Non-aiming laser weapon for dazzling image sensor of long-distant target

Abstract

The present invention relates to a non-aiming laser weapon for dazzling an image sensor of a distant target, comprising a laser device for emitting a laser to saturate the maximum well capacity of the image sensor of a distant target, and a directional mount device for fixing the laser emitted from the laser device in one direction, wherein the laser device comprises a light source for emitting the laser and a divergence angle control unit for adjusting the beam width of the laser emitted from the light source.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a non-aiming laser weapon that dazzles an image sensor of a distant target. Background Technology

[0002] In general, lasers are widely used across various long-range applications, such as weapons, communications, and sensing, due to their characteristics of high directivity and brightness.

[0003] In particular, in the field of laser weapons, recently, in order to secure flexibility in responding to distant targets (e.g., surveillance and reconnaissance satellites / aircraft) in the space / air domain, not only the hard-kill method, which permanently damages a target by continuously heating a specific part of the target, but also the soft-kill method, which temporarily disrupts imaging missions by saturating the full well capacity of the image sensor mounted on the target and blurring a part of the image generated therefrom, is receiving great attention.

[0004] Conventional laser weapons utilized a very narrow beam divergence of several microradians (μrad) to concentrate light energy on a specific part of the target, which presented the difficulty of requiring precise aiming and tracking of the beam to ensure the laser hit the target.

[0005] To resolve these problems, prior art is disclosed in Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1057303 (Title of invention: Tracking aiming device for laser weapon, hereinafter referred to as Prior Art 1) and Korean Published Patent No. 10-2023-0016304 (Title of invention: System for neutralizing guided weapon using laser and method for neutralizing guided weapon, hereinafter referred to as Prior Art 2).

[0006] However, the above prior art 1 and the above prior art 2 require components such as separate image or thermal sensors, actuators, and aiming control algorithms for precise laser beam aiming and tracking at a target, so the structural complexity of the entire system is high, and consequently, the size and weight are also large and heavy, which had the problem. The problem to be solved

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the technical problem described above by providing a non-aiming laser weapon that dazzles the image sensor of a distant target, saturating the maximum well capacity of the image sensor mounted on the distant target while eliminating the need for precise aiming and tracking.

[0008] The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a non-aiming laser weapon for dazzling an image sensor of a distant target may be disclosed. A non-aiming laser weapon according to one embodiment includes a laser device for emitting a laser to saturate the maximum well capacity of an image sensor of a distant target; and a directional mount device for fixing the laser emitted from the laser device in one direction, wherein the laser device may include a light source for emitting the laser; and a divergence angle control unit for adjusting the beam width of the laser emitted from the light source.

[0010] In one embodiment, the divergence angle control unit can adjust the beam width of the laser to have a value of 20 m rad or more and 1.5 rad or less.

[0011] In one embodiment, the directional mount device may have a gimbal structure capable of zenith orientation. Effects of the invention

[0012] When using a non-aiming laser weapon that dazzles the image sensor of a distant target provided in the present invention, precise aiming and tracking are unnecessary, and dazzling can be performed to saturate the maximum well capacity of the image sensor mounted on the distant target and blur the image generated therefrom.

[0013] In addition, by employing a directional mount device that fixes the laser in one direction, the laser is continuously emitted in the said direction, enabling simultaneous and continuous image sensor dazzling of multiple distant targets located within the beam width.

[0014] In addition, by applying a divergence angle control unit that adjusts the beam width of the laser, the area for performing dazzling can be improved by widening the beam width, and the distance for performing dazzling can be improved by narrowing the beam width.

[0015] Furthermore, since separate image or thermal sensors, actuators, and directional control algorithms are not required, the structural simplification of the entire system can be achieved, and accordingly, the size and weight can also be designed to be smaller and lighter.

[0016] However, the effects according to the present invention are not limited to those exemplified above and include all effects that can be inferred by a person skilled in the art through the present invention. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a non-aiming laser weapon that dazzles an image sensor of a distant target according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of image sensor dazzling for a distant target (e.g., a surveillance and reconnaissance satellite) in a space domain according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a graph showing the maximum beam width of the laser at different target distances for performing image sensor dazzling on a distant target (e.g., a surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft) in the airspace in the divergence angle control unit according to Figure 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image generated by an image sensor of a distant target dazzled by a laser weapon according to one embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0018] The present invention will be explained in more detail.

[0019] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings as follows. Prior to the detailed description of the present invention, terms and words used in the specification and claims described below should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings. Accordingly, the embodiments described in the specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention; therefore, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications capable of replacing them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a non-aiming laser weapon that dazzles an image sensor of a distant target according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] The laser device (110) can emit a laser to saturate the maximum well capacity of the image sensor of a distant target.

[0023] In one embodiment, the laser device (110) may include a light source (111) and a divergence angle control unit (112) as shown in FIG. 1.

[0024] The light source (111) can emit a laser having a constant wavelength and intensity. For example, the wavelength of the laser can be in the 850nm band, which is included in the spectral response of the image sensor and has high availability for commercial products, and the intensity of the laser can be 100kW when using a fiber-based laser oscillator.

[0025] The divergence angle control unit (112) can be connected to the light source (111). The divergence angle control unit (112) can adjust the beam width of the laser oscillated by the light source (111) to have a value of 20 mrad or more and 1.5 rad or less. In one embodiment, the divergence angle control unit (112) may further include a diffusion lens (not shown) to adjust the beam width of the laser.

[0026] The directional mount device (120) is connected to the laser device (110) and can fix the laser emitted from the laser device (110) in one direction. In one embodiment, the directional mount device (120) may have a gimbal structure capable of ceiling orientation and may further include a direct drive motor (not shown) for driving and fixing in one direction.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of image sensor dazzling for a distant target (e.g., a surveillance and reconnaissance satellite) in a space domain according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Generally, a satellite for ground surveillance and reconnaissance is located in a low Earth orbit (LEO) and operates in a strip imaging mode to photograph the ground at the satellite nadir. At this time, the field of view of the image sensor is 20 mrad, which is intended to image a width of 10 km when the satellite altitude is 500 km. Referring to FIG. 2, it is preferable that the beam width of the laser by the divergence angle control unit (112) be 20 mrad or more. That is, when the beam width of the laser is 20 mrad, dazzling of the image sensor of the satellite for ground surveillance and reconnaissance is possible in the direction of the zenith of the laser weapon (100). In addition, the directional mount device according to one embodiment of the present invention can have a gimbal structure capable of zenith orientation, so the laser device (110) can be fixed toward the satellite located at the zenith.

[0031] Figure 3 is a graph showing the maximum beam width of the laser at different target distances for performing image sensor dazzling on a distant target (e.g., a surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft) in the airspace in the divergence angle control unit according to Figure 1.

[0032] Generally, for laser weapons, the wider the beam width, the shorter the distance for striking and the larger the striking area. In other words, the closer the distance to the target, the wider the laser beam width can be utilized, allowing for non-targeting image sensor dazzling to be performed over a wider area. The distance to aerial targets is 5 km (maximum altitude) for quadcopter-type drones mainly used for surveillance and reconnaissance, and 2 km (cruising altitude) for unmanned aerial vehicles with a wingspan of 2 m. For targets within 2 km, hard kill for permanent destruction is typically performed rather than soft kill through image sensor dazzling. Referring to FIG. 3, the beam width of the laser by the divergence angle control unit (112) is a maximum of 0.6 rad when the target distance is 5 km and a maximum of 1.5 rad when the target distance is 2 km. Therefore, it is desirable for the beam width of the laser by the divergence angle control unit (112) to be 1.5 rad or less. That is, when the laser beam width is 1.5 rad, image sensor dazzling is possible for a surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft located within the beam width of the laser in a unidirectional direction with the widest execution area.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image generated by an image sensor of a distant target dazzled by a laser weapon according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] When a distant target is located within the beam width of a laser emitted from a laser device (110), the maximum well capacity of the image sensor mounted on the target becomes saturated. At this time, the image generated by the image sensor contains blooming and smear that make parts of the image blurry, as shown in FIG. 4, making it difficult to confirm key visual information from the image captured by the image sensor. Consequently, the image sensor is unable to perform the role of generating high-quality images, and the distant target is temporarily unable to carry out the shooting mission.

[0037] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various substitutions, modifications, and changes can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and technical scope of the invention as described in the claims set forth below. Explanation of the symbols

[0038] 100: Non-aiming laser weapon 110: Laser device 111: Light source 112: Divergence angle control unit 120: Orientation mount device

Claims

Claim 1 A laser weapon (100) comprising: a laser device (110) that emits a laser to saturate the maximum well capacity of an image sensor of a distant target; and a directional mount device (120) that fixes the laser emitted from the laser device (110) in one direction, wherein the laser device (110) comprises: a light source (111) that emits the laser; and a divergence angle control unit (112) that controls the beam width of the laser emitted from the light source (111), wherein the divergence angle control unit (112) controls the beam width of the laser to have a value of 20 mrad or more and 1.5 rad or less, a non-aiming laser weapon for dazzling an image sensor of a distant target. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 In claim 1, the aiming mount device (120) is a non-aiming laser weapon that dazzles an image sensor of a distant target, having a gimbal structure capable of ceiling aiming.

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