generated by the plurality of light sensing elements at a first phase and a second set of image data generated by the plurality of light sensing elements at a second phase, for reading out the first set of image data and the second set of image data from a light sensing element at an end of the row of light sensing elements, and for generating an image of the field of view based on the two sets of phase shifted image data.

Time delay and integration (TDI) imaging sensor and method

According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a TDI image sensor comprising an array of light sensing elements, at least one clock, and an image processor, wherein the at least one clock is configured to operate a first plurality of the light sensing elements to transfer accumulated charge to an adjacent element at a first phase and to operate a second plurality of the light sensing elements to transfer accumulated charge to an adjacent element at a second phase, and wherein the image processor is configured to read out a first signal from the first plurality of light sensing elements corresponding to a total charge accumulated at the first phase, to read out a second signal from the second plurality of light sensing elements corresponding to a total charge accumulated at the second phase, and to combine the first signal and the second signal to generate an image.

A method and apparatus for propagating a laser beam. The laser beam pulse is passed through a first lens which focuses the laser beam pulse at a focal point of the first lens. An electronegative gas at substantially atmospheric pressure is configured to surround the focal point in order to suppress an ionization effect by the laser beam pulse at the focal point.

Use of sulfur hexafluoride gas to prevent laser induced air breakdown

An optical alignment system for controlling the position of a laser beam through an optical train. The optical alignment system includes a semiconductor laser source for the generation of an alignment beam, and a beam steering device to manipulate the position of the alignment beam on a multi-element detector. The semiconductor laser is driven to mode hop at a frequency greater than the upper frequency limit of the multi-element detector. Driving the semiconductor laser to mode hop at a frequency greater than the upper frequency limit of the multi-element detector results in a more uniform alignment beam as seen by the detector, as the alignment beam becomes an average of all the operational modes of the semiconductor laser. A more uniform alignment beam results in improved accuracy of the alignment system.

Precision optical alignment system

A thermal imaging device (10) provides for its use with a variety of accessory telescopic lenses (12). Each of the accessory telescopic lenses (12) and the thermal imaging device (10) include cooperating physical features allowing the lenses (12) to be mated with the device (10) in a single relative position. Each lens (12) also carries a uniquely positioned magnet (176), and the thermal imaging device (10) includes a plurality of magnetically-responsive sensors (178) responding to the magnets (176) of the various lenses (12) to identify which (if any) of the accessory lens (12) is installed on the device (10). Some of the accessory lenses (12) also include a variable-power feature. These variable-power lenses (12) have an additional magnet (182) moving between an effective position and an ineffective position in response to a user-selected power setting for the lens (12). The thermal imaging device (10) includes an additional magnetically-responsive sensor (178) affected by the additional magnet (182) in its effective position, but not effected in the ineffective position of this additional magnet (182). Thus, the thermal imaging device (10) also identifies the power setting of an installed variable-power lens (12). The thermal imaging device (10) is provided with internal adjustments and operational options which are automatically implemented dependent upon which of the accessory lenses (12) a user installs on the device (10).

Thermal imaging device with selectively replaceable telescopic lenses

The present system provides a thermal imaging device including a detector array responsive to thermal infrared radiation. The detector array has a linearly-arrayed plurality of spaced-apart detector elements defining cooperatively a length dimension for the detector array. Each of the plurality of detector elements provides a corresponding individual electrical signal indicative of the thermal infrared radiation incident thereon. The detector elements vary from one another in the plurality of detector elements, and the thermal imaging device responsively provides a visible-light image replicating a viewed scene. The thermal imaging device includes a scanning device scanning the viewed scene across the plurality of detector elements in a direction generally perpendicular to the length dimension. The scanning device includes a first portion scanning the viewed scene across the entire plurality of the plurality of detector elements, and a second portion scanning the viewed scene across the plurality of detector elements with transposition of the viewed scene such that a portion of the viewed scene scanned by the first portion across a certain detector element is scanned across a detector element next-adjacent to the certain detector element.

Thermal imaging device

A thermal imaging device (10) includes a detector (50) having a linearly-arrayed plurality of spaced apart detector elements (50') upon which portions of a viewed scene are sequentially scanned by a scanner (22) in order to capture image information from the scene. A display device (22, 62, 66) similarly includes a first linear array of plural spaced apart light emitting diodes (LEDs) (62') which provide light scanned by the same scanner (22) to a user of the thermal imaging device (10) to provide an image replicating the viewed scene. The LEDs (62') of the display (22, 62, 66) are configured so that sequential portions of the image are interlaced and partially overlapped by the scanner (22) to provide a flat visual field which is free of raster lines. The display device (22, 62, 66) includes a second linearly-arrayed plurality of symbology LEDs (198) which are configured and positioned relative to the first plurality of LEDs (62') so that light from these LEDs is interlaced but not overlapped and so that symbology imagery presented by the second plurality of LEDs (198) is superimposed on the scene image presented to the user of the thermal imaging device (10).

Thermal imaging device with scanned light emitting diodes (LEDs) having

A thermal imaging device (10) includes a rotational scanning mirror (32) scanning a viewed scene across a linear detector array (50) including plural spaced apart detector elements (50', 50', 50'', . . . ). The scanner includes an annular magnetic track (174) carried on the rotational scanning mirror (32), and a stationary reading head (178) responding to passage of magnetic domains (176) on the magnetic track (174) to commutate position of the rotational scanning mirror (32). The reading head (178) includes pairs of magneto-resistive elements (182) which are physically positioned relative to one another and are electrically connected so as to be simultaneously exposed to respective magnetic flux maxima and magnetic flux minima as the scanner mirror (32) rotates. As a result, domain-to-domain variations of flux intensity of the magnetic domains (176) on the magnetic track (174) are averaged out. Consequently, a much improved quality of commutation signal results, with improved timing correspondence of the rotational position and speed of the scanning mirror to the requirements of the thermal imaging device (10).

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West Hills, CA, United States of America

Stephen P Shaffer