54results about "Electromagnetic finder monitoring/testing" patented technology

The invention provides a method and apparatus for correcting for gain changes in detectors in a guided vehicle. In one version of the invention, an on board light source is used to generate a reference set of detector gains, which are stored in computer memory. The on board light source is then pulsed at subsequent times and the signals generated by the detectors are compared to the reference set of detector gains to determine whether any gains have changed.

Systems and methods of calibrating heliostat parameters for subsequent open-loop sun-tracking, the calibration based on driving artificial light source reflections from one or more heliostats into one or more image sensors.

An imaging sensor system comprising: a rigid mount plate affixed to a vehicle; a first rigid mount unit affixed to the mount plate and having at least two imaging sensors disposed within the first mount unit, wherein a first imaging and a second imaging sensor each has a focal axis passing through an aperture in the first mount unit and the mount plate, wherein the first and second imaging sensor each generates a first array of pixels, wherein each array of pixels is at least two dimensional, wherein the first and second imaging sensors are offset to have a first image overlap area in the target area, wherein the first sensors image data bisects the second sensors image data in the first image overlap area.

An optical imaging system and method including a movable pixelated filter array, a shutter mechanism to which the pixelated filter array is attached, and a controller configured to implement a data reduction algorithm. The shutter mechanism is configured to move the pixelated filter array into and out of the optical path, and the data reduction algorithm allows the controller to account for axial and / or lateral misalignment of the filter array relative to the imaging detector array or its conjugate. In certain examples, the controller is further configured to use the data reduction algorithms also to perform wavefront sensing, for example to estimate wavefront error.

The present invention provides for simple and streamlined boresight correlation of FLIR-to-missile video. Boresight correlation is performed with un-NUCed missile video, which allows boresight correlation and NUC to be performed simultaneously thereby reducing the time required to acquire a target and fire the missile. The current approach uses the motion of the missile seeker for NUCing to produce spatial gradient filtering in the missile image by differencing images as the seeker moves. This compensates DC non-uniformities in the image. A FLIR image is processed with a matching displace and subtract spatial filter constructed based on the tracked scene motion. The FLIR image is resampled to match the missile image resolution, and the two images are preprocessed and correlated using conventional methods. Improved NUC is provided by cross-referencing multiple measurements of each area of the scene as viewed by different pixels in the imager. This approach is based on the simple yet novel premise that every pixel in the array that looks at the same thing should see the same thing. As a result, the NUC terms adapt to non-uniformities in the imager and not the scene.

Disclosed is a controlling apparatus for use in a photovoltaic system. The photovoltaic system includes a solar cell array, an inverter and a solar tracker. The solar tracker includes a solar position sensor, a controller connected to the solar position sensor, a first motor connected to the controller for rotating the solar cell array according to the azimuth of the sun and a second motor connected to the controller for tilting the solar cell array according to the elevation of the sun. The controlling apparatus includes a central unit, a basic unit, a diagnosis unit, a maintenance unit, a security unit and a check unit.

In a directed infrared countermeasure system, to assure parallelism between the line-of-sight to a target and the output beam, the input and output mirrors are fixedly attached to a uni-construction arm mounted to a rotatable azimuth platter to which internal mirrors are also fixedly attached. A system is provided for zeroing out alignment errors by developing an aim-point map for the gimbal that records initial alignment errors induced by manufacturing tolerances and uses the aim-point map error values to correct the output mirror orientation. The system also corrects for alignment errors induced by thermal gradients.

An imaging sensor system, adaptably mountable to a vehicle having a view of a target area comprising: a rigid mount unit having at least two imaging sensors disposed within the mount unit, wherein a first imaging and a second imaging sensor each has a focal axis passing through an aperture in the mount unit, wherein the first imaging sensor generates a first image area comprising a first data array of pixels and the second imaging sensor generates a second image area comprising a second data array of pixels, wherein the first and second imaging sensors are offset to have a first image overlap area in the target area, wherein the first sensors image data bisects the second sensors image data in the first image overlap area.

A fixed-source array test station provides a compact cost-effective high-throughput test bed for testing optical sensors that require stimulus at fixed angular positions. An array of fixed collimated sources at different angular positions in the sensor's FOV are positioned on a surface of a focal sphere at the effective focal length of a spherical lens and aligned along respective radial lines to the center of the spherical lens so that each said divergent optical beam is collimated by the spherical lens to form a collimated optical beam that overlaps the entire entrance pupil of the optical seeker. The sources are activated in accordance with an activation profile in order to calibrate or otherwise test the sensor.