Patent Document ID: 7671337
Application ID: 11637401
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An apparatus comprising: a fiber assembly having a plurality of light-transmitting fiber bundles including a first fiber bundle and a second fiber bundle, the plurality of fiber bundles of the fiber assembly, each of the plurality of fiber bundles comprising a plurality of fibers including a first fiber and a second fiber and each having a first end and a second end, wherein the plurality of fibers at each end of each one of the plurality of fiber bundles are tightly bundled, and wherein the plurality of fiber bundles are bundled together and substantially parallel next to one another at their first ends, and wherein the second ends of the first and second fiber bundles are separated from one another and pointing in different directions; a laser that emits laser energy; a processor that generates direction-control information; a fiber selector that is operatively coupled to the processor and based on the direction-control information from the processor, is configured to direct the laser energy into the first fiber of the first fiber bundle at the first end of the first fiber bundle during a first time period and then to direct the laser energy into the first fiber of the second fiber bundle at the first end of the second fiber bundle during a second time period that follows the first time period; a first transform optics unit located to receive the laser energy from the second end of the first fiber bundle and configured to form a far-field output beam of the laser energy from the first fiber bundle that propagates in a first selected azimuth and altitude angular direction of a plurality of directions during the first time period; and a second transform optics unit located to receive the laser energy from the second end of the second fiber bundle and configured to form an output beam of the laser energy from the second fiber bundle that propagates in a second selected azimuth and altitude angular direction of a plurality of directions during the second time period, wherein the first and second transform optics units are in separate independent subhousings.