KR102654938B1 - Aircraft comprising retro-reflector and method for neutralizing laser weapon using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a flying object in which a retroreflector applied to neutralize a laser weapon is embedded, and a method for neutralizing the laser weapon using the same. The laser weapon comprises: i) a laser oscillator to emit a laser beam; ii) a plurality of reflective mirrors to focus the laser beam by reflection and fire it toward the airplane; iii) an infrared detection module to generate an image of the airplane by amplifying an infrared heat signal acquired from the reflected laser beam reflected from the airplane; and iv) a ranging laser module to calculate the distance to the airplane via the reflected laser beam. Among the reflected laser beams, the laser beam reflected by the reflex reflector is introduced into the infrared detection module or the laser module for ranging and applied to neutralize the infrared detection module or the laser module for ranging, respectively; and among the reflected laser beams, a neutralizing laser beam output by the reflex reflector is introduced into the infrared detection module or the laser module for ranging and applied to neutralize the infrared detection module or the laser module for ranging, respectively.

Description

Aircraft including a retroreflector and a method of neutralizing a laser weapon using the same {AIRCRAFT COMPRISING RETRO-REFLECTOR AND METHOD FOR NEUTRALIZING LASER WEAPON USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to a method of neutralizing a flying vehicle and a laser weapon using the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a flying vehicle using a retroreflector and a method of neutralizing a laser weapon using the same.

An aircraft is an object that flies in the sky using a light gas. Among flying vehicles, drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are controlled remotely or fly autonomously according to a pre-programmed flight plan. Drones are equipped with various sensors, cameras, and other components and are used in a variety of fields such as industry, investigation, agriculture, search and rescue, and military operations. As the use of drones has increased in the recent Ukraine war, various weapon systems are being developed to prepare for drone attacks.

High-energy laser weapons are also one of the weapon systems used against these drones. High-energy laser weapons shoot down targets by aiming a focused laser energy beam directly at the target. When a high-energy laser hits a drone, the surface of the drone is heated by the high-energy laser and may melt or ignite, damaging or destroying the drone. Additionally, high-energy lasers that pass through the drone's surface can burn or melt the electronics inside the drone, damaging or destroying it.

It is intended to provide a retroreflector adapted to neutralize laser weapons. In addition, we would like to provide a method of neutralizing laser weapons using this.

The aircraft according to one embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a retroreflector applied to neutralize a laser weapon. Here, the laser weapon is: i) a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam, ii) a plurality of reflective mirrors that focus the laser beam by reflection and fire it toward the flying vehicle, iii) a laser beam that is reflected and received from the flying vehicle. It includes an infrared detection module that amplifies an infrared heat signal to generate an image of the aircraft, and iv) a distance measurement laser module that calculates the distance to the aircraft through a reflected laser beam. Among the reflected laser beams, the laser beam reflected by the retroreflector enters the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module and is output by reflection among the reflected laser beams applied to neutralize the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module, respectively. The neutralizing laser beam enters the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module and is applied to neutralize the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module, respectively.

When the laser oscillator is a continuous oscillation type laser, the output ( P _reflect ) (W) of the neutralizing laser beam can be calculated according to the following equation.

Here, P ₀ is the power of the laser beam (W), is the gain value of the transmission beam, is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at distance L, and R is the reflectivity of the retroreflector.

When the laser oscillator is a pulsed laser, the output ( E _reflect ) (J) of the neutralizing laser beam can be calculated according to the equation below.

Here, E ₀ is the energy (J) of the laser beam, is the gain value of the transmission beam, is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at distance L, and R is the reflectivity of the retroreflector.

The aircraft may be a fixed-wing drone with vertical tail fins. The vertical tail blade includes a composite material that forms the outer shape of the vertical tail blade, and the retroreflector is positioned in contact with the inside of the composite material to correspond to the composite material, and the thickness of the uppermost portion of the composite material may be less than the average thickness of the composite material.

The retroreflector may be built into the fuselage of the aircraft. The vehicle may be a quadcopter drone or a dummy missile.

The method of neutralizing a laser weapon according to an embodiment of the present invention uses a flying vehicle with a built-in retroreflector. Here, the laser weapon is: i) a laser oscillator that emits a laser beam, ii) a plurality of reflective mirrors that focus the laser beam by reflection and fire it toward the flying vehicle, iii) a laser beam that is reflected and received from the flying vehicle. It includes an infrared detection module that amplifies an infrared heat signal to generate an image of the aircraft, and iv) a distance measurement laser module that calculates the distance to the aircraft through a reflected laser beam. The method of neutralizing a laser weapon includes the following steps: i) the neutralizing laser beam is reflected by a retroreflector among the reflected laser beams, ii) the neutralizing laser beam enters the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module, and iii) and disabling the infrared detection module or the distance measuring laser module.

If the laser oscillator is a continuous oscillation type laser, at the stage where the neutralizing laser beam is output, the output ( P _reflect ) (W) of the neutralizing laser beam can be calculated according to the equation below.

Here, P ₀ is the power of the laser beam (W), is the gain value of the transmission beam, is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at distance L, and R is the reflectivity of the retroreflector.

In the step where the neutralizing laser beam is introduced, the output ( P _receive ) (W) of the incoming neutralizing laser beam can be calculated according to the following equation.

here, is the gain value of the received beam, is the laser weapon incident area of the reflected laser beam (m ² ), and α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at the distance L.

When the laser oscillator is a pulsed laser, in the step where the neutralizing laser beam is output, the energy ( E _reflect ) (J) of the neutralizing laser beam can be calculated according to the following equation.

Here, E ₀ is the energy (J) of the laser beam, is the gain value of the transmission beam, is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at distance L, and R is the reflectivity of the retroreflector.

The distance (L) may be 100 m to 10 km. More preferably, the distance (L) may be 100 m to 525 m.

In the stage where the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module is neutralized, the energy ( E _receive ) (J) of the neutralization laser beam incident on the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module may exceed 5.5 nJ.

When an enemy uses a laser weapon to attack a laser, the retroreflection effect applied to the drone body can instantly render the laser weapon's various infrared detection modules or distance measurement laser modules saturated or disabled. As a result, detection and targeting of flying vehicles may become impossible. Therefore, since it is possible to fly while maintaining the intended operational purpose using the aircraft for a certain period of time, the laser weapon itself can be neutralized.

1 is a schematic diagram of an aircraft according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a vertical tail rotor taken along line II-II in FIG. 1.
Figure 3 is a schematic partial perspective view of a retroreflector included in the aircraft of Figure 1.
Figures 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams of variations of the retroreflector of Figure 3, respectively.
Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a method for neutralizing a laser weapon according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic operational state diagram of a laser weapon in which the method of neutralizing the laser weapon of FIG. 6 is implemented.
Figure 8 is a schematic operational concept diagram of a method for neutralizing a laser weapon according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a schematic operating state diagram of an aircraft according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is only intended to refer to specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, singular forms include plural forms unless phrases clearly indicate the contrary. As used in the specification, the meaning of "comprising" is to specify a specific characteristic, area, integer, step, operation, element and/or component, and to specify another specific property, area, integer, step, operation, element, component and/or group. It does not exclude the existence or addition of .

Although not defined differently, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are further interpreted as having meanings consistent with related technical literature and currently disclosed content, and are not interpreted in ideal or very formal meanings unless defined. As an example, the term “applied” described below is interpreted to include both the state in which it is properly used and the state before it is properly used. Additionally, “aircraft fuselage” used hereinafter refers to the main body or structure that forms the exterior of an aircraft, including drones.

In this specification, expressions described as singular may be interpreted as singular or plural, unless explicit expressions such as “one” or “single” are used.

In this specification, terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may be referred to as a first component without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

In the flowcharts described herein with reference to the drawings, the order of operations may be changed, several operations may be merged, certain operations may be divided, and certain operations may not be performed.

Hereinafter, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Figure 1 schematically shows an aircraft 1000 including an aircraft 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The enlarged circle in FIG. 1 schematically shows the internal structure of the vertical tail blade 10. The structure of the aircraft 1000 in FIG. 1 is merely for illustrating the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the structure of the aircraft 1000 can be modified differently.

As shown in FIG. 1, the aircraft 100 includes a vertical tail wing 10, a fuselage 20, and a main wing 30. The aircraft 1000 may be a fixed-wing drone and is mainly used for military purposes. Fixed-wing drones are similar to regular airplanes and are capable of high-speed, long-distance flight for long periods of time. Fixed-wing drones can move quickly to avoid being targeted by enemy forces, making them suitable for reconnaissance and strikes. Therefore, when the enemy discovers a fixed-wing drone, the enemy mainly aims at the vertical tail wing (10) and shoots a laser to shoot down the fixed-wing drone. Therefore, by including the retroreflector 101 in the vertical tail blade 10, the laser emitted from the laser weapon can be instantaneously returned to the direction of the laser weapon to neutralize the laser weapon.

That is, as shown in the enlarged circle of FIG. 1, the vertical tail wing 10 has a built-in retroreflector 101 and can neutralize a laser weapon using the retroreflector 101. Hereinafter, the structure of the vertical tail blade 10 will be described in more detail through FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a partial cross-sectional structure of the vertical tail blade 10 taken along line II-II in FIG. 1. The structure of the vertical tail blade 10 in FIG. 2 is merely for illustrating the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the structure of the vertical tail wing 10 can be modified differently.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vertical tail rotor 10 includes a retroreflector 101 and a composite material 103. In addition, the vertical tail blade 10 may further include other parts. The composite material 103 forms the outline of the aircraft, that is, the vertical tail wing 10. For example, carbon fiber or aluminum alloy can be used as the composite material 103. The composite material 103 has high rigidity and is light, so it is suitable for use as an aircraft. The retroreflector 101 is in contact with the inside of the composite material 103. The retroreflector 101 is positioned corresponding to the composite material 103. The retroreflector 101 can be manufactured by applying a highly reflective material, such as aluminum, to a substrate such as resin.

The thickness (tp103) of the uppermost part of the composite material (103) is smaller than the average thickness (ta103) of the composite material (103). That is, since the vertical tail blade 10 must include the retroreflector 101, the thickness of the composite material 103 becomes smaller toward the top due to the design structure. More specifically, the thickness (tp103) of the uppermost part of the composite material 103 may be 0. In this case, since the retroreflector 101 is inserted between the two composite materials 103, the edges vulnerable to the stealth function can be covered using the retroreflector 101. This can be applied even when the thickness (tp103) of the uppermost part of the composite material 103 is small. Hereinafter, the structure of the retroreflector will be described in detail through FIGS. 3 to 5.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a partial perspective structure of the retroreflector 101 included in the aircraft 1000 of FIG. 1. The structure of the retroreflector 101 in FIG. 3 is merely for illustrating the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the structure of the retroreflector 101 can be modified differently.

As shown in Figure 3, the retroreflector 101 includes pockets 1011 facing the composite 103 (shown in Figure 2, hereinafter the same). Pockets 1011 are formed concavely toward the composite material 103. As shown by arrows in FIG. 5, the laser beam incident on the pockets 1011 is reflected back along its incident direction. As a result, the laser beam can be directly incident on the laser weapon, thereby neutralizing the laser weapon. The retroreflector 101 is not limited to a specific direction and can respond to laser beams coming from all directions. In other words, it is possible to respond to laser beams incident in all directions even without knowing the laser beam launch location of the laser weapon. Furthermore, since the retroreflector 101 itself has a high reflectivity, there is a high probability of being detected by a radar operated with a laser weapon. As a result, the laser weapon can be neutralized by using the flying vehicle 1000 as a bait.

The pockets 1011 touch each other forming a line 1011a. As a result, the laser beam incident on the pockets 1011 may be reflected back along the incident direction. Among the pockets 1011, each pocket is formed by adjacent planes 1011a that reflect the laser. The planes 1011a come together to form a center point 1011b. In Figure 5, the planes 1011a are triangular, and three planes 1011a come together to form a pocket. The three adjacent planes 1011a are each configured to reflect the laser beam at right angles. As a result, the laser beam can be returned to the incident direction.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams schematically showing modified examples of the retroreflector 101 of FIG. 3 , respectively. The structure of the retroreflector in FIGS. 4 and 5 is merely for illustrating the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the structure of the retroreflector can be modified differently. In addition, since the retroreflectors 121 and 131 of FIGS. 4 and 5 are similar to the retroreflector 101 of FIG. 3, detailed description of the same parts will be omitted for convenience.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a retroreflector 121 that is a modified version of the retroreflector 101 of FIG. 3 . The structure of the retroreflector 121 in FIG. 4 is merely for illustrating the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the structure of the retroreflector 121 can be modified differently. In addition, since the retroreflector 121 of FIG. 4 is similar to the retroreflector 101 of FIG. 3, detailed description of the same parts will be omitted for convenience.

As shown in FIG. 4, the retroreflector 121 is formed of prism-shaped pockets 1211. That is, the retroreflector 121 includes pockets 1211 where rectangular planes 1211a are in contact with each other. Since the pockets 1211 are adjacent to each other to form a line 1213, the incident laser beam can be returned to the incident direction. That is, the neighboring planes 1211a reflect the incident laser beam in a perpendicular direction. As a result, the incident laser beam can be reflected back in the incident direction.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a retroreflector 131 that is a modified version of the retroreflector 101 of FIG. 4 . The structure of the retroreflector 131 in FIG. 5 is merely for illustrating the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the structure of the retroreflector 131 can be modified differently. In addition, since the retroreflector 131 of FIG. 5 is similar to the retroreflector 101 of FIG. 3, detailed description of the same parts will be omitted for convenience.

As shown in Figure 5, the retroreflector 131 includes a hollow sphere 1131. The surface of the hollow sphere 1131 includes a light transmitting surface 1311a and a light reflecting surface 1311b. Based on the incident direction of the laser beam, the light transmitting surface 1311a is located at the front of the hollow sphere 1131, and the light reflecting surface 1311b is located at the rear of the hollow sphere 1131. The light reflecting surface 1311b contacts the light transmitting surface 1311a on the surface of the hollow sphere 1131. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, the light reflection surface 1311b reflects the laser beam incident through the light transmission surface 1311a. That is, a light-reflecting material can be applied to the light-reflecting surface 1311b to reflect the incident laser beam. As a result, the laser beam can be returned to the direction of incidence of the laser beam incident through the hollow sphere 1131. Hereinafter, a method of neutralizing a laser weapon using a flying vehicle containing the retroreflector described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6.

Figure 6 schematically shows a flowchart of a method for neutralizing a laser weapon according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method of neutralizing a laser weapon in FIG. 6 is merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the method of neutralizing the laser weapon of FIG. 6 may be modified differently.

Meanwhile, FIG. 7 schematically shows the operating state of the laser weapon in which the method for neutralizing the laser weapon of FIG. 6 is implemented. The operating state of the laser weapon in Figure 7 is merely for illustrating the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the operating state of the laser weapon in FIG. 7 can be modified differently. Hereinafter, a method of neutralizing the laser weapon of FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the method of neutralizing a laser weapon includes the step (S10) in which the neutralizing laser beam is reflected by a retroreflector among the reflected laser beams, and the neutralizing laser beam is transmitted to the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module. It includes a step in which the infrared detection module or the laser module for distance measurement is neutralized (S30). In addition, the method of neutralizing a laser weapon may further include other steps.

First, in step S10, the neutralizing laser beam is reflected by a retroreflector among the reflected laser beams. That is, the laser beam emitted from the laser weapon L10 in FIG. 7 is incident on the aircraft and is reflected to form a reflected laser beam, and among these, a neutralizing laser beam reflected by a retroreflector built into the aircraft is also output. .

As shown in FIG. 7, the laser weapon L100 can intercept an aircraft by outputting a high-energy laser beam to the aircraft. And the laser beam output of the laser weapon L100 may be several kW to hundreds of kW. That is, the laser weapon L100 can emit high-energy laser.

The laser weapon (L100) fires a high-energy laser at the target. The laser weapon (L100) includes a laser oscillator (LC), a beam focuser (BD), an infrared sensor (IRS), and a laser module for ranging (LD). Although not shown in FIG. 7, an illumination laser may be further used to obtain a clear contrast ratio of the target.

The laser oscillator (LC) oscillates a high-output laser through amplification. The wavelength of the laser (L) is located in the infrared band. Some of the laser emitted from the laser oscillator (LC) is provided to the distance measurement laser module (LD) and is used to receive distance measurement information from the flying vehicle.

The beam concentrator (BD) uses a large-diameter reflective optical system to detect and aim the aircraft and fire a laser. The large-diameter reflective optical system includes reflective mirrors (L10, L12, L14, and L16) that reflect the emitted laser. A large-diameter reflective optical system obtains magnified images of distant flying objects. Then, a high-power laser beam is focused on the target aircraft.

The infrared sensor (IRS) acquires images of the drone from a reflected laser beam. That is, drone image information is obtained from the reflected laser beam emitted from the laser weapon L100 and reflected from the drone. Meanwhile, drone images acquired by an infrared sensor (IRS) are collected by an infrared focusing lens (IRL) and imaged on an infrared detection module (IRD). The infrared detection module (IRD) amplifies the weak infrared heat signal from the drone and creates an image of the drone.

The distance measurement laser module (LD) uses a laser to acquire the distance to the drone. In other words, the distance measurement laser module (LD) detects the drone by measuring the laser beam reflected from the drone surface. In other words, the distance measurement laser module emits a laser beam toward the drone and measures the time it takes for the laser beam to reflect back to the distance measurement laser module to calculate the distance to the drone. As a result, it is possible to determine whether the drone is in a position where it can be intercepted with Rage.

Returning to FIG. 6, in step S20, the neutralizing laser beam is introduced into the infrared detection module (IRL) or the distance measuring laser module (LD). That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the laser beam incident on the aircraft is reversed in direction by 180° by the retroreflector and enters the laser weapon L100. In other words, the neutralizing laser beam reflected by the retroreflector is incident on the distance measurement laser module (LD). Additionally, the neutralizing laser beam reflected by the retroreflector is reflected by the reflecting mirrors (L10, L12, L14, and L16) and is incident again on the infrared detection module (IRD).

Returning to FIG. 6, in step S30, the infrared detection module (IRL) or the distance measuring laser module (LD) is disabled. Only one module may be disabled, or both modules may be disabled.

As shown in FIG. 7, the neutralizing laser beam enters the distance measurement laser module (LD) and the infrared detection module (IRD) and neutralizes them. In other words, the ranging laser module (LD) or infrared detection module (IRD) reaches saturation or inactivity and is disabled. As a result, until the infrared detection module (IRD) recovers, it is impossible to detect, track, and aim the aircraft, measuring the distance to the aircraft by the distance measurement laser module (LD) becomes impossible, and the focus transcending function is paralyzed. . The principle will be explained in detail below with reference to FIG. 8.

Figure 8 schematically shows the operating concept of a method for neutralizing a laser weapon according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method of neutralizing a laser weapon in FIG. 8 is merely illustrative of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the method of neutralizing laser weapons can be modified differently. In Figure 8, it is shown that the laser beam from the laser weapon L100 is irradiated to the flying vehicle 2000 in the form of a quadcopter drone. However, unlike this, the laser beam can also be irradiated to other types of drones.

FIG. 8 shows that the laser beam emitted from the laser weapon L100 spreads and enters the aircraft 2000, and it is assumed that the laser beam reflected from the aircraft 2000 also spreads and enters the laser weapon L100. The laser beam is assumed to have a uniform distribution, and the beam area ( A _L ) at the distance (L) from the laser weapon (L100) to the aircraft 2000 is defined as Equation 1 below.

[Equation 1]

Here, A _L is the beam size at distance (L), and θ is the laser divergence angle.

The laser weapon (L100) can use either a continuous laser or a pulsed laser. A continuous oscillation type laser outputs light continuously rather than in pulses. In a continuous oscillation type laser, the active medium is continuously excited to generate a reversal of the normal state and continuously output laser light. Examples of continuous oscillation lasers include gas lasers, diode lasers, and solid-state lasers. On the other hand, pulsed lasers produce bursts of high-intensity laser light in short pulses. Pulsed lasers have very short durations, ranging from picoseconds to nanoseconds, and repeat at varying intervals depending on the application. Examples of pulsed lasers include excimer lasers, Nd:YAG lasers, or dye lasers.

When using a continuously oscillating laser in a laser weapon (L100), the power ( P _reflect ) (W) of the neutralizing laser beam in the aircraft 2000, and the output ( P _receive ) of the neutralizing laser beam received in the laser weapon (L100) )(W), and the irradiance (W/cm ² ) of the laser incident on the infrared sensor can be calculated according to Equations 2 to 4 below, respectively.

[Equation 2]

Here, P ₀ is the power of the laser beam (W), is the gain value of the transmission beam, is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at the distance L, and R is the reflectivity of the retroreflector.

[Equation 3]

here, is the gain value of the received beam, is the laser weapon incident area of the reflected laser beam (m ² ), and α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at the distance L.

[Equation 4]

Here, A _sensor is the sensor size (m ² ), and I _sensor is the irradiance (W) of the laser incident on the infrared sensor (IRS).

When a continuously oscillating laser is used in the laser weapon (L100) through the above-mentioned equations 2 to 4, the laser output reflected from the aircraft 2000, the laser output received from the laser weapon (L100), and the infrared sensor (IRS) The irradiance (W) of the incident laser can be calculated.

On the other hand, when using a pulsed laser in the laser weapon (L100), the energy ( E _reflect ) of the neutralizing laser beam in the aircraft 2000 (J), the energy ( P ) of the neutralizing laser beam received by the laser weapon (L100) _receive )(W), and the fluence (J/cm ² ) of the laser incident on the infrared sensor can be calculated according to Equations 5 to 7 below, respectively.

[Equation 5]

Here, E ₀ is the energy (J) of the laser beam, is the gain value of the transmission beam, is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at the distance L, and R is the reflectivity of the retroreflector.

[Equation 6]

here, is the gain value of the received beam, is the laser weapon incident area of the reflected laser beam (m ² ), and α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at the distance L.

[Equation 7]

Here, A _sensor is the sensor size (cm ² ), and F _sensor is the fluence (J) of the laser incident on the infrared sensor (IRS).

For example, when a pulsed laser is used in the laser weapon L100 through the above-mentioned equations 5 to 7, the laser energy reflected from the aircraft 2000, the laser energy received from the laser weapon L100, and the infrared The fluence (J) of the laser incident on the sensor (IRS) can be calculated.

Table 1 below compares the laser beam energy received by the laser weapon and the fluence of the laser incident on the infrared sensor while changing the distance (L) between the laser weapon and the aircraft according to the above-mentioned equations 1 to 7. .

[Table 1]

Here, it is assumed that R=95%, A _{r_a} =0.05 m ² , A _{r_w} =0.003848451 m ² , and α=0.86/km. For example, from Table 1 above, the recovery performance of a commercially available laser module for distance measurement may be about 5.5nJ. That is, if a laser exceeding 5.5 nJ is incident, the laser module for distance measurement may be momentarily disabled. In this case, if the distance between the laser weapon and the flying vehicle is less than 525m, the laser weapon can be neutralized. Meanwhile, the laser output used in the infrared detection module is for a laser weapon and must intercept the flying vehicle, so the laser output of the laser module for distance measurement much bigger than In other words, there may be an energy difference of about tens to hundreds of thousands of times. Therefore, when a retroreflector is used, the value of laser energy reflected from the aircraft is very large, and the high laser beam output may paralyze the function of the infrared detection module or cause permanent damage.

Figure 9 schematically shows an operating state diagram of an aircraft 3000 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The operating state of the aircraft 3000 in FIG. 9 is merely for illustrating the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, the operating state of the aircraft 3000 can be modified differently.

As shown in FIG. 9, a dummy missile, that is, a fake missile, may be used as the flying vehicle 3000. At the beginning of the attack, the laser weapon can be easily disabled by using a dummy missile that does not actually have explosives installed inside, and then the actual attack can be carried out. For this purpose, the retroreflector 301 is built into the fuselage of the aircraft 3000.

In this case, the distance L from the laser weapon L100 to the flying vehicle 3000 may be 100 m to 10 km. If the distance L is too small, the flying vehicle 3000 may be intercepted by means other than the laser weapon L100. Additionally, if the distance L is too large, the output of the neutralizing laser beam for the laser weapon L100 is not large. Therefore, the output of the neutralizing laser beam is adjusted to the above-mentioned range. The infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module can be disabled by irradiating a neutralizing laser beam of a certain size for a certain amount of time at this distance (L).

In other words, the infrared detection module or the laser module for distance measurement has overload recovery performance. Overload recovery is the ability of a module to recover and resume normal operation after exposure to excessive optical signals or ambient light that temporarily saturates or overwhelms the module. In other words, it is a function that restores the original performance after the module experiences a temporary performance degradation due to an overload of incoming light. If the module is exposed to excessive amounts of light, it may become saturated and its performance may deteriorate, so this is used to protect the aircraft. In other words, the laser weapon (L100) cannot aim and shoot at the flying vehicle (3000) due to instantaneous light saturation, etc.

Although the present invention has been described according to the foregoing description, those skilled in the art will easily understand that various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the concept and scope of the claims described below.

10. Vertical tail fin
20. Drone body
30. Main wings
1000, 2000, 3000. Aircraft
101, 121, 131, 201, 301. Retroreflector
103. Composites
1011a, 1211a. plane
1013, 1213, 1313. line
1311. Hollow sphere
1311a. light transmitting surface
1311b. light reflecting surface
B.D. beam focuser
IRS. infrared sensor
IRD. infrared detection module
IRL. infrared focusing lens
L. Laser
L10, L12, L14, L16. reflective mirror
L100. laser weapon
L.C. laser oscillator

Claims (14)

delete A flying vehicle with a built-in retroreflector applied to neutralize laser weapons,
The laser weapon is,
A laser oscillator that emits a laser beam,
A plurality of reflecting mirrors that focus the laser beam by reflection and fire it toward the aircraft,
An infrared detection module that generates an image of the aircraft by amplifying the infrared heat signal obtained from the reflected laser beam reflected from the aircraft, and
A laser module for measuring distance that calculates the distance to the aircraft through the reflected laser beam.
Including,
Among the reflected laser beams, the laser beam reflected by the retroreflector enters the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module and is applied to neutralize the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module, respectively,
When the laser oscillator is a continuous oscillation type laser, the output ( P _reflect ) (W) of the neutralizing laser beam is calculated according to the following equation.

Here, P ₀ is the output (W) of the laser beam, and is the gain value of the transmission beam, and is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at a distance L, and R is the reflectance of the retroreflector. A flying vehicle with a built-in retroreflector applied to neutralize laser weapons,
The laser weapon is,
A laser oscillator that emits a laser beam,
A plurality of reflecting mirrors that focus the laser beam by reflection and fire it toward the aircraft,
An infrared detection module that generates an image of the aircraft by amplifying the infrared heat signal obtained from the reflected laser beam reflected from the aircraft, and
A laser module for measuring distance that calculates the distance to the aircraft through the reflected laser beam.
Including,
Among the reflected laser beams, the laser beam reflected by the retroreflector enters the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module and is applied to neutralize the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module, respectively,
When the laser oscillator is a pulsed laser, the output ( E _reflect ) (J) of the neutralizing laser beam is calculated according to the following equation.

Here, E ₀ is the energy (J) of the laser beam, and is the gain value of the transmission beam, and is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at a distance L, and R is the reflectance of the retroreflector. In paragraph 2 or 3:
The aircraft is a fixed-wing drone including vertical tail wings,
The vertical tail blade includes a composite material that forms the outer shape of the vertical tail blade, and the retroreflector is located in contact with the inside of the composite material and corresponding to the composite material,
An aircraft in which the thickness of the uppermost part of the composite material is smaller than the average thickness of the composite material. In paragraph 2 or 3:
The retroreflector is an aircraft built into the fuselage of the aircraft. In paragraph 5,
The aircraft is a quadcopter drone or a dummy missile. delete A method of neutralizing a laser weapon using a flying vehicle with a built-in retroreflector,
The laser weapon is,
A laser oscillator that emits a laser beam,
A plurality of reflecting mirrors that focus the laser beam by reflection and fire it toward the aircraft,
An infrared detection module that generates an image of the aircraft by amplifying the infrared heat signal obtained from the reflected laser beam reflected from the aircraft, and
A laser module for measuring distance that calculates the distance to the aircraft through the reflected laser beam.
Including,
A step in which a neutralizing laser beam is reflected by the retroreflector among the reflected laser beams,
The neutralizing laser beam enters the infrared detection module or the distance measuring laser module, and
Disabling the infrared detection module or the distance measuring laser module
Includes,
When the laser oscillator is a continuous oscillation type laser, in the step where the neutralizing laser beam is reflected, the output ( P _reflect ) (W) of the neutralizing laser beam is calculated according to the following equation. .

Here, P ₀ is the output (W) of the laser beam, and is the gain value of the transmission beam, and is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at a distance L, and R is the reflectance of the retroreflector. In paragraph 8:
In the step where the neutralizing laser beam is introduced, the output ( P _receive ) (W) of the incoming neutralizing laser beam is calculated according to the following equation.

Here, the above is the gain value of the receiving beam, and is the laser weapon incident area of the reflected laser beam (m ² ), and α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at the distance L. A method of neutralizing a laser weapon using a flying vehicle with a built-in retroreflector,
The laser weapon is,
A laser oscillator that emits a laser beam,
A plurality of reflecting mirrors that focus the laser beam by reflection and fire it toward the aircraft,
An infrared detection module that generates an image of the aircraft by amplifying the infrared heat signal obtained from the reflected laser beam reflected from the aircraft, and
A laser module for measuring distance that calculates the distance to the aircraft through the reflected laser beam.
Including,
A step in which a neutralizing laser beam is reflected by the retroreflector among the reflected laser beams,
The neutralizing laser beam enters the infrared detection module or the distance measuring laser module, and
Disabling the infrared detection module or the distance measuring laser module
Includes,
When the laser oscillator is a pulsed laser, in the step where the neutralizing laser beam is reflected, the energy ( E _reflect ) (J) of the neutralizing laser beam is calculated according to the following equation.

Here, E ₀ is the energy (J) of the laser beam, and is the gain value of the transmission beam, and is the incident area of the laser beam on the aircraft (m ² ), α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at a distance L, and R is the reflectance of the retroreflector. In paragraph 10:
In the step where the neutralizing laser beam is introduced, the energy ( E _receive ) (J) of the incoming neutralizing laser beam is calculated according to the following equation.

Here, the above is the gain value of the receiving beam, and is the laser weapon incident area of the reflected laser beam (m ² ), and α ^L is the atmospheric transmittance of the laser beam at the distance L. In paragraph 11:
A method of neutralizing a laser weapon wherein the distance (L) is 100 m to 10 km. In paragraph 12:
A method of neutralizing a laser weapon where the distance (L) is 100m to 525m. In paragraph 13:
In the step where the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module is neutralized, the energy ( E _receive ) (J) of the neutralization laser beam incident on the infrared detection module or the distance measurement laser module exceeds 5.5 nJ. How to neutralize a laser weapon.

Images