High Resolution Holographic Target Tracking Sensor

Optical and infrared sensors usually track the target by measuring the spatial position of a focal spot on the matrix of detectors. Range and resolution are dependent on the quality of the optics and on the complexity of the electronics (number of detectors in the matrix, their sensitivity etc). Cost is also related to these parameters and might increase exponentially with high performance systems. A novel approach is proposed which inherently decreases the requirements for sophisticated optics and electronics, thus significantly improving the performance for a given system cost. The approach is based on the angular sensitivity of phase volume type transmission holograms. The tracking becomes dependent on light intensity measurements, instead of on analysis of the light distribution in a focal plane, thus enabling the application of the top sensitive photon counting photodetectors. This new holographic optics for the tracking sensors is mass producible, lightweighted and very economical as compared with conventional optical systems. The detectors and electronics are also relatively simple and can be adapted from existing systems. This novel tracking approach will reduce the complexity, volume, mass and cost of optical/infrared target tracking systems and can be easily adapted to any carrier configuration. Commercial applications include industrial controls to detect very small angular position errors at a considerably lower cost than with currently used autocollimator systems.