EP3479049A1

EP3479049A1 - High illuminance luminescence light for ocular disruption or interruption and visual incapacitation

Info

Publication number: EP3479049A1
Application number: EP17790310.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ronald Davis; Loren P. Hoboy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-04-28
Filing date: 2017-04-26
Publication date: 2019-05-08
Also published as: EP3479049A4; JP2019515232A; JP2022069695A; WO2017189668A1

Abstract

The present method and device is an optical apparatus for creating scotomatic glare/flash blindness/photostress incapacitation when directed at animal and/or human targets. The device has an assembly with a head portion, one or more light windows, one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light; one or more luminescence light generating sources generating light of about 200nm to 900nm; a recycling optical system to recycle stray light, focus, collimate and project the light; an electronic circuit connected to the one or more light generating sources that regulates and modulates the power, current or voltage output to the one or more light generating sources; a thermal management system to regulate the temperature of the luminescence light generating sources and the electronic circuit; and a power source connected to the electronic circuit and/or removably secured within the assembly.

Description

TITLE

HIGH ILLUMINANCE LUMINESCENCE LIGHT FOR OCULAR DISRUPTION OR INTERRUPTION AND VISUAL INCAPACITATION

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This is an international application claiming priority to U.S. provisional patent application serial no.: 62/328,705 filed 18 April 2016.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR

DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

[0003] Not applicable

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A

COMPACT DISC

[0004] Not applicable

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The present invention relates to methods and devices for illuminance and luminous emittance luminescence light for ocular disruption or interruption and visual incapacitation utilizing a modulated light source. Modulating the light source directly allows the number of pulses, light pulse duration, frequency, and number of sub-pulses within the primary pulse can be varied as opposed to providing a constant illumination.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Devices for optical incapacitation have been reported under consideration for battle field use going back to 1915. The Canal Defense Light (CDL), a tank mounted 9.5KW carbon arc lamp capable of a constant beam and flash strobe, was built during WWII, but seldom or never deployed in battle. Major drawbacks were the large size of the equipment, carbon rod consumption, fuel consumption and power plant required for deployment in the field. From the information and studies available at the time, little consideration was probably given to potential eye damage of enemy combatants.

[0007] US military studied high intensity laser and incoherent light to flash blind in the 1960 and 1970s. One such device used a 50,0001m-sec flash lamp. Again, in the early 1990s development of visual incapacitation occurred using xenon flashtubes to produce an intense light flash, driven by capacitors, and sufficiently strong to cause temporary blindness {e.g. Minovich 5,072,342). These devices would have been bulky, required time to recharge and for the flash tube to be sufficiently cooled between flashes before re-firing.

[0008] In the late 1990s laser devices were developed to create temporary visual impairment, hesitation, delay, distraction, and reductions in combat and functional effectiveness through claims of glare, flash blindness, and psychological impact (e.g. German 5,685,636). Green laser dazzlers entered the battlefield with reported eye safety issues. Lasers deliver coherent light in a single wave length narrow range. Eyes are ill adapted to handle laser, coherent, without risk of eye damage. On the other hand, lasers are energy efficient and require less power and smaller batteries.

[0009] In the mid-2000s development occurred with hand held xenon short arc lamps for illumination, warning and flash blindness visual suppression (e.g. Eisenberg 7,497,586). While reducing the risk of eye damage, when compared to lasers, short arcs are energy inefficient generating only 5% light requiring large and heavy power supplies for portable applications. Handheld short arc lamps sufficiently bright to cause flash blindness cannot be dimmed generally beyond 50% to provide full turndown control for safe near distance effect and far distance efficacy. Devices based on short-arc lamp technology prove bulky, heavy and have short battery life and limited flash blinding capability beyond 30 feet. Because they use short arc lamps they have limited bulb life and performance falls off quickly with use as the light output deteriorates over the first 500 hours. Another technology at this time consisted of an array of flashing colored LED (e.g. Rublsov 7,180, 426). This design was also bulky and heavy, and while it made the target queasy and partially disoriented at short distances, it did not have sufficient power to deprive the target of full visual sight loss and the intensity to flash blind for periods over 10 seconds. Video clips indicated that the disorientation range was less than 30 feet. The disorientation effect was only for the period of illumination probably due to limited intensity. In addition, recovery after exposure of any partial rhodopsin bleaching was fairly quick and would not have effectively incapacitated a target effectively for most take down applications.

[0010] Consequently, there is a need to have a light weight portable device that: can disorient and visually incapacitates (flash-blinds) at standoff distances (the distance between the user and the aggressor) greater than 15 feet; is energy efficient reducing the power required for operation and therefore reducing battery weight and size (compact); achieves either longer operation time for the same weight or lower weight and package size for the same operating time; and delivers the light intensity for extended bulb life of 3000 or more hours. There is also the need to reduce the amount violet light emitted or coherent single wavelength laser light to eliminate or reduce the risk of thermal retinal damage in compliance with international treaties against inflicting pain and causing permanent eye damage. Further, there is a need to deliver sufficient illuminance and luminous emittance to the target (aggressor) within a very limited period of time before the eye lid naturally closes (est. 0.1 seconds) to achieve the maximum flash-blindness effect for durations of between 10-170 seconds before natural vision recovery occurs. Finally, there is a need to enable collimation of the incapacitation beam to focus the beam on a selected target and avoid collateral incapacitation.

[0011] The forgoing examples of related art and limitation related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive, and they do not imply any limitations on the invention described and claimed herein. Various limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the specification below and the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The device herein disclosed and described provides an optical apparatus for providing discomfort glare, disability glare, dazzling glare and scotomatic glare/flash blindness/photostress incapacitation when targeted at one or more animal and/or human targets. In one aspect of the invention the device comprises an assembly having a head portion, one or more light windows, and one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light to said target(s); one or more luminescence light generating sources providing the light in a spectral range of about 200nm to about 900nm secured within the assembly; a recycling optical system to recycle stray light, focus, collimate and project the light and the stray light at the targets; an electronic circuit connected to the one or more light generating sources and secured within the assembly, wherein the electronic circuit regulates and modulates the power, current or voltage output to the one or more light generating sources; a thermal management system interfacing with the one or more luminescence light generating sources and the electronic circuit to regulate the temperature of the luminescence light generating sources and the electronic circuit; and a power source connected to the electronic circuit and/or removably secured within the assembly.

[0013] In a first embodiment, the luminescence generating light source is a photoluminescence, electroluminescent, cathodoluminescent, thermoluminescence or a combination of these luminescence generating light sources. The luminescent generating light source may be a phosphor light emitting diode (LED), a nanowire led, laser-phosphor hybrid, a superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED), a nanotube, nano crystals, doped wave guide, quantum dots, scintillators, laser luminescent hybrid or a laser diode excited light source or any combination of these light sources. The one or more luminescence light generating sources may provide light in a spectral range of about 440nm to about 600nm for human targets and in the spectral range of about 200nm to about 900nm for animal targets. Further the one or more luminescence light generating sources may: provide a peak spectral output at about 500nm; deliver a constant beam of light or a flashing beam of light; deliver a flashing beam of light with a flash frequency in the range of about IHz to about 40Hz and a flash duration in the range of about .0005 seconds to about 1 second duration; produce a flash frequency that is randomized; produce light at greater than about 2,000 Lux to about 10,000Lux at the one or more animal and/or human targets; be provided in an array; have a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of about 70 to about 100; and provide greater than 3000 hours of luminous emittance at 80% or greater of the original luminous emittance.

[0014] In a second embodiment, the animal or human targets are impaired by glare obfuscation or flash blindness.

[00 IS] In a third embodiment, the recycling optical system increases the luminescence emission's spectral output to produce increased light output intensity. [0016] In a fourth embodiment, the one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light may contain an aspheric or Fresnel lens to collimate and focus light emission within an angle of about 0.25 degrees to about 180 degrees. The one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light may provide a beam of light less than about 36 square millimeters.

[0017] In a fifth embodiment, the thermal management system may be a convection or conduction system or may be a forced air cooling, a passive heat sink cooling, heat pipes, a Peltier cooling system, or an electrostatic fluid acceleration cooling.

[0018] In a sixth embodiment, the power source may be a direct current power source or alternating current power source. The power source may be a battery, a capacitator, a super- capacitator, a fuel cell, and hybrid thereof.

[0019] In a seventh embodiment, the device may further comprise a flash control means that modulates the flash frequency of the luminescence generating light sources at about 1 Hz to about 40 Hz.

[0020] In an eighth embodiment, the device may further comprise a filter that reduces or eliminates UV and violet light emission.

[0021] In a ninth embodiment, the device may further comprise a photo cell that determines the amount of ambient light, a range finder that determines the distance to the target and a control circuit that regulates the illuminance delivered to the target.

[0022] In a second aspect of the present invention a method for causing discomfort glare, disability glare, dazzling glare and scotomatic glare/flash blindness/photostress incapacitation, when illuminating one or more animal and/or human targets is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: directing an optical apparatus described in the first aspect of the invention and further elaborated in the first through ninth embodiment above; and activating the optical apparatus to illuminate the one or more animal and/or human targets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] FIG. 1. Is a cross sectional view of one embodiment of a device of the present invention. [0024] FIG. 2. Is a chart depicting the concept of operations of a device of the present invention showing the optical continuum of force ranges of a handheld device of FIG. 1.

[0025] FIG. 3. Shows a ray trace path of a typical LED optical train.

[0026] FIG. 4. Shows ray trace path of a preferred optical Lrain embodiment of a device of the present invention using a recycled light collar.

[0027] FIG. 5. Depicts the electrical current pattern applied to a light source in a preferred embodiment of a device of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 6. Shows a second linear Fresnel lens at a 90-degree angle to the first linear Fresnel lens placed between the light source and the outer Fresnel lens to increase forward light intensity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. Various modifications to the described embodiments will be apparent to those with skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments. Therefore, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments shown and described, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features herein disclosed. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuits may not have been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.

[0030] Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein have the same meaning as are commonly understood by one of skill in the art to which this invention belongs. All patents, patent applications and publications referred to throughout the disclosure herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In the event that there is a plurality of definitions for a term herein, those in this section prevail. [0031] The term "intensity" as used herein is illuminance or luminous emittance (LUX- lumens per meter squared) delivered to the target which is a measure of the intensity of light that hits a surface or target as perceived by the eye.

[0032] The term "target" and or "aggressor" as used herein is a human or animal subjected to the beam of the device or method of the present invention.

[0033] The device herein disclosed and described provides an optical apparatus for providing discomfort glare, disability glare, dazzling glare and scotomatic glare/flash blindness/photostrcss incapacitation when targeted al one or more animal and or human targets. In one aspect of the invention the device comprises an assembly having a head portion, one or more light windows, and one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light to said target(s); one or more luminescence light generating sources providing the light in a spectral range of about 200nm to about 900nm secured within the assembly; a recycling optical system to recycle stray light, focus, collimate and project the light and the stray light at the targets; an electronic circuit connected to the one or more light generating sources and secured within the assembly, wherein the electronic circuit regulates and modulates the power, current or voltage output to the one or more light generating sources; a thermal management system interfacing with the one or more luminescence light generating sources and the electronic circuit to regulate the temperature of the luminescence light generating sources and the electronic circuit; and a power source connected to the electronic circuit and/or removably secured within the assembly.

[0034] This invention relates to non-lethal, non-eye-damaging security devices based on intense luminous light and, to provide low-cost, lower power, extremely effective warning, visual glare and flash blindness incoherent light to impair, and disorientation through high intensity illumination by high intensity, broad spectrum visible incoherent light.

[0035] This invention improves upon the current methods for Ocular disruption or interruption and/or visual glare and flash blindness and incapacitation with a much more compact and more efficient device in achieving effects of glare, flash blindness and disorientation, using safer incoherent light than other prior technologies, with higher energy efficiencies while increasing the effective operational distance at lower energy levels. [0036] This innovation provides a luminescent light source such as LEDs which are approximately 3 to 5 times more efficient than short arc lamps at generating light and then deliver 1.5 to 4 times as much collimated light to the target as prior technologies by recycling "stray" light and collimating the emitted light in the forward direction. Then through electronic manipulation and modulation of the current and voltage, the power required to produce the designated amount of luminous emittance is reduced, by 30% or more, using a current, voltage, or power modulation electronic circuit. The modulated light delivered to the target is believed to fix the eye's rhodopsin chemical "memory" for an image and takes advantage of a phenomenon in which light is perceived by the brain several times brighter to the eye than it actually is when exposed to a flash(es) of light at the required glare or flash blindness level at a specified illuminance (LUX at the target) which achieves incapacitation when using selected LED or luminescent sources optimized for collimation. Further higher energy reduction can be achieved by replacing the LED with a laser excited LED (i.e. LED-laser hybrid), laser excited phosphor, or laser excited luminescent material to increase light output by up to 2 times or proportionally cut the power consumption for the same level of illuminance at the target.

[0037] Advantages of this invention include: luminescence light for incapacitation is 1.5 to 4 times more intense in the forward direction when using recycled light technologies (RLT™) when combined with collimation optics increasing the effective operational distances .The beam can be narrow shaped, allowing it to be specifically directed at a target, (narrow angle) The Apparatus has longer beam throw and thus greater operational range capability than other technologies at the same power output. No black hole artifacts. Uses a lower cost and more efficient LEDs or luminescence sources, than short arcs. Apparatus can be more compact because less power is required and luminescence sources are smaller than short arc lamps, providing significant improvement in weight and size reduction. Laser hybrids offer even more efficient light generation over LEDs alone. Battery power can be small or deliver more operational time. Lower power requirement requires smaller thermal management system for the same Illuminance and incapacitation capability output. No lamp warm up time is required. The electronics designer has ultimate control over the energy delivered to the apparatus. The ability to selectively target individuals or groups

Effects [0038] "Ocular disruption or interruption and/or visual incapacitation" is a range of optical effects including discomfort glare, disability glare, dazzling glare and scotomatic glare. Discomfort glare causes annoyance. Disability glare is physiological glare that impairs vision. Dazzling glare produces squinting, annoyance, aversion, and visual disability at high retinal illuminance levels. Scotomatic glare, photostress or temporary flash blindness is visual disability and after images due to excessive bleaching of macular photo pigment. For more information the reader is referred to Glare's Causes, Consequences, and Clinical Challenges After a Century of Ophthalmic study, Martin A. Mainster and Patricia L Turner January 2, 2012.

[0039] This technology will impact all three ocular systems, photopic, mesopic and scotopic, eliminating the targets ability to temporarily see. At the highest illuminance levels, the target experiences a partial or full "white-out" by rhodopsin bleaching, depending upon the beam's intensity and initial ambient light. The optimal optics light pattern projected by the apparatus can fully obscure peripheral vision as well as macular vision.

[0040] Other effects can include loss of parallel relation between the optical axes of the eyes caused by faulty action of the extrinsic muscles, and the loss of biological equilibrium. These result in Dizziness or Vertigo manifesting as lightheaded, floating, spinning or rocking sensation, and Imbalance and loss of Spatial Orientation manifesting as unsteadiness (disequilibrium), loss of balance, stumbling, staggering, teetering and difficulty walking straight and turning a corner or may fall when standing up. The target may also experience temporary clumsiness, loss of fine or gross motor skills and have other difficulty with coordination. Effects will vary across the cross section of human population based on genetics, age, vision and other factors.

Apparatus

[0041] The assembly as herein described can be scaled up or down in size, for greater or less effective distances. A single assembly can be integrated into arrays to achieve greater distance effects. A typical handheld single window assembly as depicted in FIG. 1A can use a 100 watt LED (2) with forced air cooling (3) consisting of a heat sink, heat pipe or thermal cooling equipment. FIG. IB shows an alternative handheld single window assembly utilizing a 20 watt LED. The light output from the luminescent light source is modulated electronically to be a continuous beam for illumination or warning and main power switch (7) and a momentary switch (6) for the glare/ flash blindness mode. A portion of the light beam with "stray" light is recycled back to the luminescent light source. The portion of the light beam which light which exits through the recycled light collar (15), and is further shaped and collimated with a 120mm aspheric lens (14) or frenal lens at a 120mm focal length to collimate the light with an approximate divergence of 2-degrees and a LED flash driver (4) delivering a flash with a duration of 0.032 seconds at 38,000 Lux illuminance at 25 feet in a 10" diameter circular, rectangular or square pattern. The recycling components and collimating can be changed for different throws and coverage area by those practiced in the art of optics. While the light recycling collar (15) is preferred for increased range and efficiency, one skilled in the art will recognize that the light recycling optic may be omitted for near range targets. Another embodiment can consist of an array of the light source engines depicted by FIG. 3B. In another array embodiment a linear Fresnel lens can be used to collect multiple light source engines to generate a single band of light across multiple targets or a wider area. In this latter embodiment, a second linear Fresnel lens at a 90-degree angle to the first linear Fresnel lens can be placed between the light source and the outer Fresnel lens to increase forward light intensity shown in FIG. 6.

[0042] The nature of the illumination source will dictate different optical configurations to achieve a desire geometric area for this incapacitation illumination apparatus and technology. Some other suitable optics recycling and collimation configurations that may be used are taught in the following table of patents which have the same assignee as the present invention and are herein incorporated by reference.

I^'able 1 : List of U.S. patents and patent applications containing suitable optics recycling and collimation configurations.

,388,190 ILLUMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECYCLING LIGHT TO INCREASE THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE LIGHT SOURCE ,317,331 RECYCLING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INCREASING BRIGHTNESS USING

LIGHT PIPES WITH ONE OR MORE LIGHT SOURCES, AND A PROJECTOR INCORPORATING THE SAME

,976,204 ILLUMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECYCLING LIGHT TO INCREASE

THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE LIGHT SOURCE ,710,669 ETENDUE EFFICIENT COMBINATION OF MULTIPLE LIGHT SOURCES ,452,086 LIGHT PIPE BASED PROJECTION ENGINE

,357,550 LED ILLUMINATION ENGINE USING A REFLECTOR ,232,228 LIGHT RECOVERY FOR PROJECTION DISPLAYS ,213,947 MULTIPLE OUTPUT ILLUMINATION USING REFLECTORS ,172,290 LIGHT PIPE BASED PROJECTION ENGINE

,151,874 LENSED TAPERED OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE ,926,435 LED ILLUMINATION ENGINE USING A REFLECTOR ,898,353 LENSED TAPERED OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE

,856,727 COUPLING OF LIGHT FROM A NON-CIRCULAR LIGHT SOURCE

,854,864 LIGHT PIPE LIGHT SOURCE WITH FLUX CONDENSING LIGHT PIPE ,836,576 POLARIZATION RECOVERY SYSTEM USING LIGHT PIPES ,829,412 LENSED TAPERED OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE ,672,740 CONDENSING AND COLLECTING OPTICAL SYSTEM USING PARABOLIC

REFLECTORS OR A CORRESPONDING ELLIPSOID/HYPERBOLOID PAIR OF REFLECTORS

,619,820 LIGHT CONDENSING AND COLLECTING SYSTEMS USING LENSED LIGHT

PIPES ,565,235 FOLDING AN ARC INTO ITSELF TO INCREASE THE BRIGHTNESS OF AN ARC

LAMP ,385,371 OPTICAL SYSTEM INCLUDING COUPLING FOR TRANSMITTING LIGHT

BETWEEN A SINGLE FIBER LIGHT GUIDE AND MULTIPLE SINGLE FIBER LIGHT GUIDES

,312,144 OPTICAL SYSTEM HAVING RETRO-REFLECTORS 6,231,199 COLLECTING AND CONDENSING OPTICAL SYSTEM USING CASCADED PARABOLIC REFLECTORS

6,227,682 COUPLING OF LIGHT FROM A SMALL LIGHT SOURCE FOR PROJECTION

SYSTEMS USING PARABOLIC REFLECTORS

[0043] The selection of the luminescent light source be driven by the compactness and the lumens emitted per square millimeter to approximate a point source of light and selection weighed by the energy efficiency of light generated per square millimeter and uniformity of visible spectral output above 440 nm.

Table 2: Preferred Design Illuminance for Effect

[0044] Lower level of Illuminance may also achieve the desired effect on a portion of the population that is more suseptable than the norm.

[0045] The "Continuum of Force" graphic represents the Concept of Operational (CONOPS) performance of this handheld optical suppression (incapacitation/photostress/flash blindness) apparatus.

[0046] The apparatus may be powered with a series of lithium-ion batteries delivering approximately 12V at 80amps (5). The apparatus can also be operated as a handheld searchlight or flashlight. In this embodiment the flash is powered at three times the LED design rated wattage, 300 watts of power at 10 Hz or randomized between 8Hz and 15Hz and as duty cycle equal and less than the maximum rating of the selected LED. [0047] The preferred light beam modulation is set at a frequency range from lHz to 40Hz. The preferred embodiment is set at a flash rate of 8-20Hz for human targets and Flash duration is set between about .0005 seconds and 1 second. The preferred flash duration is 0.01 to 0.05 seconds. These rates are adjusted to deliver a light output to be less than the upper threshold of safe thermal eye exposure levels delivered to the target as a function of exposure time (Seconds) and exposure illuminance (Lux). Those practiced in the art of optical incapacitation can refer to the underlying studies upon which the "Guidelines on Limits of Exposure to Broad-Band Incoherent Radiation" study are based and other eye safety studies and which can be used as a guidelines for determining the maximum allowable exposure to intense incoherent light to avoid photoretinitis.

[0048] Figure 3A shows a typical handheld LED optics train consisting of a reflector and aspheric lens for illumination, indicating stray (spillover light) un-collimated lost light. FIG. 3B illustrates an optics train with light recycling of this invention as shown in FIG. 1. The recycled light (RLT) collar reflected stray light back on to the LED causing the LED to increase it useful light output through the RLT collar aperture, "brightening " the collimated light directed at the target. At the same time, violet and blue light are absorbed by the LED's phosphor and that energy produces light further up towards the green and red spectrum making the light beam appear more like the spectral output of the sun and producing more light at around the mid-range of the human retinal response . This give rise to selecting a luminescent light source that has a color rendering index of 70 or greater either before or after taking into account the spectral shift caused by RLT. This further reduces the potential risk of "blue/violet" thermal eye damage without the need for UV, violet or blue filters, though in certain cases such filters may still be advisable to further eye safety.

[0049] For devices of this method and designed for much longer throw or ranges to the target, the possiblity of an individual being exposed to the beam at an illuminance higher than that which is advisable for avoidnign eye damage, and speciticall eye thermal damges, will make it advisable to use range finder to determine the distance to a target within the target field of view and modulate the beam illurninence and exposure time downwards to fall below the eye safety threshold. [0050] Figure 4 shows a block diagram of the primary building blocks of this assembly. Block 1 is a removable or rechargerable battery, capacitator, super-capacitator, fuel cell, or hybrid thereof. The power supply can be either AC or DC powered. Block 2 is the electronic package that regulates voltage and current flow to drive the luminunensents light source such as LEDs to modulate the current and voltage as depicted in FIG. 5, and described herein. Block 3 consists of the luminencent light source, themal management to cool the light source below its maximum allowable operating temperature and can among other thermal managemetn solutions consist of a heat sink and forced air fan. Block 4 may consist of one or more of the the many light recycling methods which may be used, some of which are detailed in Table 1 including reflectors, mirros and light pipes. Block 5 is the optic train that then takes the light exiting from the recycle optics and collimates the beam Block 6 to the desired focus to achieve the illuminence as recommended in Table 2 to achieve the effect with the Illuminence (Lux) on the target Block 7.

[0051] Figure 5 depicts the electronic modulation and opertional flexability of a Pulse within the Pulse which is prefereed to be above 60Hz and in the preferred embodiment is 100Hz. The the light modulation peak is generated at a duration over 0.001 second with the preferred embodiment at a duration of 0.03 seconds and a randomized cycle consisting of a peak duration plus dwell ranging from 8Hz to 20Hz. The the preferred embodiement randomizes the peak intensity output to avoid human adaptaion to the incapacitation effect by controling he circuit using a 555 timer IC, an integrated circuit (chip) used in a variety of timer, pulse generation, and oscillator applications, or a LT®3743 fixed frequency synchronous step-down DC/DC controller designed to drive high current LEDs.

[0052] While all of the fundamental characteristics and features of the invention have been shown and described herein, with reference to particular embodiments thereof, a latitude of modification, various changes and substitutions are intended in the foregoing disclosure and it will be apparent that in some instances, some features of the invention may be employed without a corresponding use of other features without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth. It should also be understood that various substitutions, modifications, and variations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Consequently, all such modifications and variations and substitutions are included within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS I claim:

1. An optical apparatus for providing discomfort glare, disability glare, dazzling glare and scotomatic glare/flash blindness/photostress incapacitation when targeted at one or more animal and/or human targets comprising:

a) an assembly having a head portion, one or more light windows, and one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light to said target(s); b) one or more luminescence light generating sources providing said light in a spectral range of about 200nm to about 900nm secured within said assembly; c) a recycling optical system to recycle stray light, focus, collimate and project said light and said stray light at said targets;

d) an electronic circuit connected to said one or more light generating sources and secured within said assembly, said electronic circuit regulates and modulates the power, current or voltage output to said one or more light generating sources; e) a thermal management system interfacing with said one or more luminescence light generating sources and said electronic circuit to regulate the temperature of said luminescence light generating sources and said electronic circuit; and f) a power source connected to said electronic circuit and/or removably secured within said assembly.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said luminescence generating light source is a photoluminescence, electroluminescent, cathodoluminescent, thermoluminescence or a combination of said luminescence generating light sources.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said luminescent generating light source is selected from a group consisting of a phosphor light emitting diode (LED), nanowire led, laser-phosphor hybrid, superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED), nanotube, nano crystals, doped wave guide, quantum dots, scintillators, laser luminescent hybrid, or laser diode excited light source and a combination said luminescence generating.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said animal or human targets are impaired by glare obfuscation or flash blindness when said luminescence light generating source is directed at said animal or human targets.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a flash control means wherein said flash control means modulates the flash frequency of said luminescence generating light sources at about 1 Hz to about 40 Hz.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more luminescence light generating sources providing said light in a spectral range of about 440nm to about 600nm for said human targets and in the spectral range of about 200nm to about 900nm for said animal targets.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a filter that reduces or eliminates UV and violet light emission.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more luminescence light sources provide a peak spectral output at about 500nm

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more luminescence light sources deliver a constant beam of light or a flashing beam of light.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more luminescence light sources produces light at greater than about 7000Lux at said one or more animal and/or human targets.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more luminescence light sources produces light at greater than about 2000Lux and less than about lOOOOLux at said one or more animal and/or human targets.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said flashing beam of light has a flash frequency in the range of about lHz to about 40Hz and a flash duration in the range of about .0005 seconds to about 1 second duration.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said flash duration is randomized.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a photo cell that determines the amount of ambient light, a range finder that determines the distance to said target and a control circuit that regulates the illuminance delivered to said target.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said recycling optical system increases the luminescence emission's spectral output to produce increased light output intensity.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light contains an aspheric or Fresnel lens to collimate and focus light emission within an angle of about 0.25 degrees to about 180 degrees.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light provides a beam of light less than about 36 square millimeters.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more luminescence light generating sources are provided in an array.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said thermal management system is a convection or conduction system.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said thermal management system is a forced air cooling, a passive heat sink cooling, heat pipes, a Peltier cooling system, or an electrostatic fluid acceleration cooling.

21. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said power source is a direct current power source or alternating current power source.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said power source is selected from the group consisting of a battery, a capacitator, a super-capacitator, a fuel cell, and hybrid thereof.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more luminescence light generating sources has a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of about 70 to about 100.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said one or more luminescence light generating sources provides greater than 3000 hours of luminous emittance at 80% or greater of the original luminous emittance.

25. A method for causing discomfort glare, disability glare, dazzling glare and scotomatic glare/flash blindness/photostress incapacitation, when illuminating one or more animal and/or human targets wherein said method comprises the steps of:

directing an optical apparatus comprising an assembly having a head portion, one or more light windows, and one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light to said target(s);

a) one or more luminescence light generating sources providing said light in a spectral range of about 400nm to about 900nm secured within said assembly; b) a recycling optical system to recycle stray light, focus, collimate and project said light and said stray light at said targets; c) an electronic circuit connected to said one or more light generating sources and secured within said assembly, said electronic circuit regulates and modulates the power, current or voltage output to said one or more light generating sources; d) a thermal management system interfacing with said one or more luminescence light generating sources and said electronic circuit to regulate the temperature of said luminescence light generating sources and said electronic circuit; and e) a power source connected to said electronic circuit and/or removably secured within said assembly at one or more animal and/or human targets; and activating said optical apparatus to illuminate said one or more animal and/or human targets.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said recycling optical system increases the luminescence emission's spectral output to produce increased light output intensity.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein said luminescence generating light source is a photoluminescence, electroluminescent, cathodoluminescent, thermoluminescence or a combination of said luminescence generating light sources.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said luminescent generating light source is selected from a group consisting of a phosphor light emitting diode (LED), nanowire led, laser-phosphor hybrid, superluminescent light emitting diode (SLED), nanotube, nano crystals, doped wave guide, quantum dots, scintillators, laser luminescent hybrid, or laser diode excited light source and a combination said luminescence generating.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein said animal or human targets are impaired by glare obfuscation or flash blindness when said luminescence light generating source is directed at said animal or human targets.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more luminescence light generating sources providing said light in a spectral range of about 440nm to about 650nm for said human targets and in the spectral range of about 200nm to about 900nm for said animal targets

31. The method of claim 25, further comprising a filter that reduces or eliminates UV and violet light emission.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more luminescence light sources provide a peak spectral output at about 555nm.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more luminescence light sources deliver a constant beam of light or a flashing beam of light.

34. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more luminescence light sources produces light at greater than about 7000Lux at said one or more animal and/or human targets..

35. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more luminescence light sources produces light at greater than about 2000Lux and less than about lOOOOLux at said one or more animal and/or human targets..

36. The method of claim 25, wherein said flashing beam of light has a flash frequency in the range of about lHz to about 40Hz and a flash duration in the range of about .0005 seconds to about 1 second duration..

37. The method of claim 25, wherein said flash duration is randomized.

38. The method of claim 25, wherein said optical apparatus further comprising a photo cell that determines the amount of ambient light, a range finder that determines the distance to said target and a control circuit that regulates the illuminance delivered to said target.

39. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light contains an aspheric or Fresnel lens to collimate and focus light emission within an angle of about 0.25 degrees to about 180 degrees.

40. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more optical systems for collimating and transmitting light provides a beam of light less than about 36 square millimeters.

41. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more luminescence light generating sources are provided in an array.

42. The method of claim 25, wherein said thermal management system is a convection or conduction system.

43. The method of claim 25, wherein said thermal management system is a forced air cooling, a passive heat sink cooling, heat pipes, a Peltier cooling system, or an electrostatic fluid acceleration cooling.

44. The method of claim 25, wherein said power source is a direct current power source or alternating current power source.

45. The method of claim 25, wherein said power source is selected from the group consisting of a battery, a capacitator, a super-capacitator, a fuel cell, and hybrid thereof.

46. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more luminescence light generating sources has a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of about 70 to about 100.

47. The method of claim 25, wherein said one or more luminescence light generating sources provides greater than 3000 hours of luminous emittance at 80% or greater of the original luminous emittance.