Small, Light, Stable, Fast Scan Mirror for Electro-Optical Systems

Aerospace optical sensor and communications applications can be performance-limited by the pointing system. Such applications include interceptor seekers and UAV LADAR turrets. These systems can benefit from the improved performance of this program’s FO15-61-BE fine-steering mirror (FSM). A miniaturized flexure suspension, enhanced actuator efficiency (acceleration-per-current) and augmented design techniques reduced the FO15-61-BE FSM mechanism’s size by 50% to less than 40x30x20mm. The innovations achieve higher servo control bandwidth, improved pointing accuracy, position reporting accuracy and linearity and nanoradian jitter, resolution, stability and repeatability. Also achieved is more acceleration with less power and better surface figure accuracy over a wider temperature range. Like its predecessor, the FO15-61-BE survives harsh vibration environments and can be launched without mechanical caging. An ASIC servo control electronics (SCE) implementation to be developed in Phase II is nearly 75% smaller and lighter than its predecessor. The Phase II product is to mature from TRL5 to TRL8. This makes the FO15-61-BE an attractive solution to the performance challenges of the rapidly increasing number of UAV applications. Delivery of two engineering model FSM early in Phase II allows timely integration into the target system.