923 results about "Secondary mirror" patented technology

A dual-band antenna is provided that combines two normally disparate communications modes into a single compact aperture minimizing overall mass and volume, while maintaining high performance efficiency and reciprocity of each individual mode. The antenna is compatible with both optical (near-IR/visible) and RF (microwave/millimeter-wave) transceiver subsystems for high bandwidth communications, applicable primarily to long- to extremely long-range (space-to-ground) link distances. The optical link provides high bandwidth while the RF provides a lower data-rate weather backup, accommodation for traditional navigation techniques, and assistance in cueing the extremely tight optical beam by matching the RF beamwidth to an optical fine-steering mechanism field-of-regard. The configuration is built around a near-diffraction-limited high performance primary mirror shared by both a direct-fed RF antenna design and a Cassegrain optical telescope. Material properties are exploited to combine the optical secondary mirror with the RF feed structure, providing a collimated optical beam interface at the antenna vertex.

Solar panels and assembled arrays thereof include a collection of relatively compact, high-capacity power units. Optical components of each power unit include a front window or surface glazing, a primary mirror, secondary mirror and receiver assembly. Primary and secondary mirrors are defined by respective perimeters, at least a portion of which may be substantially coplanar and in contact with the front window. Some primary mirrors are configured with a perimeter of alternating full and truncated sections, and are curved to a base portion forming a pilot hole therein. Receiver assembly mechanical components include an alignment tube for mating with the primary mirror's pilot hole and for housing a photovoltaic solar cell. A base plate provided adjacent to the alignment tube serves to radiate heat emitted by the solar cell, and in some embodiments an additional heat sink provides further passive cooling. A tapered optical rod also provided within the receiver assembly directs received sunlight to the solar cell where electrical current is generated.

Optical systems and methods that concentrate light from a distant source, such as the sun, onto a target device, such as a solar cell. Light impinging from the distant source, is focused or imaged by a plurality of primary reflective segments of a primary mirror element onto a plurality of corresponding secondary reflective segments. The secondary mirror segments image the corresponding primary segments onto an exit aperture such that the exit aperture is uniformly illuminated. A target cell may be located proximal to the exit aperture, or an entry aperture of a non-imaging concentrator may be positioned proximal the exit aperture, wherein the concentrator concentrates the reflected light onto the target cell.

A portable travel mirror device includes a base, a handle pivotably mounted to the base, and a dual mirror assembly mounted to the handle which is pivotable and telescopically extendable between compact transport and upright use configurations, and includes a circular primary mirror frame holding a magnifying mirror encircled by a ring-shaped lamp energized by a power source within the base, and overlain by a diffuser ring. A secondary mirror pivotably and swivelably attached to the primary mirror frame has a different magnification factor, e.g., 1×, and is pivotable upwards from a travel position overlying and protecting the primary mirror to an upright use position, and is also swivelable into contact with the primary mirror frame, whereby light from the lamp is transmitted through the diffuser ring and a transparent secondary mirror bezel to illuminate objects in front of the primary or secondary mirror.

A parabolic primary mirror (10) has a concave specular surface (12) that is constructed and positioned to receive solar energy and focus it towards a focal point. A secondary mirror (14) having a convex specular surface (16) is constructed and positioned to receive focused solar energy from the primary mirror and focus it onto an annular receiver (18). The annular receiver (18) may include an annular array of optical elements (100) constructed to receive solar energy from the secondary specular surface (14) and focus it onto a ring of discreet areas. A ring of solar-to-electrical conversion units are positioned on the ring of discreet areas. A sun sensor that allows accurate solar tracking to keep mirror system aligned with the sun.

The present invention is a solar concentrator system incorporating a square primary mirror, a square secondary mirror, and an optical receiver. The square secondary mirror provides highly efficient throughput of light in combination with the square primary mirror, with minimal shading. Manufacturing features may be incorporated into the square secondary mirror to assist in simplifying fabrication issues and assembly steps related to its non-circular shape. An optional heat shield around the optical receiver may be included, further enhancing performance of the solar concentrator system.

The invention relates to a laser and middle- and long-wavelength infrared common-aperture three-band imaging system, which comprises an entrance pupil shared by each band, a primary mirror, a secondary convex mirror, a middle/long-wavelength infrared optical path imaging lens group, a laser converging light spot receiving unit, a middle- and long-wavelength infrared band beam splitter, a middle- and long-wavelength infrared dual-band imaging lens group and a detection image surface, wherein the reflection surface of the primary mirror is a concave surface, and a hole is formed in the center of the primary mirror. The system can be used for realizing the common-aperture collection of scene infrared radiation energy of the same object and laser echo energy reflected by the object; and the entrance pupil is positioned in front of the primary mirror, the secondary mirror is used for the beam splitting of laser and middle- and long-wavelength infrared bands, and a dichroic mirror is inclined to split middle-wavelength infrared light and long-wavelength infrared light, so that the system is compact in structure, the utilization rates of optical energy and space of the system are increased, the aberration correction and beam focusing of middle- and long-wavelength infrared bands are facilitated respectively, and the imaging quality is remarkably improved.

The invention relates to a free space optical-communication APT system based on a compressive sensing receiver. The free space optical-communication APT system based on the compressive sensing receiver comprises an APT system body and the compressive sensing receiver, wherein the APT system body comprises an optical portion and a servo control portion. The optical portion of the APT system body comprises primary mirrors, secondary mirrors, a precise-tracking executing mechanism, a beam splitter, a pulse amplitude modulation, a first convergence light receiving unit, a light spot detecting device, an emitter and a beam expanding collimating lens. The servo control portion of the APT system body comprises a rough-tracking controller, a rough-tracking executing mechanism, a universal angle plate and a precise-tracking loop controller. The compressive sensing receiver comprises an emitter, an imaging lens, a space light modulator module, a convergence light receiving module, point detectors, an adder and an algorithm module.

The invention relates to a large view field off-axis three-reflector system and an adjusting method. The large view field off-axis three-reflector system comprises a main mirror, a secondary mirror, an aperture diaphragm, a third mirror and a focal plane. The main mirror is an off-axis hyperboloid reflector; the secondary mirror is a protruding spherical surface reflection mirror; the third mirror is an off-axis secondary recessed flat spherical mirror; the master axes of the master mirror and the third mirror are superposed as a reference axis; the aperture diaphragm is successively arranged on the secondary mirror; the optical axis of the secondary mirror is superposed with the master axis of the third mirror; a target light ray from infinity enters the secondary mirror after reflection of the main mirror and enters the third mirror through the reflection of the secondary mirror; and then the light ray is imaged on the focal surface. The invention solves the contradiction between the large view field off-axis three-reflector system, the processing and adjusting. The large view field off-axis three-reflector system adopts a simple structure and can realize the wide width imaging, wherein the effective view field reaches 12 degree*3.5 degree.

Optical systems configured to withstand operation in high acceleration and varying temperature environments, and methods of assembling the same. In one example, an imaging optical apparatus includes a primary minor made of an unreinforced polymer, a secondary mirror made of the unreinforced polymer and optically coupled to the primary minor, a field lens optically coupled to the secondary minor, and a strut having a plurality of cross-struts and mounting features configured to mount the primary minor, the secondary mirror and the field lens. In some examples, the imaging optical apparatus further includes an outer retainer disposed behind the primary minor and coupled to the strut, and an inner retainer disposed behind the field lens and coupled to the strut, the outer and inner retainers configured to structurally support the primary minor and the field lens and to accommodate deflections of the primary minor.

The invention relates to a multi-optical axis consistency tester based on a multispectral target plate and a rotating reflector and belongs to the opto-electrical field. The invention comprises the main lens of a large caliber offaxis double reverse collimation mirror, the secondary mirror of the collimation mirror, a double-axis rotating mechanism, a plane mirror, an attenuator, a spectroscope A, a multispectral target plate, a spectroscope B, a near infrared CCD, an optical fiber coupler, an optical fiber, a multi-channel video collecting device, etc. The plane mirror is driven by the rotating mechanism; the multispectral target plate is arranged in the reflection optical path of the spectroscope A; after the transmission optical path of the spectroscope A passes through the spectroscope B, the transmission light enters the near infrared CCD; simultaneously the reflection light enters the incident end of the optical fiber; the other end of the optical fiber is connected with the transmitting end of the laser range measuring machine of the optical fiber coupler; a laser pulse is coupled with and enters the optical fiber. The multi-optical axis consistency instrument device is used for detecting the static and dynamic errors of the consistency between the multi-optical axes in the broad spectrum range of a complex opto-electrical system, has high precision and is conveniently carried.

The invention discloses a parallel adjustment system of emission and receiving light paths of laser radar and a method. The system comprises a laser fixedly arranged on the tube of a receiving telescope and having the direction of the emission light parallel to the optical axis direction of the telescope, and a connection mirror, a total reflection mirror and an angle reflector consisting of a pair of right-angle prisms arranged in front of the tube of the receiving telescope, which are arranged in the optical path in front of the laser. The laser beam emitted from the angle reflector enters the tube of the receiving telescope and focuses on a combined focal plane of the primary mirror and the secondary mirror of receiving telescope. The focusi laser spot forms an image on a CCD after turning the direction through a 90-DEG turning mirror, and the clear laser spot image can be viewed on a monitor. The parallelism of the optical paths can be determined and adjusted according to the shape of the laser spot. The invention has the advantages of simple structure and higher accuracy, and has been successfully applied in developed laser radar system.

Disclosed is an initial assembly positioning method for four off-axis lenses. The four off-axis lenses include the main mirror, the secondary mirror, the third mirror and the plane mirror, wherein the main mirror and the third mirror are off-axis aspheric mirrors. A zero compensator is utilized for calibrating the direction of the optical axes of the off-axis mirrors. The reference is provided for adjusting the space positions of the mirrors through four-rod positioning. Initial assembly positioning of the mirror assembly is achieved through multi-theodolite networking. According to the initial assembly positioning method for the four off-axis lenses, by the combination of the optical axis introduction and four-rod positioning technology, the certain precision of the initial assembly of the four off-axis lenses is achieved, and a reasonable initial point is built for optical system computer-assisted adjustment.

A variable range millimeter wave method and system is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the system includes a primary mirror having an aperture to reflect millimeter wave energy to a secondary mirror, where the secondary mirror is disposed in front of the primary mirror and adapted to redirect the millimeter wave energy to a millimeter wave sensor/detector of a millimeter wave camera. The millimeter wave camera is configured to process the millimeter wave energy to visually detect concealed objects hidden on a target and an operating frequency of the millimeter wave camera is between 225 GHz and 275 GHz. In addition, the system includes a laser rangefinder, GPS and altimeter to determine a location of the target and to optimize a focus of the millimeter wave camera. A video monitor displays millimeter wave imagery and video images spatially and temporally relative to the millimeter wave imagery to aid targeting.