Scanning earth horizon sensor
US5783827A · kind A · utility
2Cited by
3References
20Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 13, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jul 21, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 13, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S3/7868
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An earth horizon sensor on board an orbiting spacecraft is designed to produce four (4) scans across the earth at geosynchronous altitudes using only two non-visible wavelength (infrared) detectors. The four scans are essentially parallel and permit the earth center to be offset from the null axis of the earth sensor permitting the offset pointing of high gain communication. By providing four scans using only two detectors, components are minimized and reliability is improved. The four scans are generated with only two detectors by using both the front and rear surfaces of a rotating scanning mirror.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.