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US 8,265,338 B2Granted
System and method for analysis of image data
AssigneeLockheed Martin Corporation
InventorWilliam H. Barrow
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and apparatus for optical damage assessment using an existing imaging focal plane array and a fixed or moving set of optics and filters. Advantages include cost reductions and improved reliability due to fewer components and therefore fewer points of failure.
Claims32
A method comprising:
- receiving incident radiation at an input aperture;
- dividing at least part of the incident radiation into a first beam and a second beam;
- filtering the first beam with a first waveband filter;
- filtering the second beam with a second waveband filter, where the first and second wavebands are different;
- focusing the first and second filtered beams onto an imaging focal plane array (FPA);
- detecting the first focused beam with a first read-out window on the FPA;
- detecting the second focused beam with a second read-out window on the FPA, where the first and second read-out windows do not overlap;
- and
- spectrally analyzing beam content detected by said first or second read-out windows.
6 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- an input aperture that accepts incoming incident radiation;
- a beam splitter that splits at least a portion of incident radiation into a first beam and a second beam;
- a first waveband filter that filters the first beam such that the first beam has a first waveband;
- a second waveband filter that filters the second beam such that the second beam has a second waveband, the first and second wavebands being different;
- an imaging focal plane array (FPA) configured with a plurality of non-overlapping read-out windows;
- an optical system in optical communication with said beam splitter and said focal plane array, said optical system focusing the first filtered beam onto a first read-out window of the FPA, and focusing the second filtered beam onto a second read-out window of the FPA,
- a spectral analyzer operatively connected to said FPA, the spectral analyzer analyzing the spectral content of the beams detected by the first and second read-out windows of said FPA.
4 more elements
An optical damage assessment system, the system including:
- an input aperture that accepts incoming incident radiation;
- a beam splitter that splits at least a portion of incident radiation into a first beam and a second beam;
- a first waveband filter that filters the first beam such that the first beam has a first waveband;
- a second waveband filter that filters the second beam such that the second beam has a second waveband, the first and second wavebands being different;
- an optical system in optical communication with said beam splitter and said focal plane array, said optical system focusing the first filtered beam onto a first read-out window of the FPA, and focusing the second filtered beam onto a second read-out window of the FPA, the optical system including:
- a first lens group that focuses the first and second filtered beams onto an intermediate focal plane;
- a field stop that passes the focused portions of the filtered beams;
- a second lens group that focuses the passed first and second filtered beams onto the read-out windows of the FPA;
- a spectral analyzer operatively connected to said FPA, the spectral analyzer analyzing the spectral content of the beams detected by the first and second read-out windows of said FPA;
- and
- a tracker operatively connected to said FPA, the tracker tracking an explosion, impact, or detonation based on imaging results detected by at least one read-out window, where said explosion, impact, or detonation emits radiation in the first and second wavebands;
- a read-out window control module operatively connected to the FPA, the control module controlling the size and location of the read-out windows on the FPA;
- and
- at least one actuator that that selectively moves at least one of said beam splitter, said waveband filters, and said optical system in and out of a beam path between said input aperture and said FPA, where the aperture and FPA of said apparatus are also the aperture and FPA of an imaging system.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.