Patent ID: 7429734
Filing Date: 2008-09-30
Classification: F41H,G01S,G02B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus comprising: a first fiber bundle having a plurality of light-transmitting fibers including a first fiber, a second fiber, and a third fiber, the first fiber bundle having a first end and a second end; a laser that emits laser energy; a sensor; a processor operably coupled to receive information from the sensor, analyze the received information, and configured to generate direction-control information based on the analysis of the received information; a fiber selector that is operatively coupled to the processor and based on the direction-control information, is configured to direct the laser energy into the first fiber at the first end of the first fiber bundle during a first time period; and transform optics located to receive the laser energy from the second end of the first fiber bundle and configured to form an output beam of the laser energy from the first fiber bundle, wherein the transform optics is configured to perform a transform of the laser energy from a position of an end of one of the plurality of fibers in the first fiber bundle to a substantially collimated far-field beam, which is the output beam in one of a plurality of different angular directions such that the laser energy received by the transform optics from a position of the first fiber is transformed to the substantially collimated far-field output beam in a first selected angular direction of the plurality of angular directions during the first time period.