Visual disruption network and system, method, and computer program product thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016298940-A1
Application number	US-201615191325-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 23, 2016
Priority date	Jun 19, 2012
Publication date	Oct 13, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosed subject matter involve an airborne-based network for implementing a laser-based visual disruption countermeasure scan pattern system method, and computer program product. The scan pattern can be comprised of a plurality of lasers each with their own scan pattern and may be used to disrupt an optical system of a weapon or an individual One vehicle in the network can transmit target information and/or scan information to one or more other vehicles or to a non-vehicle remote location in the network.

First claim

1 . A laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network including a first helicopter and a second helicopter, comprising:
a hostile fire indicator subsystem on-board the first helicopter to identify locations of stationary or moving ground-based threats to a second helicopter and to generate respective ground-projection zones around the identified locations indicative of possible error in the identified locations, each of the zones around the identified threat locations being in the form of an ellipse, said hostile fire indicator subsystem on-board the first helicopter being configured and operative to send data representative of the generated ground-projection zones to the second helicopter in a same general area as the first helicopter; and an eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem on-board the second helicopter to generate and output a plurality of laser beams with intensities sufficient to interfere with and temporarily impair a human optical system, each laser beam being output so as to follow a rectangular scan pattern completely enveloping a corresponding ellipse defining the zone indicating possible error in a corresponding identified threat location, irrespective of current position of the second helicopter, said eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem being operative to maintain at the same time two or more of the rectangular scan patterns, wherein the network is configured and operative to determine whether any of the two or more rectangular scan patterns maintained at the same time overlap, and to increase applied laser beam energy only for any overlapping portion.

2 . The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1 , further comprising an eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem on-board the first helicopter to generate and output a plurality of laser beams with intensities sufficient to interfere with and temporarily impair a human optical system, each laser beam being output so as to follow a rectangular scan pattern completely enveloping a corresponding ellipse defining the zone indicating possible error in a corresponding identified threat location, irrespective of current position of the first helicopter, said eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem being operative to maintain at the same time two or more of the rectangular scan patterns,
wherein increasing applied laser beam energy for any overlapping portion includes application of laser beam energy from the eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem on-board the first helicopter and the eye-safe laser-based visual disruption subsystem on-board the second helicopter at the same time.

3 . The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1 ,
wherein increasing applied laser beam energy for any overlapping portion includes increasing scanning frequency for only the overlapping portion or portions.

4 . The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1 ,
wherein increasing applied laser beam energy for any overlapping portion includes increasing intensity of one or more of the laser beams associated with the overlapping portion or portions.

5 . The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ground-projection zones around the identified locations are defined based on respective positions along a flight path of the first helicopter at which hostile fire associated with the ground-based threats occurred.

6 . The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1 ,
wherein the stationary or moving ground-based threats are human beings firing any one of a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), anti-aircraft artillery (AAA), and small arms fire at the first helicopter.

7 . The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1 ,
wherein the network is configured and operative to keep a same applied laser intensity for any non-overlapping portion of the two or more rectangular scan patterns while applying increased laser beam energy for the overlapping portion or portions.

8 . The laser-based visual disruption countermeasure network according to claim 1 ,
wherein the network is configured and operative to reduce applied laser intensity for any non-overlapping portion of the two or more rectangular scan patterns while applying increased laser beam energy for the overlapping portion or portions.

9 - 20 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Moraites Stephen C
• Herman Carl R

Classifications

• G01S5/00

  Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations {(using active systems G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00)} · CPC title

• F41H11/02

  Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile {or anti-torpedo} defence installations or systems (cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; {informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00}) · CPC title

• B64D45/00

  Aircraft indicators or protectors not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• F41H13/0056 Primary

  for blinding or dazzling, i.e. by overstimulating the opponent's eyes or the enemy's sensor equipment · CPC title