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US 7,460,247 B1Granted
Full spectrum optical safeguard
AssigneeSandia Corporation
InventorMark R. Ackerman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical safeguard device with two linear variable Fabry-Perot filters aligned relative to a light source with at least one of the filters having a nonlinear dielectric constant material such that, when a light source produces a sufficiently high intensity light, the light alters the characteristics of the nonlinear dielectric constant material to reduce the intensity of light impacting a connected optical sensor. The device can be incorporated into an imaging system on a moving platform, such as an aircraft or satellite.
Claims10
An optical safeguard device, comprising:
- a first linear variable Fabry-Perot filter aligned approximately parallel to a second linear variable Fabry-Perot filter, at least one of said filters comprising a nonlinear dielectric constant material said nonlinear dielectric constant material being thicker at one end of the material than the other end;
- and
- an optical sensor aligned to directly receive light transmitted through said second filter, thereby providing optical limiting of said transmitted light.
An optical safeguard device, comprising:
- a tight source capable of producing a high-intensity white light;
- a first linear variable Fabry-Perot filter aligned approximately orthogonal to said white light, said first linear variable Fabry-Perot filter comprising a nonlinear dielectric constant material said nonlinear dielectric constant material being thicker at one end of the material than the other end;
- a second linear variable Fabry-Perot filter aligned approximately parallel to said first linear variable Fabry-Perot filter;
- and
- an optical sensor aligned to directly receive light transmitted from said second linear variable Fabry-Perot filter, thereby providing optical limiting of said transmitted light.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.