Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a vehicle and a laser air data sensor, including a laser transceiver configured to transmit one or more laser light beams, mounted to the vehicle. In some embodiments, a window of the laser transceiver is fixed and oriented to transmit one or more laser light beams away from the vehicle and approximately parallel to a vertical axis of the vehicle. In some embodiments, a window of the laser transceiver is fixed and oriented to transmit one or more laser light beams toward another portion of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the system further includes a processing device configured to control the laser air data sensor to attenuate the one or more laser light beams based on one or more operating parameters of the vehicle.

Abstract: A system for obtaining air data for a vehicle comprises a laser device that emits laser light pulses, and transmit optics that transmits the light pulses into an external air volume adjacent to the vehicle. The system also includes receive optics that collects scattered portions of the light pulses from the external air volume, and a whispering gallery mode (WGM) frequency discriminator that receives the scattered portions of the light pulses from the receive optics. The WGM frequency discriminator includes at least one WGM resonator that outputs a selected portion of the light pulses at one or more optical signal frequencies via tuning the WGM resonator other than by an electro-optic effect. An optical detector samples the selected portion of the light pulses from the WGM frequency discriminator, and converts the sampled light pulses to scalar values. A processing unit receives and records the scalar values from the optical detector.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a particle sensor on or in a vehicle is provided. The laser particle sensor comprises an optical system; a processing system coupled to the optical system; wherein the optical system is configured to transmit one or more laser light beams to detect particles in a volume of freestream fluid, and to have the one or more light beams terminate on a portion of the vehicle on which the optical system is mounted; and wherein the optical system is configured to receive a backscattered portion of the one or more laser light beams transmitted by the optical system.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of determining the onset of a stall condition in a vehicle is provided. The method comprises: measuring, with a stall detection system, data which would indicate the presence of turbulent fluid flowing proximate to a foil; determining from the data whether an onset of a stall condition has occurred; and upon determining the onset of the stall condition, performing at least one of: issuing an alert, and causing the vehicle to avoid or exit the stall condition, and cease such activity when the onset of the stall condition no longer exists.

Abstract: Systems and methods for noise and drift calibration using dithered calibration, a system comprising a processing unit; and two or more dithered calibrated sensors that provide directional measurements to the processing unit, wherein a dithered calibrated sensor in the dithered calibrated sensors has an input axis that rotates about an axis such that bias error can be removed by the processing unit; wherein the dithered calibrated sensor provides a zero-bias measurement along a first axis and a low-noise measurement along a second axis, the second axis being orthogonal to the first axis; wherein the dithered calibrated sensors are arranged such that the dithered calibrated sensor provide low-noise and zero-bias measurements along the measured axes; and wherein the processing unit executes an algorithm to combine measurements that are along the same axis to produce a measurement for each measured axis that has both low-noise and zero-bias.

Abstract: A method of enhancing LiDAR data is provided. The method includes inputting LiDAR data from at least one LiDAR sensor; inputting data from at least one of: at least one static pressure sensor; and at least one total air temperature sensor; and extracting accurate air data parameters by processing one of: the LiDAR data and static pressure data from the static pressure sensor; the LiDAR data and true temperature data from the total air temperature sensor; or the LiDAR data, the static pressure data from the static pressure sensor, and the true temperature data from the total air temperature sensor. The method also includes generating augmented air data based on the extracted accurate air data parameters and outputting the augmented air data.

Abstract: A system for multispectral imaging and ranging is provided. The system comprises at least one light illumination source, and a focal plane detector array configured to support both passive imaging and active imaging at multiple wavelengths. The focal plane detector array includes a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the pixels comprises a plurality of detectors. The detectors are configured to collect passive light to support passive imaging; collect retro-reflected light, transmitted by the at least one light illumination source, to support active illuminated imaging; and collect retro-reflected light, transmitted by the at least one light illumination source, to support active illuminated ranging.

Abstract: A method of fabricating three-dimensional (3D) structures comprises forming a patterned area in a handle wafer, and bonding a mold wafer over the patterned area to produce one or more sealed cavities having a first pressure in the handle wafer. The mold wafer is heated past its softening point at a second pressure different from the first pressure to create a differential pressure across the mold wafer over the sealed cavities. The mold wafer is then cooled to harden the mold wafer into one or more 3D shapes over the sealed cavities. One or more materials are deposited on an outer surface of the mold wafer over the 3D shapes to form a structure layer having 3D structures that conform to the hardened 3D shapes of the mold wafer. The 3D structures are then bonded to a device wafer, and the handle wafer is removed to expose the 3D structures.

Abstract: An air data sensor system comprises a plurality of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) units spatially distributed on a vehicle body, with each of the LiDAR units comprising a transmit/receive module having a decoupled line of sight with respect to the other LiDAR units. A processor is in operative communication with each of the LiDAR units. The processor is configured to receive collected light data from each of the LiDAR units; correct for spatial separation between the decoupled lines of sight of the LiDAR units; compensate for alignment shifts due to perturbations in the vehicle body; and compute one or more air data parameters based on the collected light data, the corrections for spatial separation, and the compensation for alignment shifts. The LiDAR units are each configured to transmit light into respective external interaction air regions, and collect scattered portions of the transmitted light from the external interaction air regions.

Abstract: A system for obtaining air data for a vehicle comprises a laser device that emits laser light pulses, and transmit optics that transmits the light pulses into an external air volume adjacent to the vehicle. The system also includes receive optics that collects scattered portions of the light pulses from the external air volume, and a whispering gallery mode (WGM) frequency discriminator that receives the scattered portions of the light pulses from the receive optics. The WGM frequency discriminator includes at least one WGM resonator that outputs a selected portion of the light pulses at one or more optical signal frequencies via tuning the WGM resonator other than by an electro-optic effect. An optical detector samples the selected portion of the light pulses from the WGM frequency discriminator, and converts the sampled light pulses to scalar values. A processing unit receives and records the scalar values from the optical detector.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of determining the onset of a stall condition in a vehicle is provided. The method comprises: measuring, with a stall detection system, data which would indicate the presence of turbulent fluid flowing proximate to a foil; determining from the data whether an onset of a stall condition has occurred; and upon determining the onset of the stall condition, performing at least one of: issuing an alert, and causing the vehicle to avoid or exit the stall condition, and cease such activity when the onset of the stall condition no longer exists.

Abstract: Systems and methods for using dissimilar LIDAR technologies are provided. In at least one implementation A system for gathering LIDAR data comprises one or more LIDAR optical modules configured to provide data from optical measurements of an environment; one or more processing units configured to process the data provided by the one or more LIDAR optical modules; and wherein the one or more processing units produces a plurality of similar LIDAR measurements, wherein the plurality of similar LIDAR measurements were produced using at least one of dissimilar processing and LIDAR optical modules.

Abstract: Systems and methods for noise and drift calibration using dithered calibration, a system comprising a processing unit; and two or more dithered calibrated sensors that provide directional measurements to the processing unit, wherein a dithered calibrated sensor in the dithered calibrated sensors has an input axis that rotates about an axis such that bias error can be removed by the processing unit; wherein the dithered calibrated sensor provides a zero-bias measurement along a first axis and a low-noise measurement along a second axis, the second axis being orthogonal to the first axis; wherein the dithered calibrated sensors are arranged such that the dithered calibrated sensor provide low-noise and zero-bias measurements along the measured axes; and wherein the processing unit executes an algorithm to combine measurements that are along the same axis to produce a measurement for each measured axis that has both low-noise and zero-bias.

Abstract: A system for multispectral imaging and ranging is provided. The system comprises at least one light illumination source, and a focal plane detector array configured to support both passive imaging and active imaging at multiple wavelengths. The focal plane detector array includes a plurality of pixels, wherein each of the pixels comprises a plurality of detectors. The detectors are configured to collect passive light to support passive imaging; collect retro-reflected light, transmitted by the at least one light illumination source, to support active illuminated imaging; and collect retro-reflected light, transmitted by the at least one light illumination source, to support active illuminated ranging.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a vehicle and a laser air data sensor, including a laser transceiver configured to transmit one or more laser light beams, mounted to the vehicle. In some embodiments, a window of the laser transceiver is fixed and oriented to transmit one or more laser light beams away from the vehicle and approximately parallel to a vertical axis of the vehicle. In some embodiments, a window of the laser transceiver is fixed and oriented to transmit one or more laser light beams toward another portion of the vehicle. In some embodiments, the system further includes a processing device configured to control the laser air data sensor to attenuate the one or more laser light beams based on one or more operating parameters of the vehicle.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a particle sensor on or in a vehicle is provided. The laser particle sensor comprises an optical system; a processing system coupled to the optical system; wherein the optical system is configured to transmit one or more laser light beams to detect particles in a volume of freestream fluid, and to have the one or more light beams terminate on a portion of the vehicle on which the optical system is mounted; and wherein the optical system is configured to receive a backscattered portion of the one or more laser light beams transmitted by the optical system.

Abstract: A method of fabricating three-dimensional (3D) structures comprises forming a patterned area in a handle wafer, and bonding a mold wafer over the patterned area to produce one or more sealed cavities having a first pressure in the handle wafer. The mold wafer is heated past its softening point at a second pressure different from the first pressure to create a differential pressure across the mold wafer over the sealed cavities. The mold wafer is then cooled to harden the mold wafer into one or more 3D shapes over the sealed cavities. One or more materials are deposited on an outer surface of the mold wafer over the 3D shapes to form a structure layer having 3D structures that conform to the hardened 3D shapes of the mold wafer. The 3D structures are then bonded to a device wafer, and the handle wafer is removed to expose the 3D structures.

Abstract: Systems and methods for a time-based optical pickoff for MEMS sensors are provided. In one embodiment, a method for an integrated waveguide time-based optical-pickoff sensor comprises: launching a light beam generated by a light source into an integrated waveguide optical-pickoff monolithically fabricated within a first substrate, the integrated waveguide optical-pickoff including an optical input port, a coupling port, and an optical output port; and detecting changes in an area of overlap between the coupling port and a moving sensor component separated from the coupling port by a gap by measuring an attenuation of the light beam at the optical output port, wherein the moving sensor component is moving in-plane with respect a surface of the first substrate comprising the coupling port and the coupling port is positioned to detect movement of an edge of the moving sensor component.

Abstract: An air data system comprises an optical air data system comprising one or more LiDAR channels that each include at least one line-of-sight for air data interrogation, wherein the LiDAR channels are configured to output a set of air data signals. An optional non-optical air data system comprises one or more non-optical air data sensors selected from one or more pitot sensors, one or more static pressure sensors, one or more temperature sensors, one or more angle of attack vanes, one or more angle of sideslip vanes, one or more multi-function probes, or combinations thereof. The non-optical air data sensors are configured to output a set of air data signals. One or more processors are coupled to the LiDAR channels and the non-optical air data sensors when present. The processors are configured to use the air data signals to conduct signal analysis, data processing, data augmentation, voting, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: A method of enhancing LiDAR data is provided. The method includes inputting LiDAR data from at least one LiDAR sensor; inputting data from at least one of: at least one static pressure sensor; and at least one total air temperature sensor; and extracting accurate air data parameters by processing one of: the LiDAR data and static pressure data from the static pressure sensor; the LiDAR data and true temperature data from the total air temperature sensor; or the LiDAR data, the static pressure data from the static pressure sensor, and the true temperature data from the total air temperature sensor. The method also includes generating augmented air data based on the extracted accurate air data parameters and outputting the augmented air data.