US 11,837,840 B2
MEMS micro-mirror array laser beam steerer for simultaneous illumination of multiple tracked targets
Gerald P. Uyeno, Tucson, AZ (US); Sean D. Keller, Tucson, AZ (US); and Benn H. Gleason, Tucson, AZ (US)
Assigned to Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed by Raytheon Company, Waltham, MA (US)
Filed on Sep. 1, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/009,453.
Prior Publication US 2022/0137395 A1, May 5, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 17/66 (2006.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G02B 26/08 (2006.01); H01S 3/00 (2006.01); G01S 17/42 (2006.01); G06T 7/20 (2017.01); B23K 26/06 (2014.01); G01S 7/481 (2006.01); G01C 3/08 (2006.01)
CPC H01S 3/0071 (2013.01) [B23K 26/0643 (2013.01); G01S 7/4814 (2013.01); G01S 17/42 (2013.01); G01S 17/66 (2013.01); G01S 17/86 (2020.01); G06T 7/20 (2013.01); G01C 3/08 (2013.01); G02B 26/0833 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A multiple target tracker and laser beam steerer, comprising:
a video camera configured to acquire video images of a scene within a field-of-view (FOV) within a frame time;
a video tracker configured to process the video images within at least a cue-box within the FOV and output a list of multiple tracked targets and corresponding angles-to-targets within the frame time;
a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) Micro-Mirror Array (MMA) comprising a plurality of independently and continuously controllable mirrors responsive to command signals to tip and tilt each mirror about first and second orthogonal axes, respectively, and to translate in a third axis orthogonal to the plane containing the first and second orthogonal axes;
a laser system configured to transmit one or more input laser beams to illuminate the MEMS MMA; and
one or more processors configured to process the list of tracked targets and corresponding angles-to-targets and generate command signals to partition the MEMS MMA into a plurality of segments, each segment including a plurality of contiguous mirrors responsive to command signals to form and steer a single output laser beam to the corresponding angle-to-target to simultaneously illuminate multiple tracked targets per frame over at least the entire cue-box,
said one or more processors configured to generate command signals to translate the plurality of mirrors in each segment along the third axis by different amounts to slightly and increasingly defocus the output laser beam as an uncertainty in a target position and the angle-to-target grows within the frame time for each frame.