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US 9,134,170 B2Granted
Optical detection of radiometric events
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsDavid Keith Mefford, Robert Alan Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A coherent fiber array is used to optically detect a radiometric event. The coherent fiber array has a dome-shaped detection surface and a planar output surface. Optical energy from the radiometric event is detected at the dome-shaped detection surface and transferred to the output surface. The coherent fiber array retains directionality of the radiometric event while transferring the optical energy from the dome-shaped detection surface to the planar output surface.
Claims20
An optical detection system comprising
- a coherent fiber array (CFA) having a dome-shaped detection surface and a flat output surface, the CFA including a plurality of optical fibers for collecting unfocused optical energy at the detection surface and transferring the collected optical energy to the output surface;
- a focal plane array (FPA) for creating an image of the output surface of the CFA;
- and a processor for processing the image, including computing azimuth (Θ) and elevation (φ) of a radiometric event as
- Θ
- =
- tan
- -
- 1
-
- (
- y
- x
- )
- ;
- and
- ϕ
- =
- cos
- -
- 1
-
- (
- d
- x
- 2
- +
- y
- 2
- +
- D
- 2
- )
- where x and y denote a pixel in x and y directions on the FPA, and D denotes axial distance from center of curvature to base of detection surface of the CFA.
30 more elements
A system comprising:
- a platform including one of a helmet, tripod, and a gun mount;
- an optical detector package mounted to the platform, the detector package including a coherent fiber array (CFA) having a dome-shaped detection surface and a flat output surface, the CFA including a plurality of optical fibers for collecting optical energy at the detection surface and transferring the collected optical energy to the output surface;
- and a focal plane array (FPA) for creating an image of the output surface of the CFA;
- wherein there are no lenslets at the dome-shaped detection surface of the CFA;
- and
- a processor for computing azimuth (Θ) and elevation (φ) of a radiometric event as
- Θ
- =
- tan
- -
- 1
-
- (
- y
- x
- )
- ;
- and
- ϕ
- =
- cos
- -
- 1
-
- (
- d
- x
- 2
- +
- y
- 2
- +
- D
- 2
- )
- where x and y denote a pixel in x and y directions on the FPA, and D denotes axial distance from center of curvature to base of detection surface of the CFA.
33 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.