With Unidirectional Or Planar Source Beam Directed At The Photodetecting Station Patents (Class 356/141.3)
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Patent number: 6845326Abstract: An optical sensor for use in measuring constituents of an agricultural product. An optical sensing window passes a stream of the agricultural product, and a radiation source irradiates the stream as it passes through the optical sensing window. A receiver receives radiation transmitted through the stream and converts it into a corresponding electrical signal using a spectrometer. The electrical signal is digitized to produce a series of data points corresponding to particular wavelengths. A processor normalizes the data points using a reference value in order to generate processed data points that can be used to predict a constituent content of the agricultural product.Type: GrantFiled: November 7, 2000Date of Patent: January 18, 2005Assignee: NDSU Research FoundationInventors: Suranjan Panigrahi, Guangjun Zhang
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Patent number: 6836320Abstract: In a dual mode target designation system involving the use of a passive IR detector for developing rough target locations and a ladar or laser range finder for refining target position, a closed loop system is provided for correcting the boresight error of the laser so that it matches that of the IR detector. In one embodiment this is accomplished by first selecting a target detected by the IR detector, executing a laser scan in which the laser beam is moved in a reach pattern until a return from the selected target is detected, developing an error vector between the reported laser target position and the reported IR detector target position and repositioning the line of sight of the laser using the error vector to minimize the co-boresighting error. The result is that the boresight correction resulting from illuminating the first target reduces laser scan time for each subsequent target to permit rapid and accurate target position acquisition.Type: GrantFiled: June 25, 2003Date of Patent: December 28, 2004Assignee: AE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.Inventors: Michael E. Deflumere, Hamilton Stewart
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Patent number: 6756581Abstract: The present invention is directed to a deviation detecting device that detects a deviation angle of a rotary unit of a laser light projector relative to a projector body. The deviation detecting device (190) includes a light emitter (193) attached to the projector body of the laser light projector for emitting laser light, a reflector (195) attached to the rotary unit of the laser light projector for reflecting light emitted from the light emitter, and a light receiving unit (194) attached to the projector body of the laser light projector for receiving the light reflected by the reflector. In the deviation detecting device, a position at which the light reflected by the reflector is incident upon the light receiving unit is utilized to determine a deviation angle of the rotary unit relative to the projector body.Type: GrantFiled: December 4, 2001Date of Patent: June 29, 2004Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TopconInventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Jun-ichi Kodaira
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Publication number: 20040070751Abstract: A protective device for securing to a component movable along a track and for the monitoring of a protected zone moving with the component includes a light transmitter for the radiation of a divergent transmitted light beam into a spatial zone containing the protected zone, a light receiver for the reception of at least some of the light of the transmitted light beam of the light transmitter radiated into the spatial zone and for the emitting of corresponding received signals, and a restriction device which is arranged in the direction of a transmitted light path after a section of the transmitted light path which contains the protected zone and by means of which the transmitted light beam can be restricted to a less divergent received light beam defining the width of the protected zone in at least one direction.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 7, 2003Publication date: April 15, 2004Inventors: Roland Bergbach, Martin Wustefeld
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Patent number: 6693706Abstract: A laser reference system orients a reference plane of laser light generated by a transmitter so compensation is made for a rake angle between the first and second axes of the transmitter and an alignment axis and an axis perpendicular thereto. The transmitter includes an optical system arranged to generate a laser beam, the optical system projecting said laser beam radially along a rotational arc defined about a central rotational axis, thereby substantially defining a reference plane of laser light, and a positioning arrangement, coupled to said optical system, for adjusting the angular orientation of the optical system with respect to a first transmitter axis and with respect to a second transmitter axis. A detector is arranged to detect reception of the laser beam. The detector includes a generally vertically arranged row of detector elements. The detector further includes a transmitter for transmitting information regarding the location of said laser beam, as detected by said detector elements.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2002Date of Patent: February 17, 2004Assignee: Trimble Navigation LimitedInventors: Kent W. Kahle, James T. Zalusky, Francisco R. Green
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Patent number: 6556287Abstract: A subterranean course-defining laser instrument and a system for initial calibration or setup of this instrument to provide accurate definition of a sub surface course for a pipeline or the like. Instrument setup is made in response to an above-ground course definition marker such as a surveyor's stake or surveyor's rod. A double mirror pseudo periscope arrangement is used to enable optical signal communication from the subterranean location of the laser instrument to the above ground marker with each of the mirrors being of a curved and error-minimizing nature. Details regarding two major components of the apparatus and quantitative consideration of achieved error budget are included.Type: GrantFiled: March 7, 2000Date of Patent: April 29, 2003Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air ForceInventor: Ronald W. Dennis
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Patent number: 6535282Abstract: An improved three-dimensional position detector and measurement system includes one or more transmitters that each transmit planar light beams and a strobe pulse and a receiver that responds to illumination from the beams and the strobe. The receiver in the system includes calibration logic for executing a quadratic mathematical algorithm to uniquely characterize said planar beams of each of said optical transmitters active in said measurement field. In one embodiment, the quadratic mathematical algorithm uses cones to represent the scan path of the planar beams.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2001Date of Patent: March 18, 2003Assignee: Arc Second, Inc.Inventors: Thomas M. Hedges, Hiro Takagi, Timothy Pratt, Michael J. Sobel
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Patent number: 6462810Abstract: The present invention provides a surveying system, which comprises a survey instrument main unit for receiving and detecting a guide light projected from a collimation target, a horizontal rotating mechanism 38 for rotating the survey instrument main unit in a horizontal direction, a control unit 37 for controlling the horizontal rotating mechanism, a rough direction detecting unit 24 capable to detect the guide light from all horizontal directions, and a precise direction detecting unit 25 arranged in a direction to collimate the survey instrument main unit from a telescope and detects said guide light only in a range of a predetermined angle, wherein said control unit controls the horizontal rotating mechanism so that a direction of the survey instrument main unit is aligned to the collimation target based on a result of a detection from said rough direction detecting unit, and collimates the survey instrument main unit is collimated to the collimation target based on a result of a detection from the precisType: GrantFiled: March 14, 2000Date of Patent: October 8, 2002Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha TOPCONInventors: Yoshiaki Muraoka, Ikuo Ishinabe, Sho-ujiro Takahashi
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Patent number: 6437860Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for angle measurement or for the determination of an angle of position for an object. The method comprises the use of a beacon having a known position and rotating around its axis, which emits light or reflects light focused thereon. The light emitting from the beacon being determined either previously or for the start of each measurement for a given reference bearing. In the method, the light emitted from the beacon is picked up by a receiver present in an object to be measured, which is provided with elements for determining, by means of the light received from the beacon, the rotational speed of the beacon and further an angular position for the object with respect to said reference bearing.Type: GrantFiled: January 17, 2001Date of Patent: August 20, 2002Assignee: Geopolar OyInventor: Risto Jäppinen
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Publication number: 20020097391Abstract: An alignment device mounts to a missile system such that the view of a missile seeker is limited to limited fields of view at predetermined positions relative to a known reference such as the missile centerline. Once the alignment device is mounted to the missile system, an energy source emitting energy viewable by the seeker is located within a field of view. Once the seeker has locked-on to the energy source in a limited field of view, the pointing angle of the seeker can be observed by a measurement device communicating with the missile controller. Any pointing angle observed by the measurement device which differs from the known position defined by the alignment device, represents a displacement error of the seeker. Appropriate compensation is then applied to the missile controller such that alignment errors are accounted for.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 23, 2001Publication date: July 25, 2002Applicant: Sikorsky Aircraft CorporationInventor: Peter F. Perkins
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Patent number: 6359681Abstract: In a FLIR/laser based targeting and imaging system, the ability to recognize, detect, locate, and/or track targets in an area of interest is significantly improved by reducing the fixed and dynamic alignment errors between the IR LOS and the laser LOS. Fixed alignment errors are reduced with an improved internal boresight module and corresponding boresight method. Dynamic alignment errors are reduced with an opto-electric subsystem that employs a single pitch bearing and a common pitch/yaw afocal for both the laser energy and the IR energy. A segmented window in the system housing includes a circular EMI grid pattern which significantly reduces the amount of off-axis EMI entering the optical pathways, and improved signal processing techniques are employed to enhance the quality of the IR image after the image has been digitized.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2000Date of Patent: March 19, 2002Assignee: Lockheed Martin CorporationInventors: Brien J. Housand, Gene D. Tener, Susan J. Jesse, William A. Pearson, G. Edward Newberg, John F. Weaver, Timothy A. Hill, Helmuth Bauer, Bhikhubbai L. Patel, Ward D. Robertson, John J. Donahue, Jeffrey L. Cole, Harvey J. Montgomery, Eric F. Schildwachter, John R. Booth
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Patent number: 6263595Abstract: An improved level indicating system is provided for use with excavating equipment based upon a family of laser light receivers. In a first embodiment, a laser receiver with a single “long” photocell is mounted directly on the dipperstick of an excavator in a position that is designed to intercept pulses of laser light being emitted by a rotating laser light transmitter, and an angle-sensing sensor is also mounted to the dipperstick. In a second embodiment, a laser receiver with two parallel “long” photocells is mounted directly on the dipperstick, in which the pair of photocells are of sufficient precision to determine the angle of the dipperstick. In a third embodiment, a laser receiver with two parallel photocells is mounted directly on the dipperstick on a “servo mast” that can be re-positioned along the length of the dipperstick. The movable photocells thus can be shorter in length than the “long” photocells used in the second embodiment.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 1999Date of Patent: July 24, 2001Assignee: Apache Technologies, Inc.Inventor: DuWain K. Ake
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Patent number: 6253697Abstract: An improved ship which incorporates a distortion sensor arrangement. Measurement data supplied by the distortion sensor arrangement is preferably used to correct measurement data supplied by and/or control signals for an on-board directional apparatus. The distortion sensor arrangement preferably includes a hull-mounted laser beam/light sensor combination, and such that the light sensor continuously measures a deflection of the laser beam in response to a distortion of the ship.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2000Date of Patent: July 3, 2001Assignee: Hollandse Signaalapparaten B.V.Inventor: Jan Klaas Brouwer
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Patent number: 6219133Abstract: A spatial optical transmission device and method of spatial optical transmission of a beam type that allow tracking of a light beam by simple control. A plurality of divergent type tracking beams (X1) are emitted from a transmitter (10), and from the distribution of the optical intensity of each of these tracking beams the positional difference between a tracking beam receiver (22) and a datum point is detected, this error information is transmitted from a receiver (20) to the transmitter (10), and using lenses (11, 13), the directions of the optical axes of the tracking beams are changed, and at the same time the direction of the optical axis of a data beam (40) is adjusted.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 1999Date of Patent: April 17, 2001Assignee: Seiko Epson CorporationInventors: Takeo Kawase, Shojiro Kitamura
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Patent number: 6211951Abstract: A boresight alignment method is used for aligning a laser with an optical sighting system in a laser designator or the like. The method includes selecting a target formed of a flat sheet of material, such as a metal foil, supporting the selected target at the focus of a collimating telescope in the path of a laser beam of a laser and optical sighting system combination, such as in a laser designator, focusing the laser beam onto the one side of the target, and burning an aperture in the target with the laser beam. The method includes illuminating the target burned aperture from the rear thereof with a visible light or with an infrared source and then aligning the optical sighting system with the illuminated target aperture. Both the day and night viewing optics can be aligned by providing pinhole illumination with multi-spectral target pinhole illumination. The target may be mounted so that it can be rotated to provide successive alignments of the same or different laser optical sighting systems.Type: GrantFiled: August 16, 1999Date of Patent: April 3, 2001Assignee: Litton Systems, Inc.Inventor: Steve Guch, Jr.