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

• US 10,151,567 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2017
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• 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
• Application Number:
  US15/664,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20170328686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 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 non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the operations comprising:

receiving, from a remote location, data regarding previously defined multiple threat regions associated with one or more known threats to the remote location;

outputting a plurality of optical impairment signals, the plurality of optical impairment signals following respective scan patterns; and

modifying each of the respective scan patterns by increasing an amount of energy to only a portion of the previously defined multiple threat regions determined to overlap.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the data regarding previously defined multiple threat regions includes an uncertainty area around respective locations of the one or more known threats to the remote location.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the optical impairment signals are output simultaneously or substantially simultaneously.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein each of said scan patterns is a ground projection in the form of one of a square, a rectangle, an oval, a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, an octagon, a hexagon, or an asymmetric polygon.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the data regarding previously defined multiple threat regions associated with one or more known threats to the remote location includes scan pattern data from previous scan patterns deployed by a second vehicle.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the increasing the amount of energy includes increasing a scanning frequency of a first optical impairment signal to only the portion of the previously defined multiple threat regions determined to overlap.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the increasing the amount of energy includes increasing intensity of a first optical impairment signal.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

maintaining an amount of energy applied to non-overlapping portions of the previously defined multiple threat regions.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:

reducing an amount of energy applied to non-overlapping portions of the previously defined multiple threat regions.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical impairment signals are each sufficient to interfere with an optical system of a weapon or an optical system of a person.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the remote location is associated with one of a ground-, water-, space-, or air-based vehicle.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 1, wherein the threats are human beings firing any one of a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), and small arms fire at the remote location.