Single detector compound axis system employs a two-axis mirror to achieve target acquisition

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Optical Engineering
• Control Systems

Background:

• Airborne electro-optical systems require lightweight and miniaturized designs.
• Existing systems face challenges in initial pointing and spiral scanning for target acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel single-detector composite-axis tracking system.
• To address initial pointing, scanning, and target positioning challenges in airborne electro-optical countermeasure systems.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a large-stroke, large-aperture two-axis mirror for coarse tracking and a piezoelectric fast-steering mirror for fine tracking.
• Derivation of dynamic target-pointing equations using coordinate transformation and optical geometry.
• Application of neural network fitting for analyzing mirror angle coupling, scanning detection, image motion compensation, and differential evolution algorithms for target positioning.

Main Results:

• Successfully analyzed the coupling between mechanical and optical angles using neural networks.
• Enhanced the system's field of view through scanning detection and image motion compensation.
• Demonstrated effective target positioning without distance information using differential evolution algorithms.

Conclusions:

• The proposed composite-axis system effectively addresses challenges in airborne electro-optical countermeasure systems.
• Ground-to-air experiments confirm the system's capability for accurate target tracking and positioning.