# US 11,906,665 B2 · Method for scanning a transmitted beam through a 360° field-of-view (FOV) > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,906,665 B2 - Document ID: US11906665B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/935,635 - Filed: 2022-09-27 - Published: 2023-02-02 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2019-05-21 - Assignees: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation - Applicants: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation - Inventors: Yisa S. Rumala - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906665B2 ## CPC - G01S 7/4817: {relating to scanning} - G01S 7/4808: {Evaluating distance, position or velocity data} - G01S 7/4813: {Housing arrangements} - G01S 7/4814: {of transmitters alone} - G01S 7/484: Transmitters - G01S 7/4863: Detector arrays, e.g. charge-transfer gates - G01S 7/499: using polarisation effects - G01S 17/26: wherein the transmitted pulses use a frequency-modulated or phase-modulated carrier wave, e.g. for pulse compression of received signals - G01S 17/32: using transmission of continuous waves, whether amplitude-, frequency-, or phase-modulated, or unmodulated - G01S 17/86: Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders - G02B 26/105: {with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors (G02B26/101 takes precedence)} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS ## Abstract A system and method for scanning an amplitude modulated transmitted beam through a 360° FOV. The method includes generating a laser beam to be transmitted, intensity modulating the laser beam at multiple modulation frequencies, directing the laser beam to a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device, directing a transmitted beam from the SPPR device onto a conical mirror to direct the transmitted beam at a certain angle therefrom depending on the frequency of the laser beam and processing a return beam. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for scanning a transmitted beam through a 360° field-of-view (FOV) and processing beams reflected off of targets, said method comprising: generating a laser beam to be transmitted; intensity modulating the laser beam at multiple modulation frequencies; directing the laser beam to a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device; directing a transmitted beam from the SPPR device onto a conical mirror to direct the transmitted beam at a certain angle therefrom depending on the frequency of the laser beam; and processing a return beam. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 further comprising changing the frequency of the laser beam to other frequencies so that the transmitted beam is scanned in the 360° FOV and intensity modulating the laser beam at each of the beam frequencies using the multiple modulation frequencies. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 further comprising internally tracking the laser beam in response to changes in the intensity modulation of the transmitted beam to determine the angle that the transmitted beam is reflected from the mirror. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3 wherein internally tracking the laser beam includes directing a processing beam generated in the SPPR device onto a detector assembly that includes a plurality of single pixel detectors. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4 wherein the detector assembly includes an aperture device having a plurality of apertures that are each individually fiber coupled into the single pixel detector, and wherein one of the single pixel detectors will read a null that is indicative of the angle orientation of the transmitted beam. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5 wherein the plurality of apertures is eight apertures and wherein the single pixel detectors are configured every 45° C. around a circle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 further comprising directing the laser beam onto a timing detector that monitors the timing and intensity modulation of the laser beam in the SPPR device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1 wherein intensity modulating the laser beam includes using an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) or a Mach-Zehnder modulator. ### Claim 9 A system for scanning a transmitted beam through a 360° field-of-view (FOV) and processing beams reflected off of targets, said system comprising: means for generating a laser beam to be transmitted; means for intensity modulating the laser beam at multiple modulation frequencies; means for directing the laser beam to a spiral phase plate resonator (SPPR) device; means for directing a transmitted beam from the SPPR device onto a conical mirror to direct the transmitted beam at a certain angle therefrom depending on the frequency of the laser beam; and means for processing a return beam. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system according to claim 9 further comprising means for changing the frequency of the laser beam to other frequencies so that the transmitted beam is scanned in the 360° FOV and means for intensity modulating the laser beam at each of the beam frequencies using the multiple modulation frequencies. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system according to claim 9 further comprising means for internally tracking the laser beam in response to changes in the intensity modulation of the transmitted beam to determine the angle that the transmitted beam is reflected from the mirror. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system according to claim 11 wherein the means for internally tracking the laser beam directs a processing beam generated in the SPPR device onto a detector assembly that includes a plurality of single pixel detectors. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system according to claim 12 wherein the detector assembly includes an aperture device having a plurality of apertures that are each individually fiber coupled into the single pixel detector, and wherein one of the single pixel detectors will read a null that is indicative of the angle orientation of the transmitted beam. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system according to claim 13 wherein the plurality of apertures is eight apertures and wherein the single pixel detectors are configured every around a circle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The system according to claim 9 further comprising means for directing the laser beam onto a timing detector that monitors the timing and intensity modulation of the laser beam in the SPPR device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The system according to claim 9 wherein the means for intensity modulating the laser beam uses an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) or a Mach-Zehnder modulator.