Abstract: An integrated circuit includes an array of pixels for capturing and processing successive image frames of a moving scene, the array including at least one row of pixels (inputs); and at least one current value register, in which the current value register is configured to store current pixel values captured from the array (inputs). Also included is at least one set of multiple accumulated value registers, in which each accumulated value register is configured to communicate with the current value register. Furthermore, there is included at least one readout register, in which the readout register is configured to communicate with the set of accumulated value registers. A controller is also included for shifting and summing the rows of pixels and outputting a summed column as a time delayed integrated (TDI) signal.

Abstract: A line scanner scans in a cross track direction and moves forward on a platform in an along track direction. The line scanner includes a plurality of detectors forming a left array and a plurality of detectors forming a right array. The left array and the right array are tilted away from a line formed in the along track direction. The left array is configured to detect scene radiance from a surface of an object when the line scanner is scanning the surface on the right side of the line formed in the along track direction. The right array is configured to detect scene radiance from the surface of the object when the line scanner is scanning the surface to the left side of the line formed in the along track direction. The detectors in each respective array are configured to simultaneously detect the scene radiance.

Abstract: Measuring the polarimetric response of an optical instrument includes the steps of: emitting light along an optical axis; receiving the light through first and second polarizers; and detecting the light received through the first and second polarizers, using a filter and a detector. A first set of measurements is obtained by measuring the intensity of light received through the first and second polarizers. A second set of measurements is obtained by placing an optical instrument along the optical axis in lieu of the filter and detector; and measuring the intensity of light received through the first polarizer, after the second polarizer has been removed. A third set of measurements is obtained using the optical instrument but having the second polarizer replace the first polarizer. The optical instrument may be characterized using the first, second and third sets of measurements. The characterization is completed without having to know the extinction ratios and the transmittance parameters of the polarizers.

Abstract: A radio interference locator includes a detector circuit having a directional antenna defining a boresight along which electromagnetic radiation is preferentially accepted. The antenna is coupled to a signal detector which generates an electrical signal from a selected radio-frequency (RF) spectral band of the electromagnetic radiation accepted by the antenna. A processor determines the boresight direction at prescribed sample times as well as an associated signal characteristic, such as a signal level of the electrical signal, measured at the sample times. Data are presented that indicate the signal characteristic for the associated boresight direction at each of the sample times. A mobile platform connects the detector circuit and the processor so that they can be freely oriented in space in fixed mechanical formation by a single human operator.

Abstract: An image processing system combines higher-resolution panchromatic images and lower resolution multispectral images using a hyperspherical color space pan-sharpening technique. By converting the multispectral images into a hyperspherical color space, the intensities of the multispectral images can be intensity matched to the intensities of the panchromatic image and then retransformed back to the original color space. The intensity matching can utilize a number of techniques, including, but not limited to, direct substitution of the intensities of the panchromatic image for the intensities of the multispectral images, modification of the intensities of the multispectral images based on predefined statistical models and modification of the intensities of the multispectral images based on dynamically generated statistical models and a selected sharpening parameter ?.

Abstract: An optical device includes a housing enclosure, a lens cell holder mounted to the housing enclosure by a retainer, a lens assembly mounted to the lens cell holder such that the lens assembly is configured to translate in an axial direction; and a radial space defined between the lens cell holder and the retainer that is sized to accommodate adjustment of the lens cell holder and the lens assembly in a radial direction with respect to the housing enclosure. A method of adjusting a line of sight of the optical device includes (i) positioning the lens assembly against the housing enclosure; (ii) adjusting the radial position of the lens assembly until a pre-determined line of sight requirement is achieved; and (iii) fixing the lens assembly to the housing enclosure of the optical device to preserve the radial position of the lens assembly with respect to the housing enclosure.

Abstract: A head-mounted display provides a user with an augmented view of an object being viewed; a tracking mechanism such as a camera repeatedly determine the position and orientation of the head-mounted display relative the object being viewed; and a computer system provides information for the augmented view and repeatedly updates the augmented view of the object being viewed based on the determined position and orientation of the display. The head-mounted display may be a see-through display; it may be video-based or optical-based, and it may be monoscopic and stereoscopic. The tracking mechanism determines its position using one or more markers or beacons on the object being viewed. The markers may be active or passive, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit invisible light.

Abstract: A head-mounted display provides a user with an augmented view of an object being viewed; a tracking mechanism such as a camera repeatedly determine the position and orientation of the head-mounted display relative the object being viewed; and a computer system provides information for the augmented view and repeatedly updates the augmented view of the object being viewed based on the determined position and orientation of the display. The head-mounted display may be a see-through display; it may be video-based or optical-based, and it may be monoscopic and stereoscopic. The tracking mechanism determines its position using one or more markers or beacons on the object being viewed. The markers may be active or passive, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit invisible light.

Abstract: A passive phased array imager includes a plurality of antennas, disposed on a substrate, for receiving a wavefront from a target; and a coplanar waveguide, disposed in the substrate and coupled to the plurality of antennas. Also included is a plurality of detectors, disposed across the coplanar waveguide for sampling the received wavefront, and providing multiple output voltages to an imaging circuit for displaying information contained in the received wavefront. The plurality of antennas includes at least two dipoles coupled to the coplanar waveguide, and the two dipoles are spaced by a predetermined length to provide a standing wave at a frequency of interest.

Abstract: A hybrid processing-based image processing system performs image chain flattening, token queue creation and pipeline prior to image rendering in order to allow various portions of the image processing to be performed in parallel. Tokens are passed between the filters of the pipeline generated from the flattened image chain to allow order-preserving operations to be performed which result in the same image as would have been produced by the original image chain using sequential processing.

Abstract: During data resampling, bad samples are ignored or replaced with some combination of the good sample values in the neighborhood being processed. The sample replacement can be performed using a number of approaches, including serial and parallel implementations, such as branch-based implementations, matrix-based implementations, and function table-based implementations, and can use a number of modes, such as nearest neighbor, bilinear and cubic convolution.

Abstract: A method of calibrating a spectrometer, while orbiting the Earth, includes the steps of (a) determining a period of time in which the Moon is within a field of view (FOV) of the spectrometer and (b) stopping the FOV of the spectrometer during this period of time. During this period of time, multiple “free views” of the Moon are available, in which lunar IR intensities may be received by the spectrometer that are comparable to intensity levels obtained from an internal calibration test (ICT) on a satellite. The method measures the IR radiance from the Moon during this period of time. After filtering the lunar IR radiances by an integral function, the spectrometer is calibrated using the “free views” as a benchmark.

Abstract: An apparatus for testing an optical test piece comprising an interferometer for emitting an incident light beam. The apparatus includes a first reflective optic that receives the incident beam and produces a first reflected beam by focusing and expanding the received incident beam. The apparatus also includes a second reflective optic that receives and collimates the first reflected beam and outputs the collimated beam toward the optical test piece. Both the first and the second reflective optics are fixed to their respective positions relative to a thermally insensitive platform and the optical test piece is docked to the thermally insensitive platform and can be removed.

Abstract: A panoramic camera system includes a plurality of camera units mounted in a common, e.g., horizontal, plane and arranged in a circumferential array. Each camera unit includes one or more lenses for focusing light from a field of view onto an array of light-sensitive elements. A panoramic image generator combines electronic image data from the multiplicity of the fields of view to generate electronic image data representative of a first 360-degree panoramic view and a second 360-degree panoramic view, wherein the first and second panoramic views are angularly displaced. A stereographic display system is provided to retrieve operator-selectable portions of the first and second panoramic views and to display the user selectable portions in human viewable form. In a further aspect, a video display method is provided.

Abstract: A generator and projector system for providing a test target for testing sensing apparatus includes an aperture stop located adjacent to the sensing apparatus. Also included are a spherical mirror having a concave side facing the aperture stop and an object disposed between the spherical mirror and the aperture stop. The object includes various test targets for testing the sensing apparatus. A longitudinal optical axis passes through the aperture stop, the spherical mirror and the object. Illumination of the object generates the test target, which is then reflected from the spherical mirror toward the aperture stop, for testing the sensing apparatus.

Abstract: A battery housing includes a contact cage forming a longitudinal cylindrical enclosure having a lateral opening. A leaf spring is included having first and second compressible ends, in which the first end is received by the contact cage through the lateral opening. A longitudinal insulating cup is also included having opposing cylindrical openings, in which the second compressible end of the leaf spring is received by the insulating cup through one of the cylindrical openings. The leaf spring forms a positive terminal in the battery housing and is held in position by the contact cage and the insulating cup.

Abstract: A technique for determining the position of a mobile device includes receiving messages from respective mobile reference devices. Each of the messages is broadcast beginning at one of several predetermined message start opportunity (MSO) times that have known timings relative to a reference time. Each of the messages contains a MSO value identifying the MSO time at which transmission of the message started. The MSO value is used to determine the time of transmission of each of the messages received at the mobile device, and the position of the mobile device is determined via multi-lateration. According to another approach, the mobile device receives a set of ADS-B messages from a respective set of mobile reference devices. The time of transmission of each of the ADS-B messages is supplied in the ADS-B message itself or in a subsequent message and used to determine the position of the mobile device.

Abstract: A method, logic and system are provided for generating data representing all possible materials that may be present when monitoring a region or space for a radioisotope of interest. All possible materials with which a radioisotope material may interact are grouped or categorized into one of a plurality of material groups. Each material group is further subdivided into a plurality of subgroups based on atomic number of a material. First data is stored for each of the subgroups of each of the plurality of material groups, where the first data represents an interaction between a representative material for a corresponding subgroup and radiation at a plurality of energy levels. Second data is stored representing spectral characteristics of each radioisotope of interest at the plurality of energy levels.

Abstract: Towards recovering thermal energy, an accumulator buffers a working fluid over an energy recovery cycle that includes two processes: one in which working fluid is accumulated in the accumulator at increasing pressure and the other that draws working fluid from the accumulator at decreasing pressure. Heat storage fluid is displaced in a storage fluid conduit towards a heat storage region in response to increasing pressure in the accumulator and towards a reservoir region in response to decreasing pressure in the accumulator. One or more heat exchange conduits traverse the storage fluid conduit to come in thermal contact with the heat storage fluid where they transfer heat to the heat storage fluid during the first process of the energy recovery cycle and transfer heat from the heat storage fluid during the other process.

Abstract: A focal plane array (FPA) imaging sensor includes an array of multiple tuning cells disposed on a monolithic substrate, in which each tuning cell includes: (a) a tunable etalon disposed in the monolithic substrate, and (b) a THz detector assembly comprised of at least two antennae disposed in the monolithic substrate. The THz detector assembly is disposed below the tunable etalon. Each tunable etalon includes a Fabry-Pérot interferometer comprised of upper and lower mirrors, spaced by a gap between the mirrors, the gap forming an etalon of the interferometer. The FPA imaging sensor may also be formed as a hybrid, in which portions of the tuning cells are fabricated separately from the THz detector assembly and aligned to each other. The lower mirrors may also be fabricated monolithically with the substrate and the upper mirrors may be formed separately and then aligned to the lower mirrors.