SEEKER WITH A MOLDED DICHROIC MIRROR

• US 20120080552A1
• Filed: 10/01/2010
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Taylor, Byron B., Poisl, W. Howard
• Granted Patent: US 8,581,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/3.16
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00596 Mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/00865 Applying coatings; tinting; colouring printing, marking or copying processes B41M; identification in general G09F3/00; producing decorative effects in general B44C; positioning or marking of lenses B24B13/0055
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/008 Combinations of different guidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2246 Active homing systems, i.e. comprising both a transmitter and a receiver
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2253 Passive homing systems, i.e. comprising a receiver and do not requiring an active illumination of the target
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2286 using radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/2293 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 17/0694 with variable magnification or multiple imaging planes, including multispectral systems systems with only refractive elements G02B15/14
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/12 with means for image conversion or intensification
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/141 using dichroic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/08 Mirrors vehicle mirrors involving special optical features B60R1/08
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/0825 the reflecting layers comprising dielectric materials only
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/208 for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation, e.g. for separating visible light from infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

A molded dichroic mirror and a seeker comprising a molded dichroic mirror are provided. The dichroic mirror may be molded from polysiloxane or lithia potash borosilicate and may be coated to reflect an infrared signal and configured to transmit a radio frequency signal between 33 GHz and 37 GHz.

Claims

1. A seeker, comprising:

a first receiver configured to receive an infrared signal;

a second receiver configured to receive a radio frequency signal;

a dichroic mirror configured to reflect the infrared signal toward the first receiver and to transmit the radio frequency signal toward the second receiver, wherein the dichroic mirror is molded from a material that transmits the radio frequency signal and reflects the infrared signal.

2. The seeker of claim 1, wherein a softening temperature of the molded dichroic mirror is less than or equal to 600°

C.

3. The seeker of claim 2, wherein a MMW dielectric constant of the molded dichroic mirror is less than or equal to 4.

4. The seeker of claim ₃, wherein the molded dichroic mirror has a loss tangent less than or equal to 0.01 at MMW frequencies.

5. The seeker of claim 1, wherein the material is polysiloxane.

6. The seeker of claim 1, wherein the material is lithia potash borosilicate.

7. The seeker of claim 1, wherein the molded dichroic mirror is coated to reflect the infrared signal.

8. The seeker of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency signal is between 33 GHz and 37 GHz.

9. A seeker, comprising:

an infrared receiver configured to receive an infrared signal;

a millimeter-wave transceiver configured to transmit and receive a millimeter-wave signal;

a primary mirror configured to reflect the infrared signal and the millimeter wave signal; and

a molded dichroic mirror configured to transmit the reflected millimeter-wave signal toward the millimeter-wave transceiver and to further reflect the infrared signal toward the infrared receiver.

10. The seeker of claim 9, wherein a softening temperature of the molded dichroic mirror is less than or equal to 600°

C.

11. The seeker of claim 10, wherein a dielectric constant of the molded dichroic mirror is less than or equal to 4.

12. The seeker of claim 11, wherein the molded dichroic mirror has a loss tangent less than or equal to 0.01.

13. The seeker of claim 9, wherein the molded dichroic comprises polysiloxane.

14. The seeker of claim 9, wherein the molded dichroic mirror comprises lithia potash borosilicate.

15. The seeker of claim 9, wherein the molded dichroic mirror is configured to transmit a radio frequency signal between 33 GHz and 37 GHz.

16. A dichroic mirror molded from a material selected from a group consisting of a polymer resin and a moldable oxide glass.

17. The dichroic mirror of claim 16, wherein the dichroic mirror further comprises a coating configured to reflect an infrared signal.

18. The dichroic mirror of claim 16, wherein the dichroic mirror is configured to transmit a radio frequency signal between 33 GHz and 37 GHz.

19. The dichroic mirror of claim 16, wherein the dichroic mirror has a loss tangent less than or equal to 0.01.

20. The dichroic mirror of claim 16, wherein the dichroic mirror is configured to reflect an infrared signal and is further configured to transmit a millimeter-wave signal.