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:
Apr. 17, 1990
Filed:
Feb. 04, 1988
James R Schaffer, Jr, Madison, AL (US);
Stephen K Pitalo, Huntsville, AL (US);
Henry P Lay, Huntsville, AL (US);
The Boeing Company, Seattle, WA (US);
Abstract
An apparatus and method are provided for static and dynamic testing of the boresight alignment of an electro-optic system, the system having a line-of-sight sensor responsive to first radiation from a target for sensing the location of the target and setting the direction of a target vector to correspond to the location of the target, and having a line-of-sight illuminator for directing an illumination beam of second radiation at the located target. The apparatus comprises a main optic for receiving the second radiation from the electro-optic system and focusing the second radiation about a focal point in a focal plane substantially perpendicular to a principal radiation path. The main optic includes a primary reflector for reflecting the first and the second radiations between the electro-optic system and a subreflector zone, a secondary reflector positioned in the subreflector zone and spaced from the primary reflector for reflecting the first and second radiations between the primary reflector and the focal plane along the principal radiation path. The apparatus comprises a first radiation source for generating a target beam of the first radiation and for directing the target beam along the principal radiation path sequentially to the secondary and primary reflectors and to the sensor of the electro-optic system, thereby causing the sensor to set the direction of the target vector in substantial correspondence with the target beam, and a detector responsive to the second radiation for detecting the location of the illumination beam relative to the location of the target vector.