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

Many aerospace optical sensor and communications applications are performance-limited by limitations in the optical pointing system. This is especially true when considering interceptor seeker, designator and surveillance sensor applications. The pointing components of these applications are generally performance-limited by some combination of size, mass, power consumption, positioning or position reporting repeatability, positioning or position reporting linearity, servo control bandwidth, acceleration and surface figure error (SFE) performance. To relieve these performance limitations, LHDC introduces three primary innovations to achieve the required repeatability and surface figure accuracy over a larger temperature range and high acceleration with reduced power dissipation. Reducing the size of the flexure suspension by using miniaturized components, enhancing actuator efficiency in terms of acceleration-per-current and introducing an ASIC implementation of their servo control electronics. These benefits will be accomplished, initially during Phase I, on a retrofitted LHDC inventory FSM. Testing and analysis results from the retrofit unit will be used in design and fabrication of the Phase II deliverable hardware. The expected increase in performance parameters are to be achieved without risking LHDC’s proven capability in the areas of sub-microradian precision, lateral load capability for launch without caging, optical surface figure quality, compact size and low mass.