Spectral Beam Combiner Auto-Alignment for HEL Jitter Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-energy laser (HEL) beam degradation due to jitter and boresight errors, which reduces the focused power on targets and increases the time required for damage or destruction, is not effectively addressed by existing laser systems.
Innovation Solution
An embedded auto-alignment scheme using a diffraction grating that co-propagates an auto-alignment laser beam with the HEL beam, allowing for improved tracking and jitter correction by sharing the optical path and minimizing motion-induced errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If multiple laser beams are combined using a diffraction grating to produce a high-energy laser beam, then the power and energy of the beam are increased, but the system becomes more complex and harder to align
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an auto-alignment laser that automatically compensates for misalignments in the spectral beam combiner. The system uses a sensor to detect the position of the auto-alignment laser beam after it passes through the diffraction grating, and a controller automatically adjusts the combiner components to correct any deviations. This self-aligning mechanism eliminates the need for manual alignment procedures, making the system self-correcting and significantly reducing alignment complexity while maintaining high beam power.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a feedback loop where a sensor continuously monitors the position of the combined laser beam and feeds this information back to a controller. The controller then makes real-time adjustments to the spectral beam combiner components to maintain optimal alignment. This closed-loop feedback system automatically compensates for thermal drift, mechanical vibrations, and other environmental factors that could cause misalignment, thereby maintaining high beam power without increasing operational complexity.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the laser system operates for extended periods to achieve target damage, then more energy can be delivered, but beam degradation from jitter and boresight errors increases over time
Solution Approach 1:
The auto-alignment system uses continuous feedback from a position sensor to monitor and correct beam drift caused by jitter and boresight errors. The sensor detects deviations in the laser beam position in real-time, and the controller automatically adjusts the spectral beam combiner components to compensate for these deviations. This continuous feedback mechanism maintains beam stability over extended operation periods, ensuring reliable energy delivery to the target without degradation from thermal effects or mechanical drift.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-correction of alignment errors through the auto-alignment laser and controller combination. The auto-alignment laser beam travels through the same optical path as the high-energy laser beam, allowing the system to automatically detect and correct its own misalignments. This self-service capability enables the system to maintain beam stability during extended operation, continuously compensating for thermal drift and mechanical vibrations without external intervention, thereby ensuring reliable energy delivery over time.
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
This solution reduces boresight errors and maintains the HEL beam's aimpoint on the target with improved fidelity, increasing the effective power and accuracy of the laser system.
Implementation Method 1
The diffraction grating is configured to diffract multiple input laser beams to produce a combined beam having a higher power or energy compared to the individual input laser beams
Implementation Method 2
The diffraction grating is also configured to diffract the auto-alignment laser beam so that a portion of the auto-alignment laser beam co-propagates in a common direction with the combined beam
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes an auto-alignment laser configured to generate an auto-alignment laser beam. The apparatus also includes a spectral beam combiner having a diffraction grating. The diffraction grating is configured to diffract multiple input laser beams to produce a combined beam having a higher power or energy compared to the individual input laser beams. The diffraction grating is also configured to diffract the auto-alignment laser beam so that a portion of the auto-alignment laser beam co-propagates in a common direction with the combined beam. Wavelengths of the input laser beams and the auto-alignment laser beam may be selected such that portions of the input laser beams and the portion of the auto-alignment laser beam diffract from the diffraction grating in the common direction. The portion of the auto-alignment laser beam that co-propagates with the combined beam may include a higher-order diffraction of the auto-alignment laser beam from the diffraction grating.