Visual disruption network and system, method, and computer program product thereof

• US 10,082,369 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2017
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Moraites, Stephen C., Herman, Carl R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnston, Phillip A
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSAI, HSIEN C
• Application Number:
  US15/664,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20170336178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 45/00 Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for camouflage F41H3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/02 Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile or anti-torpedo defence installations or systems cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0056 for blinding or dazzling, i.e. by overstimulating the opponent's eyes or the enemy's sensor equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/00 Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations using active systems G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosed subject matter involve an airborne-based network for implementing a laser-based visual disruption countermeasure scan pattern system, method, and computer program product. The scan pattern can be comprised of a plurality of lasers each with their own scan pattern and may be used to disrupt an optical system of a weapon or an individual. One vehicle in the network can transmit target information and/or scan information to one or more other vehicles or to a non-vehicle remote location in the network.

Claims

1. A laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network including a first vehicle and a second vehicle, comprising:

a first eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem on-board the first vehicle to generate and output a plurality of laser beams with intensities sufficient to interfere with and temporarily impair a human optical system,

wherein each of the laser beams is output so as to follow a scan pattern,

wherein said first eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem is operative to maintain at the same time two or more of the scan patterns,

wherein the network is configured and operative to determine whether a first scan pattern and a second scan pattern maintained at the same time overlap, each of the first and second scan patterns being output by a respective one of the laser beams, and

wherein said first and second scan patterns are each modified by increasing applied laser beam energy of the respective one of the laser beams from a first intensity to a second intensity only for any overlapping portion of the first and second scan patterns.

2. The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem on-board the second vehicle to generate and output a plurality of additional laser beams with intensities sufficient to interfere with and temporarily impair the human optical system,

wherein each additional laser beams is output so as to follow the scan pattern,

wherein said second eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem is operative to maintain at the same time two or more of the scan patterns,

wherein the network is configured and operative to determine whether a third scan pattern and a fourth scan pattern maintained at the same time overlap, each of the third and fourth scan patterns being output by a respective one of the additional laser beams,

wherein said third and fourth scan patterns are each modified by increasing applied laser beam energy of the respective one of the additional laser beams from a third intensity to a fourth intensity only for any overlapping portion of the third and fourth scan patterns, and

wherein said increasing applied laser beam energy of the respective one of the additional laser beams and of the respective one of the laser beams includes application of laser beam energy from the first eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem and the second eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem at the same time.

3. The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1, wherein the increasing applied laser beam energy of the respective one of the laser beams includes increasing scanning frequency for only the overlapping portion of the first and second scan patterns.

4. The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hostile fire indicator subsystem on-board the second vehicle to identify locations of stationary or moving ground-based threats to the first vehicle and to generate respective ground-projection zones around the identified locations indicative of possible error in the identified locations,

said hostile fire indicator subsystem being configured and operative to send data representative of the generated ground-projection zones to the first vehicle.

5. The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 4, wherein the scan pattern completely envelopes the respective ground-projection zones indicative of possible error in the identified threat locations, irrespective of current position of the first vehicle.

6. The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 4, wherein the respective ground-projection zones around the identified locations are defined based on respective positions along a path of the second vehicle at which hostile fire associated with the stationary or moving ground-based threats occurred.

7. The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 4, wherein the stationary or moving ground-based threats are human beings firing any one of a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), and small arms fire at the first vehicle.

8. The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1, wherein the network is configured and operative to maintain the applied laser intensity for any non-overlapping portion of the first and second rectangular scan patterns while increasing the applied laser beam energy for the overlapping portion.

9. The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1, wherein the network is configured and operative to reduce the applied laser intensity for any non-overlapping portion of the first and second rectangular scan patterns while increasing the applied laser beam energy for the overlapping portion.

10. The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1, wherein

the first vehicle electronically receives information, from the second vehicle at a remote location, regarding a common portion of at least two different previously identified flash detection areas, and the overlapping portion of the first and second scan patterns envelopes the common portion.