Stephen J Katzberg

US Patent:

40884082, May 9, 1978

Filed:

Nov 8, 1976

Appl. No.:

5/740155

Inventors:

Ernest E. Burcher - Newport News VA
Stephen J. Katzberg - Yorktown VA
William L. Kelly - Hampton VA

Assignee:

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Washington DC

International Classification:

G01B 1130

US Classification:

356120

Abstract:

The invention is a device for measuring the contour of a surface. Light from a source is imaged by a lens onto the surface which concentrates the energy from the source into a spot. A scanning means is used to scan the spot across the surface. As the surface is being scanned the surface moves relative to the point of perfect focus. When the surface moves away from perfect focus the spot increases in size, while the total energy in the spot remains virtually constant. The lens then reimages the light reflected by the surface onto two detectors through two different sized apertures. The light energy going to the two detectors is separated by a beam splitter. This second path of the light energy through the lens further defocuses the spot, but as a result of the different sizes of the apertures in each light detector path, the amount of defocus for each is different. The ratio of the outputs of the two detectors which is indicative of the contour of the surface is obtained by a divider.

US Patent:

59493640, Sep 7, 1999

Filed:

Jan 6, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/003247

Inventors:

Stephen J. Katzberg - Yorktown VA
James L. Garrison - Yorktown VA

Assignee:

The United States of America as represented by the Administration of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Washington DC

International Classification:

G01S 1300

US Classification:

342 25

Abstract:

A method and system are provided to produce images of an object. A receiving station is positioned in view of a range-coded signal emitting satellite and the object. The receiving station is sensitive to direct transmission of the range-coded signal and reflections of the range-coded signal from the object. Both range from the receiving station to the object and a Doppler frequency shift history between the receiving station and the object is determined using the direct transmission and reflections of the range-coded signal. An image is formed using the two-dimensional record provided by the range and the Doppler frequency shift history.