F41H13/005

Dual-use power beaming system

A dual-use electromagnetic beam system may be used as a remote power delivery system when not needed as an offensive weapon. For example, a system for disabling or destroying uncooperative or enemy assets such as UAVs or ground vehicles may be used during “down time” to provide power to assets that are separated from prime power sources by distance or by logistics.

Laser safety system

A laser safety system adapted to prevent inadvertent illumination of people and assets. The laser safety system configured to emit a laser beam with a laser and determine a path of a target object relative to the laser safety system. The laser safety system configured to cause the laser beam to illuminate the target object while the target object moves along the path.

DUAL-USE POWER BEAMING SYSTEM
20230016800 · 2023-01-19 ·

A dual-use electromagnetic beam system may be used as a remote power delivery system when not needed as an offensive weapon. For example, a system for disabling or destroying uncooperative or enemy assets such as UAVs or ground vehicles may be used during “down time” to provide power to assets that are separated from prime power sources by distance or by logistics.

Direct Glue Compact Two Dimensional Fiber Launcher Assembly
20230221573 · 2023-07-13 ·

A method for assembling a two-dimensional fiber array launcher assembly. The method includes providing an alignment structure having a two-dimensional alignment plate with holes at one end and a two-dimensional beam shaper with micro-lenses at an opposite end. An endcap having a fiber attached thereto is systematically positioned in each hole, and is aligned with one of the micro-lenses with a high precision tolerance. The aligned endcap is then secured in the hole using a curable glue. This process is continued until all of the holes have aligned endcaps. If one of the endcaps is mis-aligned or becomes damaged, the glue can be heated and the endcap realigned or replaced.

Flexible cooling system with thermal energy storage
11692779 · 2023-07-04 · ·

Disclosed are systems and methods of flexibly cooling thermal loads by providing a complex compound system for burst mode cooling, a vapor compression system for ancillary cooling, and a thermal storage system for helping efficiently maintain and cool a thermal load such as a directed energy weapon system.

Burst mode cooling for directed energy systems
11543216 · 2023-01-03 · ·

Disclosed are systems and methods of rapidly cooling thermal loads by providing a burst mode cooling system for rapid cooling. The burst mode cooling system may include a complex compound sorber configured to rapidly absorb ammonia. The system may be used to provide pulses of cooling to directed energy systems, such as lasers and other systems that generate bursts of heat in operation.

COMPACT LASER SYSTEM FOR DIRECTED ENERGY APPLICATIONS
20220412700 · 2022-12-29 ·

A system for disabling or destroying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is provided. The system comprises an anti-UAV system and an anti-UAV computing platform. The anti-UAV system comprises: a plurality of laser devices configured to generate a plurality of laser beams at a plurality of different wavelengths; a coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) combiner configured to combine the plurality of laser beams from the plurality of laser devices into a combined laser beam; and a tracking device configured to detect a UAV. The anti-UAV computing platform is configured to: detect, using the tracking device, an object within range of the tracking device; and based on detecting the object, direct, using the anti-UAV system, the combined laser beam from the CWDM combiner onto the detected object.

A WEAPON SYSTEM
20220404832 · 2022-12-22 · ·

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a weapon system for use on a vehicle, comprising: a control system, the control system configured to, in response to a determination that a line-of-sight from the weapon system to a target of the weapon system is currently, or going to be obscured, trigger an alteration of a configuration of the vehicle such that the line-of-sight to the target is not obscured. Thus, the weapon system can ensure a line-of-sight of the target, allowing it to be successfully engaged.

System and method for predictive compensation of uplink laser beam atmospheric jitter for high energy laser weapon systems
11513191 · 2022-11-29 · ·

A system includes a target illumination laser (TIL) configured to illuminate an airborne target with a TIL beam. The system also includes a beacon illuminator (BIL) configured to transmit a spot of illumination to an expected location on the target, wherein the spot of illumination is more focused than the TIL beam. The system also includes a camera configured to receive an image of the spot reflected off the target. The system also includes a controller configured to determine an actual location of the spot on the target based on the received image. The controller is also configured to estimate a spot motion by correlating the actual location of the spot on the target with the expected location on the target. The controller is also configured to predict uplink jitter of a high energy laser (HEL) beam generated by a HEL based on the BIL spot motion, the uplink jitter caused by atmospheric optical turbulence.

Atmospheric jitter correction and target tracking using single imaging sensor in high-energy laser systems

A system includes a target illumination laser (TIL) configured to generate a TIL beam that illuminates a target and a beacon illumination laser (BIL) configured to generate a BIL beam that creates a spot on the target. The system also includes an imaging sensor configured to capture both (i) first images of the target containing reflected TIL energy from the TIL beam without reflected BIL energy from the BIL beam and (ii) second images of the target containing reflected TIL energy from the TIL beam and reflected BIL energy from the BIL beam. The system further includes at least one controller configured to perform target tracking using the first images and boresight error compensation using the second images.