Sensor for detecting and localising laser beam sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9784613-B2
Application number	US-201314441707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2013
Priority date	Nov 14, 2012
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A sensor for detecting and localizing laser beam sources, includes a beam-sensitive detector which is arranged in the image field of an imaging optic, an electric image processing device which is connected to the detector, and an optical diffraction element which is arranged in the beam path. The diffraction properties of the optical diffraction element are such that incident laser light on different wavelength bands produce diffraction patterns with different shapes, and the electronic image processing device is designed such that it can detect and evaluate the different forms of the diffraction pattern.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sensor for detecting and localizing laser radiation sources, comprising:
a radiation-sensitive detector arranged in an image field of an imaging optical unit;
an electronic image processing device coupled to the radiation-sensitive detector; and
an optical diffraction element arranged in a beam path, wherein
diffraction properties of the optical diffraction element are designed such that incident laser light in different wavelength bands produces diffraction patterns of different forms, wherein the different forms of the diffraction patterns that are associated with individual wavelength bands differ by way of a rotation about a same axis of rotation,
the electronic image processing device is configured to detect and evaluate the different forms of the diffraction patterns, and
the diffraction properties of the optical diffraction element are configured such that:
a size of the diffraction pattern at a maximum wavelength of a wavelength band is substantially the same for all wavelength bands, and
a size of the diffraction pattern at a minimum wavelength of a wavelength band is substantially the same for all wavelength bands.

2. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the axis of rotation is an axis of symmetry.

3. The sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the optical diffraction element is a kinoform.

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Gmbh

Inventors

• Guehne Tobias

Classifications

• G01S7/4804

  Auxiliary means for detecting or identifying lidar signals or the like, e.g. laser illuminators · CPC title

• G01S3/784 Primary

  using a mosaic of detectors · CPC title

• G01J3/0229 Primary

  using masks, aperture plates, spatial light modulators or spatial filters, e.g. reflective filters · CPC title

• G01J1/0407

  Optical elements not provided otherwise, e.g. manifolds, windows, holograms, gratings · CPC title

• G01J1/4257

  applied to monitoring the characteristics of a beam, e.g. laser beam, headlamp beam (monitoring arrangements for lasers in general H01S3/0014) · CPC title