Laser device for air defense and an operating procedure

Abstract

An anti-aircraft laser device according to an embodiment of the present invention may comprise: a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam; a laser beam irradiation area generator for generating a laser beam irradiation area in the air based on the emitted laser beam; and a control device that controls the laser beam irradiation area generator to generate a laser beam irradiation plane with an energy density equal to or greater than a preset threshold in the laser beam irradiation area, and that controls the laser beam irradiation area, which is a three-dimensional space from the laser device to the laser beam irradiation surface and in which an aircraft located in the laser beam irradiation area is struck by the laser beam.

Description

Technical area

[0001] The present invention relates to a laser device for aircraft defense and an operating method thereof. More specifically, the present invention relates to a laser device for aircraft defense by generating a three-dimensional laser irradiation area in the shape of a plane or pyramid in the air, tracking the aircraft located in the generated irradiation area, or striking individual or swarm-like aircraft, for example, a plurality of scattered drones, in the irradiation area, and an operating method thereof. Technical background

[0002] Laser processing devices minimize material damage while simultaneously using high thermal energy and maintain processing quality at a precise and high level.

[0003] Recently, laser devices have been provided in combination with various optical systems, allowing the focal length, irradiation distance of a laser beam, and energy density of a region to be controlled. Accordingly, laser processing equipment that performs various processing operations such as welding, cutting, and perforating has been provided to industrial facilities.

[0004] However, the processing method of such laser processing devices is limited to performing processing on an object to be irradiated by irradiating a laser beam vertically onto a surface of the object to be irradiated, focusing the energy onto a point on the surface, or continuously irradiating the laser beam in one direction. In other words, such laser processing devices have the limitation of not being able to perform simultaneous laser scanning or processing of a specific space because they irradiate the laser beam through a stationary state or a linear movement of a focal point. RevelationTechnical task

[0005] The present invention provides a laser device that creates a laser beam irradiation area using a rotating mirror unit.

[0006] In particular, the present invention is to create a laser beam irradiation area in which the destruction efficiency for one or more objects is maintained at a uniform level.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention provides a laser device capable of applying multiple physical hits simultaneously to one or more objects located in a laser beam irradiation area by irradiating a laser beam to a predetermined area.

[0008] The present invention provides a laser device capable of adjusting the distance between the laser irradiation region and the laser device by changing the focal length.

[0009] In particular, the present invention provides a laser device capable of exploring a moving object by adjusting an irradiation area of ​​a laser beam and the energy intensity within the area using various optical systems.

[0010] The present invention provides a laser device capable of varying a region of interest for tracking or targeting an object in various ways depending on the scanning angle of a rotating mirror unit. Accordingly, the reconnaissance range of aircraft can be modulated in various ways.

[0011] The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects. That is, other objects not described above can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains from the following description. Technical solution

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an anti-aircraft laser device may include: a laser oscillator that outputs a laser beam; a laser beam irradiation area generator that generates a laser beam irradiation area in the air based on the output laser beam; and a controller that controls the laser beam irradiation area generator to generate a laser beam irradiation area with an energy density equal to or greater than a preset threshold in the laser beam irradiation area, and that controls the laser beam irradiation area, which is a three-dimensional space from the laser device to the laser beam irradiation area and in which aircraft located in the laser beam irradiation area and hit by the laser beam are located.

[0013] The laser beam irradiation region generator may include: a beam transmission optical system that reflects the output laser beam and transmits the reflected output laser beam to a rotating mirror unit; and a rotating mirror unit having a plurality of mirrors arranged on a circumference and irradiating the reflected laser beam into the air through the mirror while the rotating mirror unit rotates, and the beam transmission optical system can change the focal point of the output laser beam to infinity or converge the output laser beam to a predetermined position.

[0014] The laser beam irradiation area generator may further include a tilt unit that tilts a rotation axis of the rotating mirror unit, and the control device may control generation of the laser beam irradiation area based on an X-axis scan of the rotating mirror unit and a Y-axis scan performed by the tilt of the rotating mirror unit.

[0015] The laser beam irradiation area generator may further include a reflection optical system disposed between the beam transmission optical system and the rotating mirror unit and reflecting the laser beam transmitted from the beam transmission optical system to the rotating mirror unit, and the controller may reciprocate the reflection optical system within a preset range to generate the laser beam irradiation area based on the X-axis scan of the rotating mirror unit and the Y-axis scan performed by the rotation of the reflection optical system.

[0016] The laser beam irradiation area generator may further include a plurality of mirrors arranged along a circumference between the beam transmission optical system and the rotating mirror unit, and a second rotating mirror unit that scans the laser beam transmitted from the beam transmission optical system to the rotating mirror unit while the second rotating mirror unit rotates, and the controller may generate the laser beam irradiation area based on the X-axis scan of the rotating mirror unit and the Y-axis scan performed by the second rotating mirror unit while the transmitted laser beam is scanned on a surface of the mirror of the rotating mirror unit by rotating the second rotating mirror unit.

[0017] The laser beam irradiation region generator may include: a beam transmission optical system that reflects the output laser beam and transmits the reflected output laser beam to a rotating mirror unit; and a rotating mirror unit that provides a plurality of mirrors on a circumference and irradiates the reflected laser beam into the air through the mirror while the rotating mirror unit rotates; and the beam transmission optical system may be a variable focus optical system that changes a focus position.

[0018] The laser beam irradiation area generator may further include a tilt unit that tilts a rotation axis of the rotating mirror unit, and the control device may control generation of the laser beam irradiation area based on an X-axis scan of the rotating mirror unit and a Y-axis scan performed by the tilt of the rotating mirror unit.

[0019] The generated laser beam irradiation area may be a three-dimensional space including the laser beam irradiation surface located at a first focal length from the laser device, wherein the laser device may further comprise a radar that identifies the aircraft located between the laser beam irradiation areas within the three-dimensional space, wherein the beam irradiation area generation unit may comprise an air pump that changes a curvature of an optical surface of the variable focus optical system, and the controller may calculate a pump pressure of the air pump and control an operation of the air pump to change a curvature of a mirror surface of the variable focus optical system when the number of aircraft identified by the radar is less than a preset threshold to change the first focal length to a second focal length.

[0020] The control device may generate a new laser beam irradiation area which is a three-dimensional space including the laser beam irradiation area at the second focal length of the laser device.

[0021] The laser oscillator may include a first laser oscillator and a second laser oscillator, and transmit a first laser beam output from the first laser generator to the rotating mirror unit as a first reflection beam through the beam transmission optical system, and a second laser beam output from the second laser generator to the rotating mirror unit as a second reflection beam horizontal to the first reflection beam through the beam transmission optical system, and the control device may control the generation of the laser beam irradiation area based on the X-axis scan of the rotating mirror unit performed based on the first reflection beam and the second reflection beam, and the Y-axis scan performed by tilting the rotating mirror unit.

[0022] The laser beam irradiation area includes: a first scanning area created by performing scanning on the X-axis and the Y-axis based on the first reflection beam; and a second scanning area created by performing scanning on the X-axis and the Y-axis based on the second reflection beam.

[0023] The control device may control a reflection angle of a beam transmission optical system, a rotation speed of the rotating mirror unit, a tilt angle of the tilt unit, and a beam output of the laser oscillator to adjust a scanning angle, a scanning length, a scanning speed, and a telecentricity error acting on an object of the laser beam. Beneficial effects

[0024] Although it is difficult to track and hit aircraft flying in the air as a point, according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the aircraft enters an irradiation range of the laser beam, a physical hit is applied to the aircraft, so that it is possible to provide an effect of efficient defense against the aircraft.

[0025] According to another embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible to hit the plurality of aircraft simultaneously when the number of aircraft to be hit is a plurality, even if not each aircraft is hit individually, since the plurality of aircraft enters the generated irradiation range of the laser beam.

[0026] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the laser device can change the area of ​​the irradiation surface and the position in the air by changing the focal length of the laser beam. This makes it possible to scout a wider area of ​​aircraft at a greater distance. That is, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the laser device has a wide-area scanning function, so that it can be used not only for the purpose of destroying the aircraft but also for the purpose of detecting the aircraft.

[0027] Meanwhile, the layer device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used not only for hitting the aircraft but also as a military weapon itself.

[0028] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and other effects not mentioned can be obviously understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. Description of the drawings Fig. 1 is an exemplary diagram of an anti-aircraft laser device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a single-axis scanning of the laser device for anti-aircraft defense according to Fig. 1 illustrates. Fig. 3 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of scanning using a condenser optical system for the anti-aircraft laser device according to Fig. 1 shows. The Fig. 4A to 4C are exemplary diagrams showing an example of generation of a laser beam irradiation area of ​​the laser device for anti-aircraft defense according to Fig. 1 illustrate. Fig. 5 is an exemplary diagram of the anti-aircraft laser device to which a plurality of laser oscillators according to another embodiment of the present invention are applied. Fig. 6 is an exemplary diagram of the anti-aircraft laser device to which a variable focus optical system according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied. Fig. 7 is a block diagram of the anti-aircraft laser device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a method of operating an aircraft defense laser device according to Fig. 7. Best mode

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. From the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various advantages and features of the present invention and methods of carrying them out will become apparent. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments to be disclosed below, but can be embodied in various forms. These embodiments are provided only to complete the present invention and to enable a person skilled in the art to which the present invention relates to fully appreciate the scope of the present invention, and the present invention is defined by the scope of the claims. Throughout the description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not intended to be idealized or overly interpreted unless expressly and clearly defined. The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing embodiments and not for the purpose of limiting the present invention. Unless expressly stated otherwise, a singular form in this specification also includes the plural.

[0031] In this description, a laser device for aircraft defense is referred to as a laser device or laser scanner.

[0032] Fig. 1 is an exemplary diagram of an anti-aircraft laser device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] With reference to Fig. 1, the laser device may include a laser oscillator 32, an optical beam transmission system 40, and a rotating mirror unit 20.

[0034] The laser oscillator 32 can, according to an embodiment of the present invention, generate a high-power beam for destroying an object, for example an aircraft, for example a drone.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the laser oscillator 32 may generate a laser beam irradiation area 44 having an energy density equal to or greater than a preset threshold in a laser beam irradiation range 45 of Fig. 1 is.

[0036] In another embodiment, the laser oscillator 32 can emit a beam to deactivate at least one optical sensor of the drone. If the optical sensor is deactivated, the drone loses controllability. If a motor or propeller is destroyed, the drone's power is also lost, thus rendering the drone incapable of flying.

[0037] In another embodiment, the laser oscillator 32 may output a beam to scan the appearance of a drone, the flight direction of a drone, the flight speed of a drone, etc. in a predetermined area.

[0038] The optical beam transmission system 40 may, according to one embodiment, be an infinite focus optical system.

[0039] The optical beam transmission system 40 may, according to another embodiment, be an optical condenser system.

[0040] Alternatively, the beam transmission optical system 40 according to an embodiment of the present invention may comprise an optical system in which an infinite focus optical system and a condenser optical system are combined in a composite manner.

[0041] The infinite focus optical system and the condenser optical system can each be a reflecting mirror or a transmitting lens.

[0042] The rotating mirror unit 20 may be, for example, a polygon mirror, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0043] With reference to Fig. 1, a laser beam 16 generated by the laser oscillator 32 is transmitted through the optical beam transmission system 40 to the rotating mirror unit 20.

[0044] In this case, the rotating mirror unit 20 rotates at high speed around a rotation axis and performs an X-axis scan at a focal length of the rotating mirror unit 20.

[0045] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the rotating mirror unit 20 generates a reflection angle 34 of a mirror surface by performing a tilting or reciprocating rotational movement of the rotation axis, and the Y-axis scan can be performed on the focal length of the rotating mirror unit 20 through this reflection angle 34.

[0046] For example, when the beam transmission optical system 40 is an infinite focal point optical system or a condenser optical system, the laser beam 16 from the laser oscillator 32 is transmitted to the rotating mirror unit 20, and the focal length of the beam changes to infinity or is condensed at a required location.

[0047] Next, the transmitted laser beam 16 can be scanned along the X-axis and the Y-axis by the rotating mirror unit 20.

[0048] As described above, by scanning along the X-axis and Y-axis of the rotating mirror unit 20, a laser beam irradiation area 44 can be generated on the focal length of the laser beam 16 from the rotating mirror unit 20.

[0049] The laser beam irradiation area 44 may, for example, be a virtual area of ​​laser energy limitation required for the destruction or deactivation of aircraft.

[0050] To simplify the description, the laser beam irradiation area 44 is Fig. 1 is represented as a two-dimensional plane, and in reality there is an area with a similar concentration and a predetermined thickness.

[0051] That is, in this description, the location where the laser beam's focal point is formed has the highest energy and the best destructive efficiency for the aircraft, which is expressed as "laser irradiation area 44" for simplicity. In reality, however, the location is an area with a predetermined thickness, not a surface.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the laser irradiation area 45 may be a three-dimensional space from a starting point of the mirror surface of the laser device or the rotating mirror unit 20 to the laser irradiation surface 44 and may be a square pyramid-shaped space as shown in Fig. 1 illustrates.

[0053] The entire area of ​​the laser irradiation area 45 is an effective area for hitting aircraft and is a space in which aircraft located in the laser irradiation area 45 can be hit by the laser beam 16.

[0054] Although not shown, the laser device may include a controller that controls the overall operation of each component of the laser device and controls the generation of the laser irradiation area 45. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rotating mirror unit 20 and the laser oscillator 32 may be combined in a plurality. If the number of laser oscillators 32 is more than one, the laser oscillators 32 may be arranged vertically, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this.

[0055] Fig. Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of a single-axis scan of the anti-aircraft laser device of Fig. 1 illustrates. Fig. 2 is an example of the simplest design of the laser device from Fig. 1 and is an example of a one-dimensional scanning configuration in which the laser beam 16 is emitted only in one axis, the X-axis.

[0056] In relation to Fig. 2, the laser beam 16 can be output by the laser oscillator 32 and transmitted to the rotating mirror unit 20 through the optical beam transmission system 40. In this case, the rotating mirror unit 20 rotates and performs the single-axis scan in the x-direction by reflecting and scanning the laser beam 16.

[0057] Fig. 2 is an example of a case where the laser device of Fig. 1, the rotating mirror unit 20 is not tilted, and when the rotation axis of the rotating mirror unit 20 is tilted in a reciprocating rotational movement, the laser device generates the reflection angle 34 of the mirror surface of the rotating mirror unit 20, as in Fig. 1 is illustrated.

[0058] Fig. 3 is an exemplary diagram showing an example of scanning using a condenser optical system for the anti-aircraft laser device according to Fig. 1 shows.

[0059] According to Fig. 3, the laser device performs the single-axis, x-axis scan and emits the laser beam in a straight line 300 in the direction of the arrow from left to right.

[0060] In this case, the inclination of the rotating mirror unit 20 generates a plurality of straight arrow lines in a Y-axis direction which is horizontal to a straight arrow line 300 by the reflection angle 34 of the mirror surface, so that a predetermined laser beam irradiation area is generated.

[0061] The straight arrow line 300 constituting the laser beam irradiation area is expressed as a straight line 300 for convenience, but may also be a region having a thickness 301 with a similar concentration located in the focal length of the laser beam 16 of the laser device.

[0062] In Fig. 3, the laser beam irradiation area at a location where the energy density of the laser beam 16 is high and the destruction efficiency is high is shown as an example.

[0063] The Fig. 4A to 4C are exemplary diagrams showing an example of the generation of the laser beam irradiation area of ​​the laser device for anti-aircraft defense of Fig. 1 illustrate.

[0064] In Fig. 4A, the laser oscillator 32 generates a high-power beam.

[0065] The rotating mirror unit 20 performs the X-axis scan by the rotational movement and the Y-axis scan by the vertical movement, ie by tilting the rotation axis of the rotating mirror unit 20 back and forth. Fig. 4A, the high-power beam of the laser oscillator 32 can be generated in a three-dimensional space in the shape of a square pyramid. The space within the square pyramid shape 45 corresponds to an effective area in which a drone is destroyed. Furthermore, the destructive effect can be further increased by using an infinite optical system.

[0066] The design of Fig. 4A is advantageous because, due to the nature of the weapon, it's easy to use an optical system with excellent heat resistance, making it easy to output very high power. Furthermore, since scanning along the Y axis is slow, the time required for rapid scanning along the X axis to repeatedly target a target increases, and thus the energy concentration on the same axis is high, making it easy to use as a weapon for the purpose of destruction.

[0067] Fig. 4B is an example of a laser device that performs scanning in the Y-axis by tilting the reflection optical system 51, in contrast to the embodiment of Fig. 4A, in which scanning in the Y-axis is performed by tilting the rotating mirror unit 20.

[0068] The laser beam 16 is output from the laser oscillator 32, and the laser beam 16 transmitted from the beam transmission optical system 40 is transmitted to the rotating mirror unit 20 through the reflection optical system 51.

[0069] The rotating mirror unit 16 performs the X-axis scan. In this case, the laser beam 16 is irradiated back and forth along the Y-axis on the mirror surface of the rotating mirror unit 20 by tilting the reflection optical system 51, thereby performing the Y-axis scan at the focal length in the air.

[0070] The design of Fig. 4B can adjust the tilt angle of the reflection optical system 51 while maintaining a moderately fast scanning speed in the y-direction, allowing the size of the area to which the laser beam is irradiated to be easily controlled. Also, considering agile operation and ease of control, it is advantageous to make the reflection optical system 51 small. However, in this case, the reflection optical system 51 has disadvantages in high performance and long-term use.

[0071] Fig. 4C is an example of a laser device that performs scanning in the y-direction by tilting the second rotating mirror unit 52, in contrast to the embodiment of Fig. 4B, in which scanning in the y-direction is performed by tilting the reflection optical system 51. The rotating mirror unit 20 may be referred to as the first rotating mirror unit to distinguish it from the second rotating mirror unit 52.

[0072] With reference to Fig. 4C, the second rotating mirror unit 52 performs scanning in the Y-axis, and the first rotating mirror unit 20 performs scanning in the X-axis.

[0073] Depending on the arrangement of the two rotating mirror units, scanning in the X-axis can be performed before scanning in the Y-axis, and the angles of the two scanning directions can be any angle other than 90°.

[0074] When using the plurality of rotating mirror units 52 and 20 as in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 4C, the rotating mirror units 52 and 20 have the advantage of providing good high-performance response and very fast scanning speed. However, the rotating mirror units 52 and 20 are more useful as a detector that quickly scans a wide area to identify the location of an enemy weapon than for the purpose of destruction.

[0075] Fig. 5 is an exemplary diagram of the anti-aircraft laser device to which a plurality of laser oscillators according to another embodiment of the present invention are applied.

[0076] With reference to Fig. 5, the laser device comprises the plurality of laser oscillators 32 and the rotating mirror unit 20.

[0077] The laser oscillator 32 may include a plurality of laser oscillators. For example, the laser oscillator 32 may include a first laser oscillator and a second laser oscillator.

[0078] A first laser beam output from the first laser oscillator may be transmitted as a first reflection beam to the rotating mirror unit 20 through a beam transmission optical system.

[0079] In addition, a second laser beam output from the second laser oscillator may be transmitted as a second reflection beam horizontal to the first reflection beam through the beam transmission optical system to the rotating mirror unit.

[0080] The optical beam transmission system between the plurality of laser oscillators 32 and the rotating mirror unit 20 may comprise an infinite focus optical system or a condensing optical system.

[0081] According to another embodiment, instead of the plurality of laser oscillators 32, a single laser oscillator may be used, and at the rear end of the infinite focus optical system or the condenser optical system, a beam splitter capable of splitting a beam to divide the beam into a plurality of laser beams may be used, which are incident on the rotating mirror unit 2.

[0082] According to another embodiment of the present invention, as described in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 4, the laser beam can also be transmitted directly from the laser oscillator 32 to the rotating mirror unit 20 without the optical beam transmission system. The rotating mirror unit 20 reflects the first and second laser beams.

[0083] In particular, Fig. 5 illustrates, by way of example, a laser beam irradiation area 46 comprising a first scanning area generated by performing the scan in the X-axis and the Y-axis based on the first reflected beam from which the first laser beam is reflected, and a second scanning area generated by performing the scan in the X-axis and the Y-axis based on the second reflected beam from which the second laser beam is reflected.

[0084] Fig. 6 is an exemplary diagram of the anti-aircraft laser device to which a variable focus optical system according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied.

[0085] In particular, Fig. 6 shows an example of the laser device using the variable focus optical system instead of the infinite focus optical system or the condenser optical system to increase the efficiency of deactivating a target whose position can be detected by the present invention.

[0086] With reference to Fig. 6, the laser device may include a radar 43, a variable focus optical system 40-1, an air pump 41, and an operator 42. Here, the operator 42 may calculate a pressure of the air pump and be integrated into the control device of the laser device.

[0087] The radar 43 can identify aircraft located between the laser beam irradiation areas.

[0088] The laser device can detect a plurality of aircraft, for example, a distance L1 or L2 with the highest density of a group of drones by using the radar 43 for the purpose of detecting the location, and can change a curvature of an optical surface of the variable focus optical system 40-1 so that a focus is formed at the location L1 or L2.

[0089] The variable focus optical system 40-1 is configured to change the curvature of the optical surface by adjusting the air pressure within the mirror. The laser device can calculate a pumping pressure of the air pump 41 and operate the air pump 41.

[0090] The focal length L1 or L2 changes by changing the curvature of the mirror surface of the 40-1 variable focal length optical system. The focal length L1 or L2 is not fixed and can be actively changed.

[0091] In Fig. 6, the control device can calculate the pumping pressure of the air pump 41 and control the operation of the air pump 41 when the number of aircraft identified by the radar 43 is below a preset threshold.

[0092] The laser device can change a first focal length to a second focal length by changing the curvature of the mirror surface of the variable focus optical system 40-1.

[0093] Accordingly, the laser irradiation area can be recreated. Fig. Figure 6 illustrates the case where the laser irradiation area is a square pyramid. Specifically, the focal length L1 or L2 is variable, allowing the laser irradiation area to be widened or narrowed.

[0094] Fig. 7 is a block diagram of the anti-aircraft laser device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] With reference to Fig. 7, the laser beam output from the laser oscillator 32 is transmitted to a laser beam irradiation area generator 420 so that the laser beam irradiation area 44 is irradiated.

[0096] The laser beam irradiation area generator 420 can generate the laser beam irradiation area in the air based on the laser beam output from the laser oscillator 32.

[0097] The laser beam irradiation region generator 420 may include, for example, the infinite focus optical system or the condensing optical system.

[0098] In another embodiment, the laser beam irradiation region generator 420 may include the variable focus optical system.

[0099] The laser beam irradiation region generator 420 may include the rotating mirror unit 20. Furthermore, although not shown, the laser beam irradiation region generator 420 may include at least one of the following units: the tilting unit for tilting the rotating mirror unit 20 and the tilting unit for tilting the optical reflection system included in the optical beam transmission system.

[0100] In addition, the laser beam irradiation area generator 420 can generate the laser beam area 45 including the laser beam irradiation area 44 by the reflection of the rotating mirror unit 20.

[0101] The control device 100, meanwhile, controls the overall operation and function of each component of the laser device. For this purpose, the control device 100 can be configured to include one or more processors. The control device 100 can be configured to include a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor unit (MPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or any type of processor well known in the technical field of the present invention. The control device 100 can also include a memory, for example, a RAM, as components. In addition, the control device 100 can store at least one application or program for executing a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0102] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 100 may control a reflection angle of the beam transmission optical system 40, a rotation speed of the rotating mirror unit, a tilt angle of the tilt unit, and a beam output of the laser oscillator to adjust a scanning angle, a scanning length, a scanning speed, and a telecentricity error acting on an object of the laser beam.

[0103] Fig. 8 is a flowchart of a method of operating an aircraft defense laser device according to Fig. 7. Every step of Fig. 8 is carried out by the laser device and can be carried out in particular by the calculation of the control device of the laser device.

[0104] According to Fig. 8, the laser device outputs the laser beam via the laser oscillator 32, S10.

[0105] In S20, the laser device may transmit the laser beam to the rotating mirror unit 20 through the optical beam transmission system.

[0106] In S30, the laser device may generate the laser beam irradiation region comprising a laser irradiation area, first irradiation area, located in the air at the first focal length by reflecting the laser beam by the rotating mirror unit 20.

[0107] The laser device can determine in S40 whether the density of the aircraft within the generated laser irradiation area is equal to or greater than a threshold. Accordingly, in S50, the laser device can destroy the aircraft in the laser irradiation area generated in the air if the density of the aircraft is equal to or greater than the threshold.

[0108] On the other hand, in S45, when the density of the aircraft is less than the threshold, the laser device may generate a new laser beam irradiation region including a laser irradiation area, a second irradiation area located at the second focal length.

[0109] The determination and / or calculation methods of a control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, which has been described so far with reference to the accompanying drawings, can be carried out by executing a computer program implemented as computer-readable code. The computer program can be transmitted from a first computer device to a second computer device via a network, such as the Internet, installed in the second computer device, and thus used in the second computer device. Both the first and second computer devices comprise a server device, a fixed computer device such as a desktop PC, and a mobile computer device such as a notebook, a smartphone, and a tablet PC.

[0110] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it will be understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the technical spirit or essential feature of the present invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative rather than restrictive in all aspects.

Claims

[1] Laser device for air defense, comprising: a laser oscillator that outputs a laser beam; a laser beam irradiation area generator that generates a laser beam irradiation area in the air based on the output laser beam; and a control device that controls the laser beam irradiation area generator to generate a laser beam irradiation area with an energy density equal to or greater than a preset threshold in the laser beam irradiation area, and that controls to generate the laser beam irradiation area, which is a three-dimensional space from the laser device to the laser beam irradiation area and in which an aircraft located in the laser beam irradiation area is hit by the laser beam. [2] The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the laser beam irradiation region generator comprises: an optical beam transmission system that reflects the output laser beam and transmits the reflected output laser beam to a rotating mirror unit; and a rotating mirror unit having a plurality of mirrors provided on a circumference and radiating the reflected laser beam into the air through the mirror while the rotating mirror unit rotates, and the optical beam transmission system changes the focal point of the output laser beam to infinity or focuses the output laser beam to a predetermined position. [3] The laser device according to claim 2, wherein the laser beam irradiation area generator further comprises a tilting unit that tilts a rotation axis of the rotating mirror unit, and controls the control device so that the laser beam irradiation area is generated based on an X-axis scan of the rotating mirror unit and a Y-axis scan performed by the tilt of the rotating mirror unit. [4] The laser device according to claim 2, wherein the laser beam irradiation area generator further comprises a reflection optical system arranged between the beam transmission optical system and the rotating mirror unit and reflecting the laser beam transmitted from the beam transmission optical system to the rotating mirror unit, and the control device reciprocates the reflection optical system within a preset range to generate the laser beam irradiation area based on the X-axis scanning of the rotating mirror unit and the Y-axis scanning performed by the reciprocating rotation of the reflection optical system. [5] The laser device according to claim 2, wherein the laser beam irradiation area generator further comprises a plurality of mirrors arranged along a circumference between the beam transmission optical system and the rotating mirror unit, and a second rotating mirror unit that scans the laser beam transmitted from the beam transmission optical system to the rotating mirror unit while the second rotating mirror unit rotates, and the control device generates the laser beam irradiation area based on the X-axis scan of the rotating mirror unit and the Y-axis scan performed by the second rotating mirror unit while scanning the transmitted laser beam on a surface of the mirror of the rotating mirror unit by rotating the second rotating mirror unit. [6] The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the laser beam irradiation region generator comprises: an optical beam transmission system that reflects the output laser beam and transmits the reflected output laser beam to a rotating mirror unit; and a rotating mirror unit having a plurality of mirrors provided on a circumference and radiating the reflected laser beam into the air through the mirror while the rotating mirror unit rotates, and the beam transmission optical system is a variable focus optical system that changes a focal point position. [7] The laser device according to claim 6, wherein the laser beam irradiation area generator further comprises a tilting unit that tilts a rotation axis of the rotating mirror unit, and controls the control device so that the laser beam irradiation area is generated based on an X-axis scan of the rotating mirror unit and a Y-axis scan performed by the tilt of the rotating mirror unit. [8] The laser device according to claim 7, wherein the generated laser beam irradiation area is a three-dimensional space comprising the laser beam irradiation area located at a first focal length from the laser device, the laser device further comprises a radar that identifies the aircraft located between the laser beam irradiation areas within the three-dimensional space, the beam irradiation area generating unit comprises an air pump that changes a curvature of an optical surface of the variable focus optical system, and the control device calculates a pump pressure of the air pump and controls an operation of the air pump to change a curvature of a mirror surface of the variable focus optical system when the number of aircraft identified by the radar is less than a preset threshold to change the first focal length to a second focal length. [9] The laser device according to claim 8, wherein the control means regenerates a laser beam irradiation region which is a three-dimensional space including the laser beam irradiation surface located at the second focal length from the laser device. [10] A laser device according to claim 3, wherein the laser oscillator comprises a first laser oscillator and a second laser oscillator, and transmits a first laser beam output from the first laser generator as a first reflection beam through the optical beam transmission system to the rotating mirror unit, and transmits a second laser beam output from the second laser generator as a second reflection beam, which is horizontal to the first reflection beam, through the optical beam transmission system to the rotating mirror unit, and the control device controls the generation of the laser beam irradiation area based on the X-axis scan of the rotating mirror unit, which is performed based on the first reflection beam and the second reflection beam, and the Y-axis scan, which is performed by the inclination of the rotating mirror unit. [11] The laser device according to claim 10, wherein the laser beam irradiation area comprises: a first scanning area created by performing scanning in the X-axis and the Y-axis based on the first reflection beam, and a second scanning surface created by performing scanning in the X-axis and the Y-axis based on the second reflection beam. [12] The laser device according to claim 3, wherein the control means controls a reflection angle of a beam transmission optical system, a rotation speed of the rotating mirror unit, a tilt angle of the tilt unit, and a beam output of the laser oscillator to adjust a scanning angle, a scanning length, a scanning speed, and a telecentricity error acting on an object of the laser beam.

Images