Patent · US Expired

Active cooperative tuned identification friend or foe (ACTIFF)

US5966227A · kind A · utility

35Cited by
16References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 10, 1997
Grant dateOct 12, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 10, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S17/74
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical identification friend-or-foe (IFF) system for vehicles comprises an active cooperative identification friend-or-foe (ACTIFF) system wherein a responder optical head is located on each friendly vehicle. That responder optical head comprises a number of small panels arranged in an array with surfaces of adjacent panels being at an angle to each other, the outer surfaces of the panels being coated with laser paint designed to emit radiation at one or more selective wavelengths when subjected to a suitable interrogation pump beam. Those selective wavelengths form an identification code for a vehicle. In operation, an interrogating vehicle would transmit a narrow well-collimated infrared (IR) beam towards a target vehicle causing laser paint on the coated surfaces to emit the selective wavelengths when subjected to that IR beam. These wavelengths can then be detected by the interrogating vehicle for identification purposes.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.