Visual disruption system, method, and computer program product
First Claim
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1. A laser-based visual disruption countermeasure system on-board a helicopter, the system comprising:
- a hostile fire indicator subsystem on-board the helicopter to identify locations of stationary or moving ground-based threats to the helicopter and to generate respective ground-projection zones around the identified locations indicative of possible error in the identified locations, each of the zones around the identified threat locations being in the form of an ellipse; and
an eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem on-board the helicopter to generate and output a plurality of laser beams each having a first intensity sufficient to interfere with and temporarily impair a human optical system, each of said laser beams being output so as to follow a rectangular scan pattern completely enveloping a corresponding ellipse defining the zone indicating possible error in a corresponding identified threat location, irrespective of current position of the helicopter, said eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem being operative to maintain at the same time two or more of the rectangular scan patterns,wherein the system is configured and operativeto determine whether a first rectangular scan pattern and a second rectangular scan pattern maintained at the same time overlap, each of the first and second rectangular scan patterns being output by a respective one of the laser beams, andsaid first and second rectangular scan patterns each being modified by increasing applied laser beam energy of the respective one of the laser beams from the first intensity to a second intensity only for any overlapping portion of the first and second rectangular scan patterns, while maintaining or decreasing said applied laser beam energy of the respective one of the laser beams for any non-overlapping portion of the first and second rectangular scan patterns, andwherein said increase in said applied laser beam energy includes increasing at least one selected from scanning frequency and intensity.
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Abstract
Aspects of the disclosed subject matter involve airborne-based systems, methods, and computer program products for optimizing a laser-based visual disruption countermeasure scan pattern. 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. Based on the scan patterns and/or data used to generate the scan patterns, the shape or intensity of the scan pattern or patterns can be modified.
182 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A laser-based visual disruption countermeasure system on-board a helicopter, the system comprising:
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a hostile fire indicator subsystem on-board the helicopter to identify locations of stationary or moving ground-based threats to the helicopter and to generate respective ground-projection zones around the identified locations indicative of possible error in the identified locations, each of the zones around the identified threat locations being in the form of an ellipse; and an eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem on-board the helicopter to generate and output a plurality of laser beams each having a first intensity sufficient to interfere with and temporarily impair a human optical system, each of said laser beams being output so as to follow a rectangular scan pattern completely enveloping a corresponding ellipse defining the zone indicating possible error in a corresponding identified threat location, irrespective of current position of the helicopter, said eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem being operative to maintain at the same time two or more of the rectangular scan patterns, wherein the system is configured and operative to determine whether a first rectangular scan pattern and a second rectangular scan pattern maintained at the same time overlap, each of the first and second rectangular scan patterns being output by a respective one of the laser beams, and said first and second rectangular scan patterns each being modified by increasing applied laser beam energy of the respective one of the laser beams from the first intensity to a second intensity only for any overlapping portion of the first and second rectangular scan patterns, while maintaining or decreasing said applied laser beam energy of the respective one of the laser beams for any non-overlapping portion of the first and second rectangular scan patterns, and wherein said increase in said applied laser beam energy includes increasing at least one selected from scanning frequency and intensity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 16)
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5. A visual acquisition disruptor scanning system, comprising:
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means for defining multiple distinct threat regions associated with one or more known threats to a vehicle; means for outputting a plurality of optical impairment signals that follow scan patterns based on corresponding distinct threat regions defined by said means for defining multiple distinct threat regions; and means for determining whether any of the defined distinct threat regions overlap, wherein said means for outputting a plurality of optical impairment signals is configured and operative to modify each of the scan patterns by increasing an amount of energy supplied to any portion of the defined distinct threat regions determined to overlap while maintaining or decreasing an amount of energy supplied to any non-overlapping portion of the defined distinct threat regions, and wherein said increasing an amount of energy includes increasing at least one selected from scanning frequency and intensity. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 17)
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10. A visual acquisition disruptor scan pattern method, comprising:
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electronically identifying a common portion and any uncommon portion of at least two different flash detection areas; deploying a first laser scan pattern corresponding to a first flash detection area and a second flash detection area, the first and second flash detection areas being among the at least two different flash detection areas; deploying a second laser scan pattern corresponding to one of the first and second flash detection areas, and responsive to said electronically identifying, modifying each of the first and second laser scan patterns by automatically applying in scanning fashion an increased amount of laser energy to the common portion, while maintaining or decreasing an amount of laser energy applied to the uncommon portion, wherein said automatically applying in scanning fashion an increased amount of laser energy includes increasing at least one selected from scanning frequency and intensity of one or more lasers for the common portion. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18)
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Specification