Invention Application
- Patent Title: OPTICAL SENSOR WITH DUAL-AXIS GIMBALLED TRANSMITTER AND STARING DETECTOR
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Application No.: US17474504Application Date: 2021-09-14
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Publication No.: US20240402303A1Publication Date: 2024-12-05
- Inventor: Gerald P. Uyeno , Eric Rogala , Mark K. Lange , Sean D. Keller , Vanessa Reyna , Benn H. Gleason , Craig O. Shott , Garret A. Odom , Jon E. Leigh
- Applicant: Raytheon Company
- Applicant Address: US MA Waltham
- Assignee: Raytheon Company
- Current Assignee: Raytheon Company
- Current Assignee Address: US MA Waltham
- Main IPC: G01S7/481
- IPC: G01S7/481 ; F41G7/22 ; G01S17/66

Abstract:
The design of an existing air-to-air missile seeker is adapted to new missions that require both active laser illumination and detection (passive or active) capabilities. The gimbal is used to point the laser beam to a desired location in a transmit FOR. This approach minimizes the size, weight and power of the sensor because only a small portion of the transmit FOR is illuminated at any instant. This minimizes the laser output required, which reduces the power to operate the laser and the power to maintain the laser at operating temperature. In existing seekers, the gimbal points the detector in the desired direction to expand its FOR. To address the limitations of coupling the laser beam into the gimbaled optical system, the gimbal cannot perform the steering function for the detector. Instead, a staring detector receives light through an off-gimbal aperture within a fixed receive FOR that overlaps the transmit FOR.
Public/Granted literature
- US12270946B2 Optical sensor with dual-axis gimballed transmitter and staring detector Public/Granted day:2025-04-08
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