The Compound Eye Laser Illumination Seeker is a tracking system used to guide items to point at a laser-illuminated target, with the illumination being either pulsed or modulated at either a specific rate or within a range of rates. The device comprises a multiaperture compound receiver optics to collect the signal, a set of light guides to combine the received light into light representing individual angular sectors and redirect it to detectors whose output represents the illumination signal in that quadrant, a spectral filter, an angle filter, the set of detectors, and processing electronics. The output is an electronic signal indicating the angular difference between the pointing direction of the signal and the pointing direction of the tracking device.

The Compound Eye Laser Illumination Seeker is a tracking system used to guide items to point at a laser-illuminated target, with the illumination being either pulsed or modulated at either a specific rate or within a range of rates. The device comprises a multiaperture compound receiver optics to collect the signal, a set of light guides to combine the received light into light representing individual angular sectors and redirect it to detectors whose output represents the illumination signal in that quadrant, a spectral filter, an angle filter, the set of detectors, and processing electronics. The output is an electronic signal indicating the angular difference between the pointing direction of the signal and the pointing direction of the tracking device.

A laser designator pulse detector includes an InGaAs photodetector configured to convert laser signals into electrical signals. A Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC) is operatively connected to the InGaAs photodetector to condition electrical signals from the InGaAs photodetector. The ROIC can be operatively connected to a peripheral device including one or more modules configured to process signals from the ROIC and provide pulse detection, decoding, and tracking. In another aspect, a laser designator pulse detector includes a two-dimensional array of photodetectors configured to convert laser signals into electrical signals. A ROTC as described above is operatively connected to the two-dimensional array of photodetectors.

A system for detecting a direction of a source of a laser beam includes a pixelated sensor that is sensitive to the laser beam. A mask is disposed between the source of a laser beam and the pixelated sensor. The mask includes an opaque portion that is opaque to the laser beam and a window portion that is at least translucent to the laser beam. When the laser impinges upon the mask an image of the window portion is projected onto the pixelated sensor. A processor determines an angle of incidence of the laser beam with respect to the mask by determining a number of pixels that the image of the window is offset from where the image of the window would be if the laser beam had been normal to the mask.

A system for detecting a direction of a source of a laser beam includes a pixelated sensor that is sensitive to the laser beam. A mask is disposed between the source of a laser beam and the pixelated sensor. The mask includes an opaque portion that is opaque to the laser beam and a window portion that is at least translucent to the laser beam. When the laser impinges upon the mask an image of the window portion is projected onto the pixelated sensor. A processor determines an angle of incidence of the laser beam with respect to the mask by determining a number of pixels that the image of the window is offset from where the image of the window would be if the laser beam had been normal to the mask.

A pulse repetition frequency detector, tracker, and decoder includes a two-dimensional InGaAs FPA of photodetectors configured to convert laser signals into electrical signals. A ROIC is operatively connected to the InGaAs FPA to condition electrical signals from the InGaAs FPA. A module is operatively connected to the ROIC to decode pulsed codes in the conditioned electrical signals and to provide output for tracking decoded laser spots in two-dimensional space. In another aspect, an imaging device includes an imager with an imaging FPA operatively connected to a first ROIC for imaging. A pulse repetition frequency detector, tracker, and decoder including a second ROIC as described above, is operatively connected to the first ROIC. The first and second ROICs are operatively connected to correlate the position of decoded laser spots in images from the imaging FPA.

A method of identifying at least one target includes receiving a series of images over time of pulsed energy reflected from the at least one target, each image including a plurality of pulses related to different first and second pulse codes, detecting the pulses in an image of the received images, and outputting pulse detection information including XY coordinates and arrival time information associated with the respective detected pulses. The method further includes associating the pulse detection information with the first and second pulse codes based on the arrival time information, and generating output position information for the at least one target in space that indicates output positions for the at least one target based on the XY coordinates and being associated with the corresponding first and second pulse codes.

A star tracker includes a lens slice, a pixelated image sensor, an ephemeral database and a processor configured to estimate attitude, orientation and/or location of the star tracker based on an image of one or more celestial objects projected by the lens slice onto the pixelated image sensor. The lens slice is smaller and lighter than an optically comparable conventional lens, thereby making the star tracker less voluminous and less massive than conventional star trackers. A lens slice is elongated along one axis. Optical performance along the elongation axis is comparable to that of a conventional circular lens of equal diameter. Although optical performance along a width axis, perpendicular to the elongation axis, of a lens slice can be significantly worse than that of a conventional lens, use of two orthogonal lens slices provides adequate optical performance in both axes, and still saves volume and mass over a conventional lens.

A system is provided for generating an alert to the presence of emission vapors for a low altitude in-flight aircraft. An obstacle database and a terrain database provide parameters for obstacles and terrain features to a synthetic vision processor. The processor creates a graphic overlay of the terrain and obstacles that is combined with thermal images of emission vapors by a combined vision processor to create a combined synthetic image. An emissions threat calculator analyzes the synthetic image for the presence of emission vapors. If any emission vapors are detected in proximity to the aircraft, an alert and suggested maneuvers to avoid the emission vapors are sent to the aircraft.

A system comprising a mobile computing device that includes a processor and a memory. The memory storing programming executable by the processor to detect an identifier in each of two or more of asynchronous light sources detected by a light sensor, the identifier including a position of the light source and use at least a coordinate system having an origin in the light sensor and the position of the light source, to determine a location of the mobile device.