Unmanned aerial vehicle tethered with optical fiber
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) tethered with an optical fiber is an unmanned aerial vehicle, drone or the like carrying an optical device which is tethered to an external light source. The light source may be a ground-based laser. The optical device is connected to, and optically coupled with, the light source by a tether including at least one optical fiber. A stabilizer may be mounted on the optical device for stabilizing orientation and direction thereof. The optical device may include at least one collimator and at least one focusing lens for shaping and focusing the received light for output to a selected target.
1 . An unmanned aerial vehicle tethered with an optical fiber comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle;
an optical device mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle;
at least one light source;
a collimator carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle and cooperatively associated with a focusing lens for shaping, directing and focusing the received light for output to a selected target; and
a tether connecting and optically coupling the optical device and the at least one light source, the tether comprising at least one optical fiber;
an optical adjustment mechanism in electronic communication with a microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller is in electronic communication with a flight controller or single board computer associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle, the optical adjustment mechanism comprising one or more adjustment-specific lenses used in conjunction with the focusing lens; amd,
a stabilizer device directly coupled to the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the optical device is mounted to the stabilizer device by a clamp, and wherein the stabilizer device comprises a gimbal mechanism for orienting and stabilizing the optical device about one or more axes.
2 . The unmanned aerial vehicle tethered with an optical fiber as recited in claim 1 , wherein the light source is ground-based.
3 . The unmanned aerial vehicle tethered with an optical fiber as recited in claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises a laser.
4 . The unmanned aerial vehicle tethered with an optical fiber as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a stabilizer mounted on the optical device for stabilizing orientation and direction thereof.
5 . The unmanned aerial vehicle tethered with an optical fiber as recited in claim 1 , wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle comprises a multi-rotor drone.
6 . The unmanned aerial vehicle tethered with an optical fiber as recited in claim 1 , wherein the tether comprises a plurality of optical fibers.
7 . The unmanned aerial vehicle wherein each of the plurality of optical fibers is optically coupled to one of a set of collimators and focusing lens.
8 . An unmanned aerial vehicle tethered with an optical fiber comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle having an optical device mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle;
a focusing lens for shaping, directing and focusing the received light into a focused output directed to a selected target,
an optical adjustment mechanism adapted to adjust the intensity, focus, direction and any combination thereof of the focused output onto the selected target, comprising a plurality of adjustment-specific lenses selected from barlow lenses and telecompressor lenses, wherein the adjustment-specific lenses are used in conjunction with the focusing lens, and,
a tether connecting and optically coupling the optical device to a ground based light source.
9 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 8 including a stabilizer carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle and attached to the optical device for stabilizing the orientation and direction of the optical device.
10 . An unmanned aerial vehicle comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle;
an optical device mounted on the unmanned aerial vehicle;
a collimator and at least one focusing lens for shaping and focusing the received light to provide an output focused on a selected target;
a tether connecting and optically coupling the optical device and a ground based light source; and,
a stabilizer device directly coupled to the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the optical device is mounted to the stabilizer device by a clamp, wherein the stabilizer device comprises a gimbal mechanism for orienting and stabilizing the optical device about one or more axes, and wherein the stabilizer device includes hardware for orienting and directing the optical device through remote control.
11 . The unmanned aerial vehicle of claim 10 including an optical adjustment mechanism in communication with the optical device adapted to adjust the intensity, focus, direction and any combination thereof of the output onto a selected target.