Patents by Inventor Byron Edwards

Byron Edwards has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5091637
    Abstract: The electronic simplicity of a rotating-telescope target acquisition device and the noise immunity and wide field of view of a non-rotating array device are combined in an assembly (10) using a rotating refractory telescope (21) on a gimbaled platform (28) and a combination reticle (38) and infrared detector array (34) on the same platform (28). The detector array (34) is segmented (50) to detect the direction in which a target is substantially off the telescope's optical axis (32), and the detector array (34) is also shielded (35) against any radiation coming from outside the optical path of the telescope (21). The reticle (38) also serves as the electrical connection (42,62) between the detector segments (40,50) and the contact pads (44,64) on the detector plate (36) and as a non-emitting shield against any external radiation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Assignee: Loral Aerospace Corp.
    Inventor: Byron Edwards
  • Patent number: 4973115
    Abstract: The angle of divergence of a laser beam (29) is controlled without significant variation of beam power by using a movable corner cube (18) to vary the length of the optical path of a noncollimated beam (12) so as to present a beam of varying diameter to a telescope lens (26). In a second aspect of the invention, the beam is made insensitive to vibration of the corner cube (18) by covering a portion of its beam-receiving face with a second reflector (32) which causes the beam to make a second pass through the corner cube (18) in a parallel but opposite direction therey cancelling any beam displacement caused by the vibration of the corner cube (18).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1990
    Assignee: Ford Aerospace Corporation
    Inventors: Byron Edwards, George W. Stewart, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4967065
    Abstract: The electronic simplicity of a rotating-telescope target acquisition device and the noise immunity and wide field of view of a non-rotating array device are combined in an assembly (10) using a rotating refractory telescope (21) on a gimbaled platform (28), and a combination reticle (38) and detector (34) on the same platform (28). The detector (34) is segmented (50) to detect the direction in which a target is substantially off the telescope's optical axis (32), and the detector (34) is also shielded (35) against any radiation coming from outside the optical path of the telescope (21). The reticle (38) also serves as the electrical connection (42,62) between the detector segments (40,50) and the contact pads (44,64) on the detector plate (36).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1989
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1990
    Assignee: Ford Aerospace Corporation
    Inventor: Byron Edwards