Optical thermal profile

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10794667-B2
Application number	US-201715398380-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2017
Priority date	Jan 4, 2017
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

Systems and methods thermal management of a directed energy weapon are provided. The system may include a controller module executable by a processor to determine a planned energy emission from a light-emitting diode (LED) of the directed energy weapon. The controller module may generate a cooling instruction to influence a temperature of the LED with a cooling fluid in response to the planned energy emission. The controller module may cause the cooling fluid to be applied to the LED in accordance with the cooling instruction prior to a start of the planned energy emission of the LED.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for thermal management of a directed energy weapon, the system comprising:
a processor configured to:
identify a shot profile of the directed energy weapon, the shot profile comprising a plurality of planned energy emissions from a light-emitting diode (LED) of the directed energy weapon;
identify, prior to a start of a respective one of the planned energy emissions, a thermal profile associated with the respective one of the planned energy emissions, the thermal profile comprising a predetermined target temperature of the LED;
generate a plurality of cooling instructions prior to a performance of the shot profile by the directed energy weapon, each of the cooling instructions corresponding to the respective one of the planned energy emissions of the shot profile, a each of the cooling instructions configured to cause a cooling source to adjust a temperature of a cooling fluid to the predetermined target temperature of the thermal profile associated with the respective one of the planned energy emissions; and
cause the cooling fluid to be applied to the LED in accordance with each of the cooling instructions, wherein each of the cooling instructions is configured to cause the cooling source to adjust the temperature of the cooling fluid applied to the LED in accordance with a respective one of the cooling instructions prior to the start of the respective one of the planned energy emissions from the LED.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to search a table for the thermal profile associated with the respective one of the planned energy emissions, wherein the respective one of the cooling instructions includes an instruction to control the cooling fluid in accordance with the thermal profile.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal profile comprises variable temperatures of the cooling fluid, the variable temperatures comprising a plurality of target temperatures of the cooling fluid over a duration of the respective one of the planned energy emissions.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal profile comprises variable flows, the variable flows comprising a plurality of target rates of flow of the cooling fluid over a duration of the respective one of the planned energy emissions.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the planned energy emissions comprises a respective time of each of the planned energy emissions, a respective duration of each of the planned energy emissions, and a respective power level of each of the planned energy emissions.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine a firing history of the directed energy weapon, the firing history including a time of a previous energy emission, wherein each of the cooling instructions is further based on the firing history of the directed energy weapon.

7. A method comprising:
identifying, by a processor, a shot profile of a directed energy weapon, the shot profile comprising a plurality of planned energy emissions from a light-emitting diode (LED) of a directed energy weapon;
identifying, by the processor, prior to a start of a respective one of the planned energy emissions, a thermal profile associated with the respective one of the planned energy emissions, the thermal profile comprising a predetermined target temperature of the LED;
generating, by the processor, in response to the plurality of planned energy emissions, a plurality of cooling instructions prior to a performance of the shot profile by the directed energy weapon, each of the cooling instructions corresponding to the respective one of the planned energy emissions of the shot profile, each of the cooling instructions including an instruction to cause a cooling source to apply a cooling fluid to the LED at the predetermined target temperature of the thermal profile; and
causing, by the processor, the cooling fluid to be applied to the LED in accordance with each of the cooling instructions, wherein each of the cooling instructions causes the cooling source to apply the cooling fluid to the LED in accordance with a respective one of the cooling instructions to influence a temperature of the LED and to bring the temperature of the LED closer to the predetermined target temperature prior to the start of the respective one of the planned energy emissions.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
predicting, by the processor, prior to the start of each of the planned energy emissions, an estimated thermal state of the LED during the respective one of the planned energy emissions, wherein each of the cooling instructions is based on the estimated thermal state of the LED.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the thermal profile comprises a plurality of predetermined target temperatures for each of the planned energy emissions, the method further comprising
causing the cooling source to apply the cooling fluid to the LED in accordance with each of the cooling instructions to influence the temperature of the LED and to bring the temperature of the LED closer to the predetermined target temperatures.

10. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
identifying, by the processor, an operational attribute of the directed energy weapon; and
selecting, by the processor, the thermal profile in response to the thermal profile being associated with the operational attribute and the respective one of the planned energy emissions.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the operational attribute includes a type of the cooling fluid.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the operational attribute includes a thermal delay of the cooling source.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the causing, by the processor, the cooling source to apply the cooling fluid to the LED further comprises preheating the LED with the cooling fluid prior to the respective one of the planned energy emissions and cooling the LED with the cooling fluid during the respective one of the planned energy emissions.

14. A thermal control system for a directed energy weapon, the thermal control system comprising:
a processor; and
a controller module executable by the processor to
identify a shot profile of the directed energy weapon, the shot profile comprising a plurality of planned energy emissions from a light-emitting diode (LED) of the directed energy weapon,
identify, prior to a start of a respective one of the planned energy emissions, a thermal profile associated with the respective one of the planned energy emissions, the thermal profile comprising a predetermined target temperature for the LED,
generate, in response to the plurality of planned energy emissions, a plurality of cooling instructions prior to a performance of the shot profile by the directed energy weapon, each of the cooling instructions corresponding to the respective one of the planned energy emissions of the shot profile, each of the cooling instructions configured to cause a cooling source to adjust a temperature of a cooling fluid applied to the LED to bring a temperature of the LED closer to the predetermined target temperature, and
cause the cooling fluid to be applied to the LED in accordance with each of the cooling instructions, wherein each of the cooling instructions is configured to cause the cooling source to adjust the temperature of the cooling fluid applied to the LED in accordance with a respective one of the cooling instructions prior to the start of the respective one of the planned energy emissions of the LED.

15. The thermal control system of claim 14 , wherein the controller module is further executable by the processo

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Nam Tech Inc
• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Eifert Andrew
• Wilson Eric
• White Russell
• Blackwelder Mark Jon

Classifications

• F28D15/00

  Heat-exchange apparatus with the intermediate heat-transfer medium in closed tubes passing into or through the conduit walls {; Heat-exchange apparatus employing intermediate heat-transfer medium or bodies (F28D17/00, F28D19/00, F28D20/00 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F41H13/005 Primary

  the high-energy beam being a laser beam · CPC title

• G05B15/02

  electric · CPC title

• F28F27/00

  Control arrangements or safety devices specially adapted for heat-exchange or heat-transfer apparatus (control arrangements in general G05) · CPC title