Beam shaping for off-axis beam detection in training environments

1. An interactive system, comprising:

a head mounted apparatus comprising at least one photodetector affixed thereto, and

a firing apparatus comprising a trigger-able activation mechanism, wherein said firing apparatus comprises:

a light generating device for emitting a modulated light beam that includes information regarding said firing apparatus upon triggering of said firing apparatus in a direction toward said head mounted apparatus, and

lens optics positioned in a path of said modulated light beam comprising a one dimensional lens for beam shaping said modulated light beam to provide a shaped modulated beam comprising a low divergence horizontal beam portion in a horizontal direction and a vertically elongated beam portion in a vertical direction;

wherein said lens optics comprises a multi-lens arrangement comprising (i) a converging lens and (ii) said one dimensional lens, wherein said converging lens and said one dimensional lens have non-overlapping optics, and wherein said one dimensional lens provides said vertically elongated beam portion and said converging lens provides said low divergence horizontal beam portion;

wherein said one dimensional lens comprises a cylinder lens or a one dimensional gradient index (GRIN) lens, or

wherein said one dimensional lens comprises a negative lens that is aligned to provide said vertically elongated beam portion and to not affect said modulated light beam in said horizontal direction.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system is a combat training system, wherein the head mounted apparatus is mounted to or incorporated within a helmet, and wherein the firing apparatus is a weapon comprising a barrel, wherein the modulated light beam travels in a direction in which the barrel is aimed when the weapon is activated,

and wherein the low divergence horizontal beam portion corresponds to a beam divergence of ≦1 degree in a direction along the horizontal direction, while the vertically elongated beam portion corresponds to a beam divergence of ≧10 degrees.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said lens optics comprises said multi-lens arrangement comprising (i) said converging lens and (ii) said one dimensional lens, wherein said converging lens and said one dimensional lens have non-overlapping optics, wherein said one dimensional lens provides said vertically elongated beam portion and said converging lens provides said low divergence horizontal beam portion, and wherein said multi-lens arrangement comprises a hybrid lens arrangement, said converging lens and said one dimensional lens sharing an identical lens center, said converging lens including a central gap portion that is oriented along said vertical direction, wherein said one dimensional lens is positioned within said central gap portion.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said lens optics comprises said multi-lens arrangement comprising (i) said converging lens and (ii) said one dimensional lens, wherein said converging lens and said one dimensional lens have non-overlapping optics, wherein said one dimensional lens provides said vertically elongated beam portion and said converging lens provides said low divergence horizontal beam portion, and wherein said converging lens comprises a plano-convex or a biconvex lens.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said one dimensional lens comprises said cylinder lens, and wherein said cylinder lens comprises a curved cylinder lens.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said light generating device comprises a non-lensed laser diode.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein said photodetector is exclusively on said head mounted apparatus, said modulated light beam consists of a single modulated light beam, and said shaped modulated beam extends in said vertical direction at least from a center of a torso to a head of a target wearing or comprising the head mounted apparatus while said target is standing at a distance of <10 meters.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein said lens optics comprises said multi-lens arrangement comprising (i) said converging lens and (ii) said one dimensional lens, wherein said converging lens and said one dimensional lens have non-overlapping optics, and wherein said one dimensional lens provides said vertically elongated beam portion and said converging lens provides said low divergence horizontal beam portion, further comprising a single lens housing, wherein said multi-lens arrangement comprises a hybrid lens that is contained within said single lens housing, said converging lens and said one dimensional lens sharing an identical lens center, said converging lens including a central gap portion that is oriented along said vertical direction, wherein said one dimensional lens is positioned within said central gap portion.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein said lens optics comprises said multi-lens arrangement comprising (i) said converging lens and (ii) said one dimensional lens, wherein said converging lens and said one dimensional lens have non-overlapping optics, wherein said one dimensional lens provides said vertically elongated beam portion and said converging lens provides said low divergence horizontal beam portion, and wherein said multi-lens arrangement comprises a composite lens arrangement.

10. A method including at least one firing apparatus that is a physical object having an attached light generating device for emitting a single modulated light beam that includes information regarding said firing apparatus in a direction toward a target wearing or comprising a head mounted apparatus comprising at least one attached photodetector, comprising:

beam shaping said single modulated light beam using lens optics positioned in a path of said single modulated light beam to simultaneously output a shaped modulated beam comprising a low divergence horizontal beam portion in a horizontal direction and a vertically elongated beam portion in a vertical direction;

wherein said beam shaping utilizes a hybrid lens arrangement positioned in said path of said single modulated light beam comprising (i) a converging lens and (ii) a one dimensional lens, wherein said converging lens and said one dimensional lens share an identical lens center, and said converging lens includes a central gap portion that is oriented along said vertical direction, wherein said one dimensional lens is positioned within said central gap portion, or

wherein said converging lens comprises a plano-convex or a biconvex lens and said one dimensional lens comprises a cylinder lens.

11. A system, comprising:

a head mounted apparatus comprising at least one photodetector affixed thereto;

a firing apparatus comprising a trigger-able activation mechanism, wherein said firing apparatus comprises:

a light generating device consisting of a single non-lensed laser diode for emitting a modulated light beam that includes information regarding said firing apparatus upon triggering of said firing apparatus in a direction toward a target wearing or comprising said head mounted apparatus, and

a hybrid lens arrangement positioned in a path of said modulated light beam comprising (i) a plano-convex or a biconvex lens and (ii) a cylinder lens having aligned centers and non-overlapping optics, said hybrid lens arrangement for beam shaping said modulated light beam to provide a shaped modulated beam having a low divergence horizontal beam portion in a horizontal direction and a vertically elongated beam portion in a vertical direction,

wherein said plano-convex or biconvex lens and said cylinder lens share an identical lens center, said plano-convex or biconvex lens including a central gap portion that is oriented along said vertical direction, and wherein said cylinder lens is positioned within said central gap portion, wherein said cylinder lens provides said vertically elongated beam portion and said plano-convex or biconvex lens provides said low divergence horizontal beam portion.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein said one dimensional lens comprises said cylinder lens, and wherein said cylinder lens comprises a curved cylinder lens.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein said light generating device consists of a single light generating device and said modulated light beam consists of said single modulated light beam, wherein said photodetector is exclusively on said head mounted apparatus, and wherein said shaped modulated beam aimed at a center of a torso of said target while standing is detectable by said photodetector attached to said head mounted apparatus at a distance of <10 meters, and

wherein the low divergence horizontal beam portion corresponds to a beam divergence of ≦1 degree in a direction along the horizontal direction, while the vertically elongated beam portion corresponds to a beam divergence of ≧10 degrees.

14. A firing apparatus comprising:

a light generating device for emitting a modulated light beam that includes information regarding said firing apparatus upon triggering of said firing apparatus in a direction toward a target, and

lens optics positioned in a path of said modulated light beam comprising a one dimensional lens for beam shaping said modulated light beam to provide a shaped modulated beam having a low divergence horizontal beam portion in a horizontal direction and a vertically elongated beam portion in a vertical direction;

wherein said lens optics comprises a multi-lens arrangement comprising (i) a converging lens and (ii) said one dimensional lens, wherein said converging lens and said one dimensional lens have non-overlapping optics, and wherein said one dimensional lens provides said vertically elongated beam portion and said converging lens provides said low divergence horizontal beam portion;

wherein said light generating device comprises an non-lensed laser diode; wherein said multi-lens arrangement comprises a hybrid lens, said converging lens comprising a plano-convex or a biconvex lens and said one dimensional lens comprises a cylinder lens and non-overlapping optics, wherein said plano-convex or biconvex lens and said cylinder lens share an identical lens center, said plano-convex or biconvex lens including a central gap portion that is oriented along said vertical direction, and wherein said cylinder lens is positioned within said central gap portion, or

wherein said one dimensional lens comprises a negative lens that is aligned to provide said vertically elongated beam portion and to not affect said modulated light beam in said horizontal direction.

15. The firing apparatus of claim 14 , wherein said lens optics comprises said multi-lens arrangement comprising (i) said converging lens and (ii) said one dimensional lens, wherein said converging lens and said one dimensional lens have non-overlapping optics, wherein said one dimensional lens provides said vertically elongated beam portion and said converging lens provides said low divergence horizontal beam portion, and wherein said multi-lens arrangement comprises a hybrid lens arrangement, said converging lens and said one dimensional lens sharing said identical lens center, said converging lens including said central gap portion that is oriented along said vertical direction, wherein said one dimensional lens is positioned within said central gap portion.

16. The firing apparatus of claim 15 , wherein said converging lens comprises said plano-convex or a biconvex lens and wherein said one dimensional lens comprises said cylinder lens.

17. The firing apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the low divergence horizontal beam portion corresponds to a beam divergence of ≦1 degree in a direction along the horizontal direction, while the vertically elongated beam portion corresponds to a beam divergence of ≧10 degrees.