Variable thickness hollow conformal nose cone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016153756-A1
Application number	US-201514810914-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 28, 2015
Priority date	Jul 31, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The embodiments relate to a conformal, sometimes referred to as aerodynamic, nose cone, and in particular to a hollow conformal nose cone that is transparent to electromagnetic radiation of a predetermined wavelength, or wavelengths, and that comprises a variable thickness such that the electromagnetic radiation received on an outer surface of the nose cone forms a predetermined beam pattern within the nose cone. Also disclosed are mechanisms for generating such hollow conformal nose cones.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for generating a functional definition of a surface of a hollow nose cone shell comprising a transparent material and having an interior void, comprising:
accessing, by a computing device comprising a processor, a first functional definition of a first surface that comprises one of an outer nose cone surface and an inner nose cone surface; determining, at a plane in the interior void, a desired beam pattern of light that is transmitted through the hollow nose cone shell; determining an optical prescription of a second surface that comprises one of the outer nose cone surface and the inner nose cone surface, the second surface being different from the first surface, wherein the optical prescription provides the desired beam pattern of light at the plane in the interior void based on the first functional definition; generating a second functional definition that identifies the optical prescription; and storing the second functional definition in a storage device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a thickness of the hollow nose cone shell at at least one location of the first surface; identifying a plurality of first light ray locations on the first surface; based on the at least one location of the first surface, the desired beam pattern of light, the transparent material, and a predetermined angle of incidence of a light ray at each first light ray location, determining a plurality of corresponding second light ray locations on the second surface and a slope of the second surface at each second light ray location based on a desired path of the light ray after passing through the second light ray location; and determining the second functional definition based on the plurality of second light ray locations on the second surface.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the first surface is an outer conformal surface of the hollow nose cone shell and the second surface is an inner surface of the hollow nose cone shell.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the desired beam pattern of light is one of a converging beam pattern, a diverging beam pattern, and a collimated beam pattern.

5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one location of the first surface comprises a location that intersects an axis of symmetry of the hollow nose cone shell.

6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the second surface is an outer conformal surface of the hollow nose cone shell and the first surface is an inner surface of the hollow nose cone shell.

7 . A nose cone shell that forms a void, comprising:
a conformal outer nose cone surface; and an inner nose cone surface that defines the void and is configured to direct light received at a plurality of different points on the conformal outer nose cone surface into a predetermined output beam pattern toward a plane that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the nose cone shell.

8 . The nose cone shell of claim 7 , wherein the plane is within the void.

9 . The nose cone shell of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined output beam pattern comprises a converging output beam pattern.

10 . The nose cone shell of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined output beam pattern comprises a diverging output beam pattern.

11 . The nose cone shell of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined output beam pattern comprises a collimated output beam pattern.

12 . The nose cone shell of claim 7 , further comprising a detector positioned in the void.

13 . The nose cone shell of claim 12 , further comprising an optical receiver positioned at an upstream location with respect to the detector.

14 . The nose cone shell of claim 7 , wherein a thickness of the nose cone shell varies along the nose cone shell.

15 . The nose cone shell of claim 7 , wherein an obscuration obscures an area of the conformal outer nose cone surface.

16 . An apparatus for generating a functional definition of a surface of a hollow nose cone shell comprising a transparent material and having an interior void, comprising:
a memory; and a processing device coupled to the memory and configured to:
access, by a computing device comprising a processor, a first functional definition of a first surface that comprises one of an outer nose cone surface and an inner nose cone surface;
determine, at a plane in the interior void, a desired beam pattern of light that is transmitted through the hollow nose cone shell;
determine an optical prescription of a second surface that comprises one of the outer nose cone surface and the inner nose cone surface, the second surface being different from the first surface, wherein the optical prescription provides the desired beam pattern of light at the plane in the interior void based on the first functional definition;
generate a second functional definition that identifies the optical prescription; and
store the second functional definition in a storage device.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the desired beam pattern of light is one of a converging beam pattern, a diverging beam pattern, and a collimated beam pattern.

18 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the first surface is an outer conformal surface of the hollow nose cone shell and the second surface is an inner surface of the hollow nose cone shell.

19 . The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the second surface is an outer conformal surface of the hollow nose cone shell and the first surface is an inner surface of the hollow nose cone shell.

20 . A method for defining an inner nose cone surface of a hollow nose cone comprising an outer nose cone surface, comprising:
accessing a functional definition of the outer nose cone surface of the hollow nose cone, the hollow nose cone comprising a transparent material; identifying a plurality of first light ray locations on the outer nose cone surface; determining, for the plurality of first light ray locations, a corresponding plurality of inner surface light ray locations on the inner nose cone surface and a plurality of inner surface slopes, wherein each inner surface slope defines a slope of the inner nose cone surface at a corresponding inner surface light ray location by, for each first light ray location of the plurality of first light ray locations:
determining a path through the transparent material that a light ray travels given a predetermined angle of incidence of the light ray on the outer nose cone surface at the first light ray location;
determining the corresponding second light ray location on the inner nose cone surface at which the light ray will exit the inner nose cone surface given the path; and
determining the inner surface slope of the corresponding second light ray location required to direct the light ray in a desired direction into a void of the hollow nose cone; and
defining the inner nose cone surface based on the plurality of inner surface light ray locations.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein defining the inner nose cone surface further comprises fitting a polynomial to the plurality of inner surface light ray locations.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein determining the path through the transparent material that the light ray travels given the predetermined angle of incidence of the light ray on the outer nose cone surface at the first light ray location comprises determining the path through the transparent material that the light ray travels given the predetermined angle of incidence of the light ray on the outer no

Assignees

• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Mccarty Jr Robert J
• Larson Don A

Classifications

• F42B10/46 Primary

  Streamlined nose cones; Windshields; Radomes {(F42B12/105 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F42B15/34

  Protection against overheating or radiation, e.g. heat shields; Additional cooling arrangements {(thermal protection fitted in or to cosmonautic vehicles B64G1/58)} · CPC title

• G06F30/00

  Computer-aided design [CAD] · CPC title

• G06F17/50

  Physics · mapped topic