Remote data monitoring system

• US 4,731,879 A
• Filed: 08/03/1984
• Issued: 03/15/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm GmbH (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm GmbH (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Inventors: Harasim, Anton, Sepp, Gunther
• Primary Examiner(s): ORSINO JR, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US06/637,411
• Time in Patent Office: 1,320 Days
• Field of Search: 455/604, 455/605, 356/152, 343/6.5 R, 343/6.5 SS, 342/45, 342/54
• US Class Current: 398/170
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/74 Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe

Abstract

The present remote data monitoring system employs a laser and a modulated retroreflector for the remote data monitoring of hard to access spaces, targets etc., in combination with an arrangement for a simultaneous friend-or-foe identification, and in combination with devices for the protection against detection and against interrogation of a friend by an enemy laser. In this system, a liquid crystal modulator of special construction depending on the purpose and structure of the system, is arranged in front of a retroreflector and modulated by the respective information. The information is interrogated by a spatially distant laser station by directing a laser beam onto the retromodulator, whereby the information is retroreflected and simultaneously modulated.

Claims

1. A remote data monitoring system for interrogating information from a remote interrogated location, comprising laser transmitter-receiver means (10) at an interrogating location, to transmit a laser beam (11) comprising upper and lower frequency bands, and retroreflector means (40) at said remote interrogated location, said laser transmitter-receiver means (10) comprising a laser transmitter section (20) including laser transmitter means (23, 24, 25, 26) including a semiconductor laser (23) and wavelength stabilizing means as part of said semiconductor laser (23) for stabilizing the wavelength of said semiconductor laser (23) and an IFF-code generator means (21) operatively connected to said laser transmitter means for modulating said upper frequency band onto said laser beam (11) transmitted by said laser transmitter means (23, 24, 25, 26), said laser transmitter-receiver means further comprising a laser receiver section (30) for receiving a reflected beam (41) comprising upper and lower frequency bands, said receiver section (30) including laser receiver means (31, 32, 33, 34, 35), an IFF-code demodulator (37) and first control means (12) connected to said IFF-code demodulator (37) and to said laser transmitter means for controlling the laser transmitter means in accordance with received information, said laser receiver section (30) further comprising transducer means (38) connected to said IFF-code demodulator (37) for providing an information output, said retroreflector means (40) comprising a retroreflector section and means including an IFF-monitoring circuit (50) for fully activating said retroreflector section only in response to a transmitted laser beam (11) modulated at said upper frequency band with an IFF-code and for fully deactivating said retroreflector section in response to a foe laser interrogation, information sensing means (61) for sensing information at said remote location, and a retroreflector (64), amplifier (65) and liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) arranged for modulating said lower frequency band of said laser beam (11) in response to information sensed by said information sensing means (61) at said remote location to produce said reflected beam (41) simultaneously carrying information containing signals in said lower frequency band and IFF-code signals in said higher frequency band, said semiconductor laser (23) and said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) requiring a low voltage, low current power supply.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said laser receiver section comprises an interference filter (32), and wherein said retroreflector section also comprises an interference filter (63).

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) includes two or several glass plates (230a) separated from one another by spacers (230b) to form at least one interspace between two glass plates (230a), and a liquid crystal mixture (230c) in said interspace, said liquid crystal mixture comprising a nematic liquid crystal compound having a high optical anisotropy and including a cholesterinic doping liquid having a concentration ##EQU2## ;

wherein k is a characteristic constant of the cholesterinic doping liquid, n is the index of refraction of said nematic liquid crystal, and λ

is a wavelength at which maximum scattering occurs.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) includes two or several glass plates (230a, 400a) separated from one another by spacers (230b, 400b) to form at least one interspace between two glass plates, and a ferro-electric liquid crystal mixture (400c) in said interspace, said liquid crystal modulator further comprising polarizer means (410) arranged in front of and behind said glass plates.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said retroreflector means (40) comprise in addition to said IFF-monitoring circuit (50), a sensor means for converting sensed information into a modulating signal, and an interference filter (63) located in front of said retroreflector (64), wherein said laser receiver station (30) comprises a laser receiver (31) with an interference filter (32) for filtering out interfering signals from a received signal, reception optics (33) for receiving a filtered signal that has passed through said interference filter (32), a photo-detector (34) for converting said filtered signal into a respective electrical signal, an amplifier (35) for amplifying said electrical signal, an IFF-code filter (36) for filtering an output signal from said amplifier (35), said IFF-code demodulator (37) demodulating a signal from said IFF-code filter (36), said first control means (12) being responsive to said IFF-code demodulator (37) for controlling said laser transmitter means.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a target acquisition and tracking arrangement (24) including zoom transmission optics (25) and a beam control member (26), wherein during a target acquisition phase, said control means (12) control said zoom transmission optics (25) of said target acquisition and tracking arrangement (24) for setting the transmitted laser beam (11) to a large divergence, said first control means (12) also controlling said beam control member (26) for performing a search mode, in which the transmitted laser beam (11) is scanning a predetermined space sector.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein after the first detection of a reflected laser beam (41), said control means (12) initiates a target tracking phase by setting said zoom transmission optics (25) to the smallest possible divergence of the transmitted laser beam (11) and by controlling said beam control member (26) for maximizing the intensity of the reflected laser beam (41).

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said IFF-monitoring circuit for fully activating said retroreflector section comprises a laser receiver (51), an interference filter (52) connected to an input of said laser receiver (51), said interference filter (52) having a narrow band corresponding to a wavelength band of said laser transmitter means, reception optics (53) cooperating with said interference filter (52), a photo-detector (54) connected to said reception optics, an amplifier (55) connected to said photo-detector (54), and an IFF-code filter (56) connected to said ammplifier (55), said activating means including further control means (42) connected with one input to said IFF-code filter (56) for monitoring the output of said IFF-code filter (56) and for activating the retroreflector section (60) including said information sensing means, amplifier means (65) and said reflector modulator means (62) in the form of said liquid crystal reflector modulator means, in response to a signal received by said IFF-monitoring circuit.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said IFF-monitoring circuit (50) further includes an additional laser receiver (51a) with an additional interference filter (52a) having a wide band width yet not transmitting the wavelength of said laser transmitter means, further reception optics (53a) cooperating with said additional interference filter (52a), an additional photo-detector (54a) cooperating with said further reception optics, and an additional amplifier (55a) connected to said additional photo-detector (54a), said additional amplifier having an output connected to a second input of said further control means (42) for deactivating said retroreflector section for a certain length of time in response to a received signal.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said first mentioned control means (12), during a target tracking phase interrupts the transmission of the laser beam (11) for a certain length of time corresponding to the deactivation time of said retroreflector section in response to the absence of a reflected laser beam (41) for a certain length of time.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) operates at frequencies below or equal to a base frequency and has only a minimal transmission in its off-state, said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) further having an upper limit frequency which is the same as said base frequency.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said IFF-code generator means (21) produces a periodically modulated IFF-code signal having a large band width having upper and lower limit frequencies, whereby the upper limit frequency is large compared to said base frequency of said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62), and wherein said lower limit frequency is the same as said base frequency of the liquid crystal modulator (62).

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said IFF-monitoring circuit (50) of said activating means is provided for continuously carrying out an identifying test of an IFF-code signal within one period or within a few periods or within less than one period of said base frequency and wherein said activating means comprise a further control means (42) for activating or deactivating the reflector modulator means (62) in response to the test results.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising first frequency shifter means (66) connected to the output of said information sensing means (61), whereby said first frequency shifter means (66) shifts the frequency band which is to be transmitted by reflection, by about 1 kHz to a higher frequency, and second frequency shifter means (39) coupled to an input of said transducer means (38), whereby said second frequency shifter means (39) correspondingly shifts back the frequency band, which was transmitted by reflection.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said IFF-code generator means (21) comprise a quartz stabilized oscillator and and IFF-code band filter (35) having a frequency corresponding to the frequency of the quartz stabilized oscillator.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said information sensing means (61) comprise a microphone, and wherein said transduceer means (38) is a loudspeaker.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said information sensing means (61) comprise a TV camera, and wherein said transducer means (38) comprise a TV monitor or TV display screen.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said laser transmitter section (20) comprises laser beam controller means (26) including two motor-driven rotating optical wedge compensators (260) for directing the laser beam.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said retroreflector (64) comprises a film or foil for reflecting said reflected beam.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said retroreflector section (60) comprises an effective aperture of said reflector modulator means (62) arranged in the center of said retroreflector having a disk shape.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for fully activating said retroreflector section comprise laser receivers (51, 51a) including a common reception optical member (53) and a narrow band interference filter (52) having a pass frequency corresponding to the wavelength of said laser transmitter means (23), said narrow band interference filter being arranged as a beam splitter.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) comprise a liquid crystal mixture, said system further comprising means for modulating the drive or activation voltage for said liquid crystal mixture in said liquid crystal modulator said liquid crystal mixture exhibiting a two frequency characteristic, said modulator means performing an amplitude modulation or performing a frequency modulation of said drive or activation voltage at different times.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) comprise a liquid crystal mixture including a nematic liquid crystal, a cholesterinic doping substance, and a dichroic pigment.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) comprise a front glass plate provided with a transparent, electrically conducting electrode (230e), which is electrically connected to a metallic shielding or to a metal housing of the retroreflector (40).

25. The system of claim 1, wherein said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) comprise a liquid crystal filled region and two logarithmically sensitive photodetectors (510, 511) arranged on the side of said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) facing said retroreflector (64) in such a manner that one photodetector is within while the other photodetector is outside of said liquid crystal filled region of said liquid crystal modulator (62), said photodetectors having outputs interconnected in opposition to each other for providing a photodetector output signal, said reflector modulator means (62) further comprising a differential amplifier (520) including an input control member (530) connected to one input of said differential amplifier (520), said photodetector output signal being supplied to another input of said differential amplifier.

26. A remote data monitoring system for interrogating information from a remote interrogated location, comprising laser transmitter-receiver means (10) at an interrogating location and retroreflector means (40) at said remote interrogated location, said laser transmitter-receiver means (10) comprising a laser transmitter section (20) including laser transmitter means (23, 24, 25, 26) including a semiconductor laser (23) and wavelength stabilizing means as part of said semiconductor laser (23) for stabilizing the wavelength of said semiconductor laser (23) and an IFF-code generator means (21) operatively connected to said laser transmitter means for modulating a laser beam (11) transmitted by said laser transmitter means (23, 24, 25, 26), said laser transmitter-receiver means further comprising a laser receiver section (30) including laser receiver means (31, 32, 33, 34, 35), an IFF-code demodulator (37) and first control means (12) connected to said IFF-code demodulator (37) and to said laser transmitter means for controlling the laser transmitter means in accordance with received information, said laser receiver section (30) further comprising transducer means (38) connected to said IFF-code demodulator (37) for providing an information output, said retroreflector means (40) comprising a retroreflector section and means including an IFF-monitoring circuit for fully activating said retroreflector section only in response to a transmitted laser beam (11) modulated with an IFF-code and for fully deactivating said retroreflector section in response to a foe laser interrogation, information sensing means (61) for sensing information at said remote location, a retroreflector (64), and liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) arranged for modulating a reflected beam (41) in response to information sensed by said information sensing means (61) at said remote location, said semiconductor laser (23) and said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) requiring a low voltage, low current power supply, said IFF-monitoring circuit for fully activating said retroreflector section comprising a laser receiver (51), an interference filter (52) connected to an input of said laser receiver (51), said interference filter (52) having a narrow band corresponding to a wavelength band of said laser transmitter means, reception optics (53) cooperating with said interference filter (52), a photo-detector (54) connected to said reception optics, an amplifier (55) connected to said photo-detector (54), and an IFF-code filter (56) connected to said amplifier (55), said activating means including further control means (42) connected with one input to said IFF-code filter (56) for monitoring the output of said IFF-code filter (56) and for activating the retroreflector section (60) including said information sensing means, amplifier means (65) and said reflector modulator means (62) in the form of said liquid crystal reflector modulator means, in response to a signal received by said IFF-monitoring circuit.

27. A remote data monitoring system for interrogating information from a remote interrogated location, comprising laser transmitter-receiver means (10) at an interrogating location and retroreflector means (40 at said remote interrogated location, said laser transmitter-receiver means (10) comprising a laser transmitter section (20) including laser transmitter means (23, 24, 25, 26) including a semiconductor laser (23) and wavelength stabilizing means as part of said semiconductor laser (23) for stabilizing the wavelength of said semiconductor laser (23) and an IFF-code generator means (21) operatively connected to said laser transmitter means for modulating a laser beam (11) transmitted by said laser transmitter means (23, 24, 25, 26), said laser transmitter-receiver means further comprising a laser receiver section (30) including laser receiver means (31, 32, 33, 34, 35), an IFF-code demodulator (37) and first control means (12) connected to said IFF-code demodulator (37) and to said laser transmitter means for controlling the laser transmitter means in accordance with received information, said laser receiver section (30) further comprising transducer means (38) connected to said IFF-code demodulator (37) for providing an information output, said retroreflector means (40) comprising a retroreflector section and means including an IFF-monitoring circuit for fully activating said retroreflector section only in response to a transmitted laser beam (11) modulated with an IFF-code and for fully deactivating said retroreflector section in response to a foe laser interrogation, information sensing means (61) for sensing information at said remote location, a retroreflector (64), and liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) arranged for modulating a reflected beam (41) in response to information sensed by said information sensing means (61) at said remote location for simultaneously transmitting information containing signals and IFF-code modulated signals, said semiconductor laser (23) and said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) requiring a low voltage, low current power supply, wherein said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) comprise a liquid crystal mixture, said system further comprising means for modulating the drive or activation voltage for said liquid crystal mixture in said liquid crystal modulator, said liquid crystal mixture exhibiting a two frequency characteristic, said modulator means performing an amplitude modulation or performing a frequency modulation of said drive or activation voltage at different times.

28. A remote data monitoring system for interrogating information from a remote interrogated location, comprising laser transmitter-receiver means (10) at an interrogating location and retroreflector means (40) at said remote interrogated location, said laser transmitter-receiver means (10) comprising a laser transmitter section (20) including laser transmitter means (23, 24, 25, 26) including a semiconductor laser (23) and wavelength stabilizing means as part of said semiconductor laser (23) for stabilizing the wavelength of said semiconductor laser (23) and an IFF-code generator means (21) operatively connected to said laser transmitter means for modulating a laser beam (11) transmitted by said laser transmitter means (23, 24, 25, 26), said laser transmitter-receiver means further comprising a laser receiver section (30) including laser receiver means (31, 32, 33, 34, 35), an IFF-code demodulator (37) and first control means (12) connected to said IFF-code demodulator (37) and to said laser transmitter means for controlling the laser transmitter means in accordance with received information, said laser receiver section (30) further comprising transducer means (38) connected to said IFF-code demodulator (37) for providing an information output, said retroreflector means (40) comprising a retroreflector section and means including an IFF-monitoring circuit for fully activating said retroreflector section only in response to a transmitted laser beam (11) modulated with an IFF-code and for fully deactivating said retroreflector section in response to a foe laser interrogation, information sensing means (61) for sensing information at said remote location, a retroreflector (64), and liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) arranged for modulating a reflected beam (41) in respone to information sensed by said information sensing means (61) at said remote location for simultaneously transmitting information containing signals and IFF-code modulated signals, said semiconductor laser (23) and said liquid crystal reflector modulator means (62) requiring a low voltage, low current power supply, and further comprising a target acquisition and tracking arrangement (24) including zoom transmission optics (25) and a beam control member (26), when during a target acquisition phase, said control means (12) control said zoom transmission optics (25) of said target acquisition and tracking arrangement (24) for setting the transmitted laser beam (11) to a large divergence, for said first control means (12) also controlling said beam control member (26) for performing a search mode, in which the transmitted laser beam (11) is scanning a predetermined space sector, and wherein after the first detection of a reflected laser beam (41), said control means (12) initiates a target tracking phase by setting said zoom transmission optics (25) to the smallest possible divergence of the transmitted laser beam (11) and by controlling said beam control member (26) for maximizing the intensity of the reflected laser geam (41).

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising first frequency shifter means (66) connected to the output of said information sensing means (61), whereby said first frequency shifter means (66) shifts the frequency band which is to be transmitted by reflection, by about 1 kHz to a higher frequency, and second frequency shifter means (39) coupled to an input of said transducer means (38), whereby said second frequency shifter means (39) correspondingly shifts back the frequency band, which was transmitted by reflection.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein said laser transmitter section (20) comprises laser beam controller means (26) including two motor-driven rotating optical wedge compensators (260) for directing the laser beam.