Active Tracking and Imaging Sensor System Comprising Illuminator Analysis Function
A sensor suite comprising a LIDAR transmitter and receiver element and a visible imager element. The transmitter operates with a plurality of selectable beam-forming optics or a tilt-tip element. A Risley or counter-rotating prism set element permits beam-steering with lower size, weight and power (SWaP). The optics for the system may be configured in a Cassegrain-type configuration in cooperation with a plurality of beam-splitting elements to permit predetermined spectrums of the received electromagnetic spectrum to be provided respectively to the LIDAR receiver and the visible imager. One or a plurality of laser illuminator analysis spectrometers are provided for the detection of incoming laser illumination from an external source which may be in the form of a micro-lamellar spectrometer element.
1 . A sensor system comprising:
A LIDAR element comprising a transmitter element and a receiver element, the LIDAR element configured for processing and outputting three-dimensional image voxel data from a transmitter echo signal in a first predetermined portion of a received optical input,
an electronic imaging element configured for processing and outputting electronic image data from a predetermined band of the electromagnetic spectrum in the first portion of the received optical input,
a first beam-splitting element configured to divide the first portion of the received optical input into a first received spectrum and into a second received spectrum, the first beam-splitting element configured for inputting the first received spectrum to the receiver element and configured for inputting the second received spectrum to the electronic imaging element, and,
a spectrometer element configured for analyzing a laser illuminator signal in a second portion of the received optical input to define one or more characteristics of the illuminator signal.
2 . The sensor system of claim 1 wherein the spectrometer element comprises a plurality of illuminator signal beam-splitting elements configured to divide the second portion of the received optical input into a plurality of predefined sub-bands of the electromagnetic spectrum and to provide a plurality of individual sub-band illuminator signal outputs from each of the plurality of sub-bands, and,
a plurality of individual spectrometer elements, each configured to receive one of the plurality of individual sub-band illuminator signals and configured to identify a characteristic of the individual sub-band illuminator signal.
3 . The sensor system of claim 2 further comprising an illuminator optical response element for outputting an electromagnetic response signal having a predetermined response signal characteristic in response to the identification of the characteristic in the individual sub-band illuminator signal.
4 . The sensor system of claim 3 wherein the transmitter element is steerable in cooperation with a tip/tilt element.
5 . The sensor system of claim 3 where the received optical input is received through a Risley prism beam-steering element.
6 . The sensor system of claim 3 wherein the spectrometer element is comprised of a micro-lamellar grating interferometer comprising a lamellar grating comprising a first stationary set of mirror elements and a second moveable set of mirror elements,
the first and second set of mirror elements interleaved whereby the second set of mirror elements may be perpendicularly driven a predetermined distance with respect to the first set of mirror elements,
the second set of mirror elements driven by a flexure element having a predetermined stiffness, and,
actuator means for driving the flexure element and second set of mirror elements perpendicularly with respect to the first set of mirror elements.
7 . The sensor system of claim 6 where the actuator means comprises magnetic actuator means.
8 . The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the actuator means comprises thermal actuator means.
9 . The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the actuator means comprises piezoelectric actuator means.
10 . The sensor system of claim 6 further comprising second mirror set position feedback means.
11 . The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the thermal actuator means comprises a bi-morph element.
12 . The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the piezoelectric actuator means comprises a plurality of stacked piezoelectric disk elements.
13 . The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the position feedback means comprises capacitive sensing means.
14 . The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the position feedback means comprises inductive sensing means.
15 . The sensor system of claim 6 wherein the position feedback means comprises laser reference means.
16 . The sensor system of claim 6 further comprises circuitry for performing a Fast Fourier Transform.