Dual function single laser
AssigneeB. E. Meyers & Co., Inc.
InventorBrad E. Meyers
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention is a dual function laser device for use in night vision systems. The invention uses lenses to cause one portion of a laser beam to converge to a target point and another portion of the beam to diverge. The divergent portion is variable in size and illuminates a viewable area around the target point. Rather than use two lasers to create an illuminated view area around an illuminated target point, the invention uses a combination of a lens and a sub-aperture lens arrangement to create two illuminations from a single laser.
Claims19
An apparatus for illuminating and targeting a target, comprising:
- a light source emitting a beam toward the target;
- a positive convex-planar lens positioned in the beam that refracts a first portion of the beam along a convergent path to a first focal point and that transmits an unrefracted second portion of the beam;
- and
- a negative planar-convex lens positioned in the beam downstream of the positive convex-planar lens and spaced apart from the positive convex-planar lens, the negative planar-convex lens transmitting at least part of the second portion to form a targeting dot on the target, the negative planar-convex lens refracting at least part of the first portion of the beam to form a relatively larger illuminating footprint on the target, the negative planar-convex lens being coupled to a translating mount configured to translate the negative planar-convex lens relative to the positive convex-planar lens.
An apparatus for projecting light toward a target, comprising:
- a light source that emits a beam toward the target;
- a first lens positioned in the beam and having a positive convex portion and a first planar portion, the positive convex portion refracting a central circular portion of the beam along a convergent path toward a first focal point, and the first planar portion unrefractively transmitting an outer annular portion of the beam;
- and
- a second lens positioned in the beam and having a negative convex portion and a second planar portion, the second planar portion transmitting the outer annular portion of the beam to form a targeting dot at the target, the negative convex portion refracting at least part of the central circular portion to form a relatively larger illuminating footprint on the target, the second lens being coupled to a translating mount configured to translate the second lens relative to the first lens.
A method of illuminating and targeting an object, comprising:
- projecting a beam of light toward the object;
- refracting an inner portion of the beam along a converging path toward a first focal point;
- adjusting a position of the first focal point;
- transmitting a second portion of the beam to form a targeting spot on the object, the second portion being at least initially annularly disposed about the inner portion;
- and
- divergingly refracting the converging inner portion of the beam to form a relatively larger illuminating footprint on the object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.