Patent ID: 7113289

Claim:
A system for use in determining the position of a selected location, said system comprising: a coherent light source operable to generate a coherent light beam; a bi-directional acousto-optic modulator oriented to receive the coherent light beam from said coherent light source and operable to deflect the coherent light beam in a plurality of directions to illuminate a corresponding plurality of illumination locations, wherein the plurality of illumination locations defines an illumination region; and an optical detector positioned within the illumination region in a known relation with the selected location, said optical detector being operable to detect illumination by the deflected coherent light beam when the coherent light beam is deflected by said bi-directional acousto-optic modulator in a direction corresponding to one of said plurality of illumination locations coinciding with the position of said optical detector within the illumination region; wherein information relating to the position of said optical detector is determinable from information relating the direction of the coherent light beam from said bi-directional acousto-optic modulator when said optical detector is illuminated by the deflected coherent light beam.