Device for harmonizing a laser emission path with a passive observation path
US6307623A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 6, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 23, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 6, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF41G3/326
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A device for harmonizing a laser beam path with an observation path for a target includes a laser that generates a laser beam; a first optical element that directs a first part of the laser beam toward the target along the laser beam path while directing a second part of the laser beam toward a conversion device; and a second optical element that directs a converted beam from the conversion device to a sensor that receives the converted beam and an image from the target. The conversion device includes a photoluminescent material that converts the second part of the laser beam into a converted radiation having a wavelength within a spectral band of the sensor, and an optical assembly that focuses the second part of the laser beam into the photoluminescent material and that collects at least a portion of the converted radiation to form the converted beam. The photoluminescent material can include photoluminescent ions such as erbium ions, or a semiconductor material such as indium arsenide. The photoluminescent material can include two materials, wherein the first material has a photoluminescence lifetime greater than a pulse duration of the pulsed laser beam, and the second material…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.