Michael R Pines, 804808 Ranchito Ave, Van Nuys, CA 91423

6765644, Jul 20, 2004

Mar 1, 2000

09/516812

J. Steve Anderson - Santa Monica CA
Michael Y. Pines - Los Angeles CA

Raytheon Company - Waltham MA

G02F 113

349196, 359316, 2502019, 25022714

A small,compact optical scanning system with small aperture size requirements, wide field-of-regard and minimal color dispersion characteristics. The inventive scanning system and method provides for optical beam steering over a broad spectral band and over a wide field-of-regard. The inventive system includes a novel device for receiving an input wavefront of electromagnetic energy along a first axis and refracting the wavefront as an output wavefront along a second axis. The device is a unique form of a liquid crystal array which can be electrically manipulated to change the effective refractive index of each pixel. The index of refraction of the device varies in response to an applied voltage. The voltage is supplied by a microprocessor and/or a servo-control system. By changing the index, the incident phase front can be steered at an angle with respect to the first axis and otherwise manipulated according to the index variant pattern induced in the array.

6947117, Sep 20, 2005

May 3, 2004

10/838823

J. Steve Anderson - Santa Monica CA, US
Michael Y. Pines - Los Angeles CA, US

Raytheon Company - Waltham MA

G02F001/13

349193

A small, compact optical scanning system with small aperture size requirements, wide field-of-regard and minimal color dispersion characteristics. The inventive scanning system and method provides for optical beam steering over a broad spectral band and over a wide field-of-regard. The inventive system includes a novel device for receiving an input wavefront of electromagnetic energy along a first axis and refracting the wavefront as an output wavefront along a second axis. The device is a unique form of a multi-channel liquid crystal array in which each channel has a length parallel to the first axis. By applying signals to change the refractive index of each channel, the incident wavefront can be steered at an angle with respect to the first axis and otherwise manipulated according to the index variant pattern induced in the array. Accordingly, the output beam is steered in response to the applied signals.

7205927, Apr 17, 2007

Jun 3, 2005

11/144130

Kapriel V. Krikorian - Calabasas CA, US
Dwight J. Mellema - Pasadena CA, US
Michael Y. Pines - Los Angeles CA, US

Raytheon Company - Waltham MA

G01S 13/90

342 25A, 342 25 B, 342 25 C, 342 90, 342179, 342180, 342189

A radar on a moving platform for three dimensional target recognition of a target on a flat or sloping terrain is described. The target is illuminated from a plurality of locations to generate images at many aspect angles. The radar is positioned at a low grazing angle with respect to the target for generating a shadow of the target on the flat or sloping terrain for each aspect angle of the plurality of aspect angles. The radar comprises an analog to digital converter for converting reflections from the target induced by radar illumination into target digital data and for converting reflections induced by the illumination from the flat or sloping terrain into terrain digital data. The radar further comprises a computer for extracting radar images of the target and its shadow(s) at the plurality of aspect angles at low grazing angles; computing the slope of the terrain from the terrain digital data; correlating a plurality of the radar images to compute a three dimensional image of the target from the shadow of the target upon the flat or sloping terrain; and classifying the three dimensional image for target recognition using a target recognition algorithm.

5587784, Dec 24, 1996

Jun 16, 1995

8/491133

Michael Y. Pines - Los Angeles CA
Donald F. King - Playa Del Rey CA

Hughes Electronics - Los Angeles CA

G01C 308
G01J 502

356 401

A multispectral imaging sensor. The inventive sensor (10) includes a broadband detector (30) capable of sensing electromagnetic energy across a spectra of interest. A filter arrangement (20) is mounted within the sensor in alignment with the detector (30). The sensor arrangement (20) includes a first filter (24) with a first passband, a second filter (26) with a second passband, and a mechanism for selectively positioning either the first filter (24) or the second filter (26) in optical alignment with the detector (30). In a specific embodiment, infrared and visible light are directed to the filter arrangement by a reflective optical arrangement (16, 18, 19). The positioning arrangement includes a turntable (22) on which the first filter (24) and second filter (24) are disposed. A motor (27) activates the turntable (220 from a first position at which the first filter (24) is in alignment with the detector (30) and the reflective optical arrangement (16, 18, 19) to a second position at which the second filter (26) is in alignment with the detector (30) and the optical arrangement (16, 18, 19). Multispectral imaging sensing is effected by simply switching the appropriate filter into the optical path of the detector (30).

5602391, Feb 11, 1997

Feb 23, 1995

8/393603

Michael Y. Pines - Los Angeles CA
Robert L. Sendall - Chatsworth CA

Hughes Electronics - Los Angeles CA

G01J 506
H04N 533

250332

An imaging device (10) includes an array (18) of picture elements (16) or pixels, each of which is responsive to incident radiant energy to provide an output signal. The array (18) consists of pixels (16) in adjacent horizontal rows, each row having a certain pitch (P) or center-to-center distance between pixels. Each alternate row is horizontally offset by a distance equal to one-half of a row pitch from each adjacent row to form a "brick wall" or quincunx pattern. An azimuthal traverse of the quincunx focal plane array (18) provides twice the azimuthal resolution and approximately 140 percent of the minimum resolvable temperature measurement capability of conventional focal plane arrays.

4740700, Apr 26, 1988

Sep 2, 1986

6/902733

Yifal J. Shaham - Los Angeles CA
Michael Y. Pines - Los Angeles CA
N. John Koda - Vista CA
Daniel F. Murphy - Carlsbad CA

Hughes Aircraft Company - Los Angeles CA

H01L 2500
G01J 100
B44C 122
B29C 3700

250332

A pyroelectric focal plane array useful for thermal imaging applications comprises a detector (10), comprises a reticulated and aluminized pyroelectric chip (12) interfaced with a signal processor chip (14) by thermally insulating bumps (30) coated with a thin conductive layer (38) to form a plurality of thermally insulative and electronically conductive interconnections (16) between detector chips (12) and processor chip (14).

4345148, Aug 17, 1982

Oct 6, 1980

6/194204

Michael Y. Pines - Los Angeles CA
Colin G. Whitney - Woodland Hills CA
James S. Duncan - Los Angeles CA

Hughes Aircraft Company - Culver City CA

H01J 4014

250214C

An automatic responsivity control (ARC) circuit compensates for the nonuniform deviation. DELTA. R in the average responsivity R of a column of photodetectors from a nominal responsivity R. sub. 0 which is uniform from column to column. The ARC circuit first establishes a reference level by subtracting two known calibration signals occurring during optical retracing and then multiplies the reference level by each image signal occurring during optical scanning. The resulting product contains undesirable signal components or terms which are algebraic functions of. DELTA. R. sup. 2 and other terms which are algebraic functions of. DELTA. R. The terms in. DELTA. R. sup. 2 are ignored because. DELTA. R is significantly less than R. sub. The terms in. DELTA.

5075549, Dec 24, 1991

Dec 11, 1990

7/626135

Michael Y. Pines - Los Angeles CA

Hughes Aircraft Company - Los Angeles CA

H01L 27146

250332

A pyroelectric detector using electronic chopping of the detector bias signal to reset the detector. The detector is preferably operated slightly above or below its Curie temperature. Multiplexing of a plurality of electronically-reset detectors is also disclosed.