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Optical Radar
Systems
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PATS and Laser Range Instrumentation
Applications
 The
Precision Automated Tracking System (PATS) is a van mounted laser
tracking system capable of 3-dimensional position locating of augmented
targets such as missiles, aircraft and mortar shells. Over 25 PATS
units were manufactured and delivered by GTE/EOO to Army, Navy, and Air
Force test ranges and to commercial aircraft manufacturers. EOO, Inc.
continues to support the PATS user community for design modifications
and field test support. EOO is developing several upgrades to the
systems, including an eyesafe laser and receiver enhancement operating
at a near infra-red wavelength of 1.54 microns and a 1KHz update rate
for the Army’s White
Sands Missile Range.
FASTBALL – a spaceborne Laser
Radar
 A
compact version of PATS, adapted for a spaceborne
tracking experiment, was
designed and manufactured by GTE/EOO on a 9 month QRC project for SDIO's Delta 181 mission in 1988. This 200 pound
space qualified system successfully tracked multiple targets and
provided terminal guidance commands to the host spacecraft. During the Delta 181 mission the FASTBALL
system provided the following basic data for each of several
cooperative test objects in real time: range, angles (azimuth and
elevation), received power, test object identification, and system
health and status. This data was provided
both to the Delta 181 onboard navigation system for use in real-time
attitude control of the spacecraft and via telemetry to mission ground
control.
Ref: R. Jones, D. Leonard and H. Sweeney, “Spaceborne Laser Radar Test Results for
Acquisition, Tracking and Characterization of Remote Objects,” AIAA
Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota,
August 15-17, 1988, paper No. 88-4074.
Missile Defense Agency Applications
EOO is currently engaged in the development
of imaging LADAR technology for non-cooperative target tracking,
ranging and discrimination applications. These efforts have led to the
development of photon counting receiver techniques for extremely low
signal and high background applications. The Missile Defense Agency
(MDA) and Lockheed Martin have funded much of this work.
On the MDA 3-D Imaging Ladar
Program, an advanced receiver prototype was demonstrated by EOO using a
10 x 10 MCP Hamamatsu array operating in
the green. EOO also developed time slicing electronics that
demonstrated an impulse ranging precision of less than 10 cm. The receiver prototype was successfully
demonstrated at the AMOR test facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
The test sequence showed the various functions of the Ladar (acquisition, range rate determination,
range imaging, A-A-R imaging and aim point selection). The basic
receiver concept is described in U. S. Patent No. 6,137,566, dated Oct.
24, 2000, “Method and Apparatus for Signal Processing in a Laser Radar
Receiver”; inventors Leonard, Driscoll, Sweeney, Bolstad
and Schultz. The Government has certain
rights in the invention.
LASER
RANGE FINDER
 EOO
has supported Power Spectra, Inc. of Sunnyvale,
California, now defunct, and Toolz, Inc. of Mountain View, California
for the development of hand held laser range finders. These devices are
meant to bring affordable laser-based distance measuring accuracy to
industrial applications. Available contactless
sensors are typically ultrasonic based. The Laser Range Finder offers
eyesafe performance, approaching the low cost of ultrasonics,
but without the background interference often encountered in a factory
or construction environment. Toolz has
improved upon the design approach taken by Power Spectra to make it
more affordable and reproducible. A pre-production prototype is nearing
completion by Toolz. (For more information
on the commercial version of this device please contact Mr. Bob Lewis
at Toolz, Telephone # 650-903-4944 x 104)
EOO can address approaches for similar government applications where
minimum cost is not a driver but field ruggedness is.
For More
Information, you may contact Dan Radecki at:
269 N. Mathilda Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA
94086
Phone: (408) 738-5393
Fax: (408) 738-5399
E-mail: info@eooinc.com
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