LIDAR And Tracking Platforms . . .

ObservatoryScope produces LIDAR and telescope tracking platforms for atmospheric research, target acquisition, and tracking and ranging applications. Such platforms commonly employ Cassegrain optical systems and alt-azimuth mountings. Our platforms are individually designed and manufactured to meet your specific application requirements. We can custom design and manufacture complete platforms, including the optics and the OTA, or platforms which are designed to use off-the-shelf optical systems produced by other manufacturers.

ObservatoryScope's LIDAR and telescope tracking platforms platforms use either our Hybrid Band-Worm Drive or our Compound Band-Worm Drive to provide accurate pointing and extraordinarily smooth tracking capabilities. The unique design features of our drive systems allow these platforms to be employed in extremely sandy or dusty environments without worrying about damage to the drive or tracking errors due to grit or other contaminants. Additionally, our drive systems possess inherently low power transmission losses which permits the use of much smaller motors, drivers and power supplies.

Platforms With Conventional Hybrid Band-Worm Drives

Platforms utilizing our conventional Hybrid Band-Worm Drives, as used on our astronomical telescopes, will meet most customer requirements in terms of slew speed, pointing and tracking capabilities. These drive systems are capable of extraordinarily smooth and precise tracking. For example, the Hybrid Band-Worm Drive has sub-arcsecond resolution and can track to an accuracy of better than 1/2" at a distance of 10 miles! Conventional Hybrid Band-Worm Drive specifications follow:

• Drive Motors: Stepper or DC servo motors
• Power Requirements: Very low power; system may be run for hours off a car battery
• Raw Tracking Precision (no encoder feedback): 1.5 arcseconds per degree (better than 1/2" at 10 miles)
• Raw Pointing Precision (no encoder feedback): 12 arcseconds per 50 degrees (3" at 10 miles)
• Maximum Slew Speeds:
  

  (Servo Motors)	5 degrees per second
  (Stepper Motors)	1.5 degrees per second

• Maximum Acceleration Rates:
  

  (Servo Motors)	1 degree per second^2
  (Stepper Motors)	0.25 degree per second^2

Platforms With Compound Band-Worm Drives

Customers who need much higher slew speeds will require a platform utilizing our Compound Band-Worm Drive. These drive systems employ multiple band drive stages, with the worm drive stage being possibly omitted altogether according to the maximum slew speed required. These drive systems are capable of achieving much higher acceleration rates and slew speeds. Compound Band-Worm Drive specifications follow:

• Drive Motors: DC servo motors
• Power Requirements: Higher power, dependent on maximum acceleration rates and mass of platform
• Raw Tracking Precision (no encoder feedback): 2 arcseconds per degree (1/2" at 10 miles)
• Raw Pointing Precision (no encoder feedback): 25 arcseconds per 50 degrees (6-1/2" at 10 miles)
• Maximum Slew Speeds: 10 to 30 degrees per second, dependent on requirements
• Maximum Acceleration Rates: 5 degree per second^2

Custom Platform Options

ObservatoryScope is aware that some customers will require advanced features and options not found on competing LIDAR and tracking platforms. Some custom design options which we offer are listed below:

• Tri-Axis Mountings: Similar to the Air Force's old Baker-Nunn cameras, negating the singularity problem which alt-azimuth mounts exhibit when tracking through the zenith.
• Field De-Rotators: For tracking NEOs (near Earth objects) while maintaining a "North is up" orientation.
• Secondary Mirror Focusing: Permitting heavy equipment to be attached securely at the focal plane position since all focusing is performed by moving the secondary mirror.
• Spherical Aberration Corrector: To remove the spherical aberration which develops if the instrumentation is not located at the ideal focal plane position and/or Secondary Mirror Focusing, above, is used. The Spherical Aberration Corrector is specifically designed for use in LIDAR applications to preserve the coherency of either a transmitted or a received laser beam.

Product Summary . . .

In summary, ObservatoryScope possesses the knowledge and expertise to custom design LIDAR platforms and tracking platforms to meet or exceed your design specifications. As with our astronomical telescopes, every component and subassembly is designed, examined and then redesigned to arrive at an optimal solution with regards to performance criteria and cost effectiveness. Our platforms can be designed around a given set of motors, encoders and performance specifications, thereby allowing you to integrate the platform with your current control software and auxiliary systems without difficulty.