US 11,841,223 B2
Optical systems with controlled mirror arrangements
Brian James Howley, Mountain View, CA (US); Michael L Tartaglia, Berthoud, CO (US); Anthony C. Kowalczyk, San Mateo, CA (US); Patrick Eliott Perkins, Carmel Valley, CA (US); Alain Charles Carrier, La Jolla, CA (US); Paul J. Suni, Berthoud, CO (US); Bruce G. Tiemann, Longmont, CO (US); and David Carl Sadighi, Boulder, CO (US)
Assigned to Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, MD (US)
Filed by LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION, Bethesda, MD (US)
Filed on Feb. 23, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/678,978.
Prior Publication US 2023/0266116 A1, Aug. 24, 2023
Int. Cl. G01B 9/02015 (2022.01); G01B 9/02003 (2022.01); G01B 9/02 (2022.01)
CPC G01B 9/02016 (2013.01) [G01B 9/02003 (2013.01); G01B 9/02024 (2013.01); G01B 9/02029 (2013.01); G01B 9/02051 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system comprising:
a plate configured to rotate in one or more directions about a pivot;
a retroreflector coupled to the plate; and
one or more position sensors, each of the position sensors comprising:
a transmit waveguide configured to provide a transmit beam to the retroreflector;
a receive waveguide configured to receive the transmit beam reflected by the retroreflector over a range of motion of the plate, wherein for a range of positions of the retroreflector based on rotation of the plate, the transmit beam reflected by the retroreflector is approximately parallel to the transmit beam transmitted by the transmit waveguide to the retroreflector; and
an interferometer configured to coherently combine the received transmit beam with a local oscillator signal to generate a first interferometric signal.