Abstract:
A dynamic laser pointer is provided having a laser configured to emit visible light. A lens is configured to collimate the visible light emitted from the laser. A reflector includes a plurality of independent, controllable reflective surfaces. Each surface is configured to independently steer a portion of the collimated visible light dynamically in time.

Description:
RIGHTS OF THE GOVERNMENT 
       [0001]    The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States for all governmental purposes without the payment of any royalty. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a laser pointer, and more particularly to a laser pointer which can dynamically project a laser beam or beams onto remote objects. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Since the manufacturing of affordable semiconductor laser sources, lasers are widely used as reliable, small size and weight sources of illumination. Contemporary laser pointers project laser beams onto remote objects such as presentations, remote targets, mechanical parts for aiding in identifying the objects or parts of the objects. However, contemporary laser pointers project a single spot, and the single spot is generally unable to cover a certain range of information so that the users need to wave or shake the laser point when attempting to indicate or emphasize certain areas of the image or part of the object. 
         [0004]    In order to overcome the above disadvantages of the conventional laser pointer with single spot, some non-spot laser pointers are also available. For example, some lasers pointers may be configured to project a linear image instead of a single spot, but the length of the linear image is generally unable to be adjusted. Other laser pointers may be disposed with a holographic element or a diffractive optical element so as to project non-spot laser images. By changing the holographic element, a different laser image is projected. But, even with the diffractive optical element, the size and location of the laser image is unable to be changed according to a user&#39;s needs. Thus, when the laser image is unable to label or cover a certain area, the user still needs to wave the laser pointer for emphasis. And, both the spot and non-spot lasers also only indicate one location at a time, again forcing the user to move the output of the laser pointer between multiple points on the object to emphasize those areas. 
         [0005]    What is needed, therefore, is a laser pointer that is able to more accurately project laser output on an object, presentation, etc. and enable a user to emphasize multiple locations simultaneously. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Embodiments of the invention address the need in the art by providing a dynamic laser pointer configured to project multiple laser images and the locations of these images may be controlled over time. The dynamic laser pointer has a laser configured to emit visible light. A lens is configured to collimate the visible light emitted from the laser. A reflector is utilized which contains a plurality of independent, controllable reflective surfaces. Each surface is configured to independently steer a portion of the collimated visible light. In some embodiments, the reflector may be a MEMS micro mirror array, a liquid crystal optical phased array, or a piezo controlled mirror. 
         [0007]    In some embodiments, the dynamic laser pointer includes a second lens configured to focus the independently steered portions of the collimated visible light as a spot. Additionally, embodiments may include electronic controls configured to control the plurality of reflective surfaces. In these embodiments, the electronic controls may include a microprocessor, an ASIC, a FPGA, etc. Alternatively, the electronic controls may include a port configured to control the plurality of reflective surfaces via an external device. Some embodiments may also use multiple lasers with different output wavelengths in order to project multiple independent beams with various colors. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the invention. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an embodiment employing a single laser. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an embodiment employing multiple lasers. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is an assembly diagram of the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is an isometric, cut-away view of the assembly diagram in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  illustrates an instructional musical application of embodiments of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate an instructional typing application of embodiments of the invention. 
       
    
    
       [0015]    It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the sequence of operations as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes of various illustrated components, will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment. Certain features of the illustrated embodiments have been enlarged or distorted relative to others to facilitate visualization and clear understanding. In particular, thin features may be thickened, for example, for clarity or illustration. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0016]    Contemporary laser pointer devices project a laser beam onto remote objects producing a laser image spot, which may be shaped as a dot or a line, or any other shape by projecting the laser beam through diffractive optical elements. The remote object may be a presentation, a poster, a distant target, a mechanical part, etc. The laser pointer device may be handheld or attached to a handgun, power tool or any other type of equipment. There are many new small sized laser beam control devices such as micro-mirror arrays (MMA) controlled by micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). In these devices, micro-mirrors can change the direction of the laser beams up to approximately 30 degrees in two dimensions by applying small electrical signals to the electrodes of the device. Multiple laser beams may be controlled independently. Other types of laser beam steering devices may include liquid crystal optical phased arrays, piezo controlled mirrors and others. By coupling a laser beam steering device to a laser pointer, a new dynamic laser pointing apparatus may be constructed. The dynamic laser pointer may project multiple laser images (dots or lines) on to remote objects, and the location of the images may be controlled as a function of time by a microprocessor or other external electrical signals. 
         [0017]    Turning to the drawings, where like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  illustrates the basic components of some embodiments of the invention. A laser  10  projects visible light  12  to a first lens  14 . Portions of the visible light  16   a - 16   d  are reflected by one or more individual mirrors  18   a - 18   d  making up a MEMS MMA  20 . The reflected portions  22   a - 22   d  are focused using a second lens  24  into one or more spots  26   a - 26   c . Locations of these spots may be controlled electronically using a USB connected personal computer or Smart Phone. Alternatively, a self-contained microprocessor, ASIC, or FPGA may also be used. Utilizing a MEMS MMA  20  enables embodiments of the invention to direct the portions of the visible light  16   a - 16   d  independently of the other portions of the visible light  16   a - 16   d . While a MEMS MMA  20  is well suited to direct the potions of the visible light  16   a - 16   d , other mirror or reflective devices that are capable of independent movement within the mirror or reflective device may also be utilized, such as liquid crystal optical phased arrays, piezo controlled mirrors, etc. 
         [0018]    Other embodiments of the invention may employ multiple lasers. For example, and as seen in  FIG. 2 , two lasers  28 ,  30  may be used. In some embodiments, each of these lasers may emit light at different wavelengths, producing a different color of visible light  32 ,  34 , such as red and blue respectively, for example. The visible light  32 ,  34  is projected toward the first lens  14  as above and portions of that light  36   a ,  36   b ,  38   a ,  38   b  are reflected by one or more individual mirrors  18   a - 18   d  making up the MEMS MMA  20 . Similarly, the second lens  24  focuses the reflected portions of light  36   a ,  36   b ,  38   a ,  38   b  into spots  40   a ,  40   b ,  42   a , and  42   b . As above these spots may be directed to specific locations electronically using a USB connected personal computer or Smart Phone, or a self-contained microprocessor, ASIC, or FPGA. Spots  40   a ,  40   b ,  42   a ,  42   b  may also be combined as a single spot, creating additional colors based on the mixing of the reflected laser light colors. With any of the embodiments above, the number of controllable spots produced by the embodiments is only limited by the reflective surface independently directing the portions of the visible light. 
         [0019]    Embodiments of the invention may be packaged in a number of ways. The embodiments may be configured as a hand held device or as a free standing device.  FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate an embodiment of the invention in a free standing configuration. In this configuration, the laser  10  and the first lens  12  may be located in a housing  44 . Visible light  12  from the laser  10  is directed toward the first lens  12 . This light, is then directed toward a beam splitter  46  where a portion of the visible light  12  is directed toward the MEMS MMA  20 . The reflected portions of the visible light  12  are then directed by the beam splitter  46  to an aperture  48  producing one or more visible spots  50 . Electronic controls  52  may also be included in the housing  44 , such as a processor or other integrated circuit as set forth above. Alternatively, a port, such as a USB port, may be configured in the housing  44  and may be used to control the laser  10  output as well as control the MEMS MMA  20 . 
         [0020]    The housing  44  may be mounted on a free standing mounting configuration such as a base  54  and support member  56 . Support member  56  may have a first end  58  coupled with the base  54  and a second end  60  detachably coupled to the housing  44 , via a clamping  62  or other type mechanism. Such a mechanism may also allow the housing  44  to be positioned at different locations along a length of the support member  56 . Other embodiments, may attach the housing  44  to other rigid structures, or in some embodiments, housing  44  may be adapted to be hand held. 
         [0021]    Applications of the embodiments of the invention may include presentations, demonstrations, classroom training, entertainment, manufacturing, or any other application where it may be necessary to simultaneously point to or indicate more than one object and change the location of the pointing beams dynamically in time. For example, an embodiment of then invention may be used as a teaching tool for playing musical instruments. The laser spots may be projected onto various parts of the musical instrument and will change locations in accordance with the musical composition. As seen in  FIG. 5 , the dynamic laser pointer  64  may be programmed to display spots  50  on a plano keyboard  66 . These spots would dynamically change between keys on the keyboard  66  as an individual learns to play a new song. Multiple spots  50  may be displayed when multiple notes are to be played. Similarly the spots may be directed to the fret of a string instrument or keys on a woodwind instrument. Alternatively, the dynamic laser pointer  64  may be used as a typing aid, as seen in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , displaying spots on particular keys on a computer or other keyboard  68  while learning to type. Additionally, in other embodiments, the dynamic laser pointer  64  may be used as a warning indicator, which may point bright beam spots on parts of a control panel of an aircraft, boat, or other vehicle, during training or as a safety device. 
         [0022]    While the present invention has been illustrated by a description of one or more embodiments thereof and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, they are not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope of the general inventive concept.