Patent ID: 8400619
Filing Date: 2013-03-19
Classification: G01C

Abstract:
1. An automatic target tracking and beam steering system for automatically identifying and tracking a remote target and for automatically steering a laser beam to be aimed at the tracked target, comprising an image capturing system for capturing in real time a series of images containing the remote target; an image processing system for processing the series of images algorithmically to automatically identify the target in the images and to automatically track the position of the target across the series of images; an optical system including a plurality of optical components, one of said optical components being a laser source for emitting a laser beam; an actuator for moving an optical component of said optical system to angularly and directionally steer a transmission path that the laser beam will follow when emitted from said laser source, said actuator being controlled by said image processing system to move said optical component as needed so that the transmission path for the laser beam is steered to be aimed at the target tracked by said image processing system; a receiver system for receiving laser light that is reflected from the target along a reflection path to said receiver system when the laser beam is transmitted along the transmission path that has been steered to be aimed at the target; and a range finding module that works in combination with said optical system and said receiver system for calculating the range to the target; wherein the transmission path is angularly and directionally steered by said actuator relative to the reflection path, but there is no steering relative to and between the reflected laser light and said receiver system.