Vehicle-Mounted Laser Illumination Assembly with Optical Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Small vehicles, such as unmanned air vehicles (UAVs), face instability and difficulty in maintaining a steady laser beam due to environmental factors like wind gusts, which limits their effectiveness in targeting and surveillance tasks.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle-mounted illumination assembly that includes a laser, an optical fiber, a beam splitter, a feedback sensor, and a motor, which splits the laser beam into a target beam and a feedback beam to maintain targeting accuracy by adjusting the beam's direction using a controller and motor, even in unstable conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a small UAV is used for targeting, then the vehicle is more maneuverable and easier to deploy, but the vehicle becomes unstable and cannot maintain a steady laser beam due to environmental factors like wind gusts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a feedback mechanism where a sensor detects the position of the laser beam on the target, and this information is fed back to a controller that adjusts the laser pointer's position accordingly. This closed-loop feedback system compensates for vehicle instability, allowing the laser beam to remain steadily targeted despite UAV movement or environmental disturbances.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a gimbal stabilization system is used to stabilize the illumination system, then the laser beam can be kept steady on target, but the system becomes heavy and requires strong motors with large power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical gimbal stabilization system with an optical feedback and control system. Instead of using heavy motors and mechanical gimbals to physically stabilize the laser, the invention uses a lightweight sensor to detect beam position and a controller to adjust the laser pointer's position, achieving stabilization without the weight and power consumption of mechanical systems.
3Reliability
If the beam emitting end is fixedly secured to the vehicle, then the system is simpler and more reliable, but the laser beam cannot be adjusted to compensate for vehicle movement or maintain targeting accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic adjustment mechanism where the laser pointer's position can be actively adjusted based on feedback from the sensor. The system transitions from a static, fixed configuration to a dynamic one where the beam emitting end can move or adjust its position to compensate for vehicle movement, maintaining targeting accuracy while preserving system reliability through the simplicity of the overall design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables stable and accurate targeting of objects by compensating for the UAV's instability, ensuring continuous illumination and tracking of targets despite environmental disturbances.
Implementation Method 1
an optical fiber disposed adjacent the laser and extending between a beam receiving end for receiving the laser beam of light from the laser and a beam emitting end for emitting the laser beam of light therefrom
Implementation Method 2
A beam splitter is disposed adjacent the beam emitting end of the optical fiber and is configured to split a laser beam of light produced by the laser, into a target beam and a feedback beam
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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Figure 5~6B
AI summary
An illumination assembly includes a laser for producing a laser beam of light and an optical fiber disposed adjacent the laser and extending between a beam receiving end for receiving the laser beam of light from the laser and a beam emitting end for emitting the laser beam of light therefrom, A beam splitter splits the laser beam into a target beam and a feedback beam and directs the target beam toward the targeted object. A feedback sensor receives the feedback beam and generates a feedback signal to identify a targeted image portion correlated to the targeted object. A motor is operatively connected to the vehicle with the beam emitting end fixedly secured thereto. A controller receives the feedback signal generated by the feedback sensor and generates a control signal transmittable to the motor to position the beam emitting end of the optical fiber such that the target beam continues to be directed toward the targeted object.