Research/Patents/US 5013151
US 5013151

VARIABLE BEAM WIDTH LASER RADAR SYSTEM

Assignee

HUGHES TECHNOLOGY LIMITED, DICKSON, AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Filed

Dec 7, 1981

Granted

May 7, 1991

Location

CANBERRA AU

Abstract

A high precision, high power laser-radar system whose output beamwidth can be varied from a divergent to a convergent mode thus allowing for target acquisition, its high precision tracking and ultimately its destruction is described. Essentially the invention comprises an optical detector and an optical transmitter consisting of a steerable, large diameter, coherently packed, single mode optical fibre bundle, one end of which is compacted and optically polished to act as the transmitting aperture of the said laser-radar system while the other end of the said fibre bundle is unbound, with each individual fibre, or a small group of such fibres being optically coupled to one of many laser pulse amplifiers forming a large array of such amplifiers required to produce the transmitted laser output pulse energy.

Source: Google Patents

35 USC §181 Secrecy Order

Imposed

Jun 3, 1982

Rescinded

Jul 18, 1990

Duration

8 years, 1 month

Inventor

  • 1JOHN L. HUGHES

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Back to patent indexSource: USPTO 35 USC §181 secrecy order records