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:
May. 29, 2012
Filed:
Sep. 10, 2009
Thomas J. Wetherell, Colorado Springs, CO (US);
Byron B. Taylor, Tucson, AZ (US);
Thomas J. Wetherell, Colorado Springs, CO (US);
Byron B. Taylor, Tucson, AZ (US);
Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US);
Abstract
An optical system includes actuators in a coupling between a detector, such as a focal plane array, and a frame (mount) that supports the detector. The actuators may be actuated piezoelectric shims that can have their thickness adjusted by applying a voltage to them. The adjustment of the thickness of the actuators (shims) may be used to control tilt and focus (axial position) of the detector relative to the frame (and other parts of the optical system). The optical system may be part of a flying vehicle, such as a spacecraft or aircraft, for instance a missile. The system may include a temperature sensor, and a control system that adjusts the thickness the actuated shims based on temperature, for example using a lookup table.