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US 9,891,305 B2Granted
Chip-scale star tracker
AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
InventorsJuha-Pekka Laine, Gregory P. Blasche, Murali V. Chaparala, Robin Dawson, Benjamin Lane, Stephen P. Smith, Erik Waldron
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A chip scale star tracker that couples starlight into a lightguide such that the angle of incidence partially determines the mode of propagation of the starlight in the lightguide. A baffle system integrated with the lightguide prevents propagation of light incident from a predetermined range of angles.
Claims16
A star tracker comprising:
- a lightguide;
- a coupling structure disposed on a surface of the lightguide and configured to couple starlight into the lightguide such that a mode of propagation of the starlight in the lightguide is at least partially determined by an angle of incidence of the starlight on the coupling system;
- and
- a baffle system integrated with the lightguide and configured to prevent propagation in the lightguide of light incident on the coupling structure from a predetermined range of angles of incidence.
1 more element
A star tracker comprising:
- a lightguide;
- a coupling structure disposed on a surface of the lightguide and configured to couple starlight into the lightguide such that a mode of propagation of the starlight in the lightguide is at least partially determined by an angle of incidence of the starlight on the coupling system;
- a pair of optical apertures coupled to the lightguide, each configured to propagate a portion of the starlight;
- and
- an interferometer configured to determine phase information of the starlight propagated through each of the pair of optical apertures.
2 more elements
A method of capturing starlight comprising:
- coupling starlight from at least one star into a lightguide;
- propagating the starlight via the lightguide, wherein a mode of propagation of the starlight in the lightguide is based at least in part on an angle of incidence of the starlight on a surface of the lightguide
- providing the starlight, propagated via the lightguide, at a pair of optical apertures;
- and
- determining phase information of the starlight provided at the pair of optical apertures.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.