US 6,982,678 B2
Apparatus and method using wavefront phase measurements to determine geometrical relationships
Thomas L. Obert, Pomona, Calif. (US); Kenneth W. Brown, Yucaipa, Calif. (US); Alan A. Rattray, Alta Loma, Calif. (US); John Gerstenberg, Lake Elsinore, Calif. (US); and James R. Gallivan, Pomona, Calif. (US)
Assigned to Raytheon Company, Waltham, Mass. (US)
Filed on Apr. 02, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/817,400.
Prior Publication US 2005/0219138 A1, Oct. 06, 2005
Int. Cl. H01Q 13/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 343—775 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
a source that produces a feed beam;
a first pair of sensors including
a first sensor positioned to intercept and receive a first portion of the feed beam, wherein the first sensor has a first-sensor output signal, and
a second sensor positioned to intercept and receive a second portion of the feed beam and spaced apart from the first sensor along a first-pair axis, wherein the second sensor has a second-sensor output signal;
a first phase-comparison device having as an input the first-sensor output signal and the second-sensor output signal, and as an output a first phase comparison of the first-sensor output signal and the second-sensor output signal; and
a first geometrical calculator having as an input the first phase comparison and as an output a geometrical relationship of the first-pair axis to an other feature.