Multi-wavelength risley prisms for laser bore-sighting
AssigneeCubic Corporation
InventorsTony Maryfield, Michael Roes, Mahyar Dadkhah
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Abstract
Techniques disclosed herein provide for substantially uniform steering of multiple laser beams of a laser rangefinder having different wavelengths, such as a rangefinder laser beam and a visible laser beam. This can allow a user of the laser rangefinder to use the visible laser beam to bore sight the range-finding laser beam to a weapon onto which the laser rangefinder is mounted. The uniform steering of the multiple laser beams can be done through the utilization of a Risley prism assembly with one or more Risley prisms having a center portion through which one laser beam travels and at least one annulus through which a second laser beam travels.
Claims20
A laser rangefinder comprising:
- a first laser configured to emit a first laser beam having a first wavelength;
- a second laser configured to emit a second laser beam having a second wavelength smaller than the first wavelength;
- and
- a Risley prism assembly comprising one or more rotatable Risley prisms having a center portion and an annulus, wherein the center portion has a wedge angle greater than a wedge angle of the annulus;
- wherein:
- the first laser is configured to emit the first laser beam through the center portion of the one or more rotatable Risley prisms;
- and
- the second laser is configured to emit the second laser beam through the annulus of the one or more rotatable Risley prisms.
A method multi-wavelength laser beam steering at a laser rangefinder, the method comprising:
- receiving, at a Risley prism assembly of the laser rangefinder, a first laser beam having a first wavelength and a second laser beam having a second wavelength smaller than the first wavelength, wherein:
- the Risley prism assembly comprises one or more rotatable Risley prisms having a center portion and an annulus, and
- the center portion has a wedge angle greater than a wedge angle of the annulus
- redirecting the first laser beam using the center portion of the one or more rotatable Risley prisms;
- and
- redirecting the second laser beam using the annulus of the one or more rotatable Risley prisms.
An optical assembly for a laser rangefinder, the optical assembly comprising two pairs of rotatable Risley prisms wherein:
- for each rotatable Risley prism of each pair of rotatable Risley prisms, the respective rotatable Risley prism has a center portion and an annulus, wherein the center portion has a wedge angle greater than a wedge angle of the annulus;
- and
- the two pairs of rotatable Risley prisms are aligned such that:
- center portions of the rotatable Risley prisms are configured to steer light from a first laser beam having a first wavelength in a direction;
- and
- annuluses of the rotatable Risley prisms are configured to steer light from a second laser beam having a second wavelength shorter than the first wavelength in substantially the same direction as the first laser beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.