Patents by Inventor Curtis Harkrider

Curtis Harkrider 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: 7253895
    Abstract: An imaging device is provided which may include a plurality of imaging lenses. Each imaging lens may be placed adjacent to a dispersive element. The imaging lenses and dispersive element(s) may be placed adjacent to a focal plane array to allow light from a light emitting event traveling through the imaging lenses to be simultaneously received by the focal plane array. One of the optical channels provides continuous broadband imagery without interfering with the operation of the dispersive optical channels. No moving parts are required in this small compact system, and no reconfiguration during operation is necessary to enable any of the functions, they are all simultaneous. Information related to the light received by the focal plane array may be transmitted to a processor for processing to determine whether the light emitting event is of interest and to determine an event type. Broadband imagery provided may be used for situational awareness, targeting, and surveillance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher L. Kauffman, Sung-Shik Yoo, Curtis Harkrider, Philip Minarik
  • Publication number: 20060227322
    Abstract: An imaging device is provided which may include a plurality of imaging lenses. Each imaging lens may be placed adjacent to a dispersive element. The imaging lenses and dispersive element(s) may be placed adjacent to a focal plane array to allow light from a light emitting event traveling through the imaging lenses to be simultaneously received by the focal plane array. One of the optical channels provides continuous broadband imagery without interfering with the operation of the dispersive optical channels. No moving parts are required in this small compact system, and no reconfiguration during operation is necessary to enable any of the functions, they are all simultaneous. Information related to the light received by the focal plane array may be transmitted to a processor for processing to determine whether the light emitting event is of interest and to determine an event type. Broadband imagery provided may be used for situational awareness, targeting, and surveillance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 11, 2005
    Publication date: October 12, 2006
    Inventors: Christopher Kauffman, Sung-Shik Yoo, Curtis Harkrider, Philip Minarik
  • Publication number: 20060119928
    Abstract: A beam-steering element made of a more optically-active material, potassium tantalate niobate, with an improved diffraction efficiency, having a plurality of electrode layers and one electro-optic crystal layer interposed between every two adjacent electrode layers. Each electro-optic crystal layer and the electrode layer adjacent thereto have an aspect ratio of about 1:1. The electrode layers and the electro-optic crystal layers are interposed between two substrates. Preferably, the substrates are transparent to an incoming beam to be modulated by the electro-optic crystal layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2004
    Publication date: June 8, 2006
    Inventors: James Cicchiello, Curtis Harkrider, Kenneth Kreischer, David Gallagher
  • Publication number: 20060092499
    Abstract: An electro-optic crystal based beam-steering device preferably based on KTN, having a first deflector and a second deflector. The first deflector has a pair of substrates each having a plurality of first electrode lines extending along a first direction and a plurality of electro-optic crystal modulators interposed between the first electrode lines. The second deflector has a pair of substrates each having a plurality of second electrode lines extending along a second direction and a plurality of electro-optic crystal modulators interposed between the second electrode lines. The first direction is orthogonal to the second direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2004
    Publication date: May 4, 2006
    Inventors: James Cicchiello, Curtis Harkrider