Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Glenn L. Lenzen, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6343767
    Abstract: A missile seeker. The inventive missile seeker includes a dome within which a novel optical arrangement is retained. The optical arrangement includes a first prism mounted for rotation about an optical axis and a second prism mounted for rotation about the optical axis. In the illustrative embodiment, the first and second prisms are Risley prisms. In addition, the illustrative implementation includes a first motor arrangement for rotating the first prism about the optical axis and a second motor arrangement for rotating the second prism about the optical axis. A controller is provided for activating the first and second motors to steer the beam at an angle &phgr; and nod the beam at an angle &thgr;. In a specific implementation, the first prism and/or the second prism have at least two surfaces contoured to correct for optical aberration. A teaching is provided to contour the surfaces to correct for astigmatism, coma, trefoil and other non-rotationally symettric abberation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2002
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Scott W. Sparrold, James P. Mills, Richard A. Paiva, Thomas D. Arndt, David J. Knapp, Kenneth S. Ellis