The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 13, 1988
Filed:
Sep. 30, 1987
Lawrence B Brown, Annapolis, MD (US);
David N Wells, Alexandria, VA (US);
J Bradford Merry, Annapolis, MD (US);
Chesapeake Laser Systems, Inc., Lanham, MD (US);
Abstract
A system for tracking a randomly moving object using a laser beam and first and second beam steering assemblies. The steering assemblies pivot, respectively, about substantially perpendicular and intersecting X and Y axes and direct the laser beam along an R axis, which is perpendicular to the X axis and intersects the X and Y axes. Along the R axis, the laser beam is intercepted by a retroreflector, which is coupled to the moving object and which returns the laser beam to a quadrant detector via the steering assemblies. The quadrant detector generates an error signal representative of the object's movement relative to the X and Y axes, and this signal is transmitted to two motors which pivot the steering assemblies about the X and Y axes to reduce the error to zero. The system includes an interferometer to determine the distance of the object from a reference location. The first beam steering assembly includes two prisms which redirect the laser beam through three 90.degree. reflections from an initial direction parallel to the Y axis and towards the X axis to an intermediate direction along the X axis and towards the Y axis. The second beam steering assembly includes a third prism which redirects the laser beam through one 90.degree. reflection from the intermediate direction along the X axis to one coincident with the R axis.