Laser illuminator for aerial approach back-up system - has beam selectively directed into diverging unit to produce controlled, uniform 360 degree illumination

摘要

The illuminator includes a laser source (1a) and an emission lens (1b) supplying a widened laser beam to a divergent unit (2). The diverging unit produces a fanned beam covering predetermined angles of direction and altitude (aS and aG). The illumination is not specifically directed and is uniform in the corresponding solid angle. The angles may attain maximum values of 2pi in the case of panoramic illumination. The diverging unit is formed from a diverging lens spreading light on to a conical mirror surface, the light arriving along the axis of the cone. The mirror may alternatively be a solid of revolution formed using a curved generating line, thus making for uniform distribution. The divergent optical system may be by-passed to provide a conventional target illumination system. The system may be used for simulation and training purposes.