Patents by Inventor Travis W. Metcalf

Travis W. Metcalf 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: 6495827
    Abstract: A low-cost high-resolution staring infrared imaging sensor for viewing a large Field Of Regard (FOR) while integrating over a small IFOV to detect small dim targets by subdividing the FOR into a plurality of internal optical paths without the use of mechanically-movable parts. Each of the plurality of internal optical paths may be further subdivided by a plurality of steerable micro-mirrors to reduce the IFOV and enhance long-range target acquisition capability. The sensor includes a primary lens for accepting infrared radiation from a Field Of Regard (FOR), a plurality of primary mirrors each disposed to reflect a portion of an FOR image along a different optical path, a secondary lens in each optical path to focus the FOR image portion onto a secondary mirror for reflection along a preselected direction, and a tertiary lens in each optical path to focus the FOR image portion onto an image detector array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2002
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Travis W. Metcalf, Charles S. Bendall, Rockie L. Ricks
  • Publication number: 20020088942
    Abstract: A low-cost high-resolution staring infrared imaging sensor for viewing a large Field Of Regard (FOR) while integrating over a small IFOV to detect small dim targets by subdividing the FOR into a plurality of internal optical paths without the use of mechanically-moveable parts. Each of the plurality of internal optical paths may be further subdivided by a plurality of steerable micro-mirrors to reduce the IFOV and enhance long-range target acquisition capability. The sensor includes a primary lens for accepting infrared radiation from a Field Of Regard (FOR), a plurality of primary mirrors each disposed to reflect a portion of an FOR image along a different optical path, a secondary lens in each optical path to focus the FOR image portion onto a secondary mirror for reflection along a preselected direction, and a tertiary lens in each optical path to focus the FOR image portion onto an image detector array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Publication date: July 11, 2002
    Inventors: Travis W. Metcalf, Charles S. Bendall, Rockie L. Ricks
  • Patent number: 4788428
    Abstract: An infrared imaging system is presented wherein a visual image of a scene being viewed is obtained from the thermal energy radiated from said scene. The thermal energy radiated is focused onto a plurality of means for absorbing energy from the infrared radiation, specifically a two-dimensional array of gas cells with the front end being a rigid infrared transparent window, the sides being rigid, and the rear ends being flexible membranes. Infrared radiation absorbed by the cells causes changes in the thermodynamic pressure within each cell and consequent expansion of the flexible membrane on the rear end of each cylindrical cell. The deflection of these flexible membranes is monitored and measured by either a laser interferometer system or a solid state pressure sensing system. Measurement of this deflection represents the amount of infrared radiation received at each of the plurality of gas cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 29, 1988
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Travis W. Metcalf, Steven E. Moran
  • Patent number: 4634870
    Abstract: A gas cell array absorbs infrared energy radiated by a viewed scene. A la interferometer has its resultant intensity changed by the cell's changing length. This is monitored by a vidicon tube that feeds the signal to a digitizer and onto a video display. The incident infrared radiation is chopped into quantized amounts of energy and memory units receive the digitized output of the vidicon tube. Subtractors receive vidicon tube signals simultaneously with quiescent reference levels data. The subtractors form a difference signal by subtracting the quiescent reference level signal from the immediate signal being passed to control threshold detectors. An extended dynamic range of 1,000:1 is accomplished for the preferred embodiment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1985
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1987
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Travis W. Metcalf
  • Patent number: 4567609
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatic character recognition is presented ch automatically locates and recognizes alphanumeric characters in a scene viewed by a raster-scan type of sensor. By this method the apparatus can search the entire scene and recognize up to seven alphanumeric characters in a bounded area of known size by the correlation technique in less than 1.5 seconds. The technique used first locates the bounded area and alphanumeric characters and then performs the recognition. Two different feature extraction methods are used to locate the characters in the scene. The recognition function is performed by correlation using an incoherent electrooptical processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 1983
    Date of Patent: January 28, 1986
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Travis W. Metcalf
  • Patent number: 4164753
    Abstract: Two pyroelectric vidicons are adapted to alternately receive infrared ene radiated from an object by means of a rotating half circle mirror and fixed mirror arrangement. The alternations of the infrared energy received between the two vidicons are synchronized by means of a synchronization and drive circuit adapted to receive frame sync pulses from the camera circuitry. By this arrangement, information is received by the camera 100% of the time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 14, 1979
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Travis W. Metcalf