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:
Feb. 10, 1998
Filed:
Feb. 06, 1996
Carlo F LaFiandra, New Canaan, CT (US);
William M Rappoport, Weston, CT (US);
George R Huse, Danbury, CT (US);
Edward F Zalewski, Sandy Hook, CT (US);
Hughes Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A spacecraft telescope door (10) adapted for use with remote sensing devices requiring optical and infrared calibration. The door (10) includes a first calibration surface (24) disposed on a first panel (14) for providing a radiant temperature reference for infrared calibrations. A second calibration surface (26) is disposed on a second panel (12) for providing an absolute radiance reference for optical calibrations. A panel hinge (16) controls the relative position of the panels (12,14) with respect to each other, and an aperture hinge (20) controls the relative position of the panels with respect to the aperture (28). In a specific embodiment, the first surface (24) is painted with chemglaze Z306, a highly emissive paint with a low reflectance for facilitating infrared calibration. The second surface (26) is painted with YB71, a diffuse reflective paint for facilitating optical calibration. In the illustrative embodiment, the panel hinge (16) and the aperture hinge (20) are motorized for controlling the relative orientation of the panels (12,14) and the aperture (28). By controlling the orientation of the panels (12,14) and the aperture (28), the first surface (24) and the second surface (26) may be accurately positioned for infrared and optical calibrations respectively. In addition, the panels (12,14) may be positioned so as to protect the diffuse second surface (26) from ultraviolet degradation, as most white diffuse paints degrade with prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light. In addition, the first panel (24) may contain heaters and temperature sensors (25) for control of the radiant temperature.