Flir Systems, Incorporated

Electro Scientific Industries, Inc.

Michael E Fossey

Yunlong Sun

David M Aikens

Bruce L Cannon

James Richard Kerr

John J McDonald

A laser system and power control have a polarization state changer that produces in response to an incident beam with selected polarization state at a first wavelength .lambda..sub.1 a beam at .lambda..sub.1 with a desired polarization state. A frequency converter responds to the beam at .lambda..sub.1 with the desired polarization state to produce a frequency converted beam at a second, different wavelength .lambda..sub.2. When the polarization state changer and the frequency converter are located within a laser cavity, the laser system is operable in three different states and produces an output beam at .lambda..sub.1 or .lambda..sub.2, or no output beam, depending on the polarization state changer. In this intracavity configuration the polarization state changer is also operable as a Q-switch. When the polarization state changer and the frequency converter are located outside a laser cavity, the polarization state changer is operable in the whole range between its first and third states; the device thus produces an output beam at .lambda..sub.2, an output beam including components at .lambda..sub.1 and .lambda..sub.2, or an output beam having no component at .lambda..sub.2, again depending on the polarization state changer. In the extracavity configuration the power in the output at .lambda..sub.2 is continuously controllable between a maximum and zero.

Switchable two-wavelength frequency-converting laser system and power

The imaging range finder of the invention includes a radiation transmitter, a transmitting section and a receiving section. The transmitting section directs radiation across an angular field of view by a first rotating mirror having a plurality of facets. The receiving section includes a second rotating mirror also with a plurality of facets which collects any reflected radiation. An image is produced by measuring the intensity of the reflected radiation at numerous points in the field of view. Range is determined by radiation modulation. Range may be determined more precisely at shorter ranges by modulating the radiation to produce two subcarriers and using one subcarrier to supply short range information. The finder is stabilized to preserve imaging and range finding accuracy when it is exposed to vibration or pitch-angle disturbance. The invention also discloses a method of imaging and range finding over very wide angles and at standard picture frame frequencies.

Imaging range finder and method

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Beaverton, OR, United States of America

Michael E Fossey