DE102022002231A1 - Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention is a lighting system that can be used to illuminate the battlefield instead of flare ammunition or flares. The lighting system can illuminate an area much longer, more precisely and more intensively. It consists of a flying drone equipped with a reflector. A powerful laser emitter is installed in a vehicle on the ground, which can be aimed high at the drone's reflector. As soon as the drone flies over the area and positions itself there at a certain altitude, a strong laser beam from the vehicle will hit the drone's reflector on the ground. The reflector throws the light back to the ground, creating a wider cone of light that can illuminate a large area. The lighting system can easily illuminate several km2 from a greater height.

Description

The invention is a lighting system that can be used for military purposes and can illuminate punctiform or large ground areas from above. For military use, it can be used instead of flares or pyrotechnic missiles to illuminate the battlefield. In the military sector, the lighting system can illuminate an area much longer, more precisely and more intensively.

Although night vision devices and IR lighting elements have been in use for a long time, the illumination of the area of operation is sometimes advantageous for military purposes during night operations. Flare projectiles or flares are used for such purposes (ammunition or projectiles for illuminating the battlefield). Such means have long been known. These are thrown or shot up and then a built-in pyrotechnic material is ignited, producing a bright light that brightly illuminates the area for a radius of several hundred meters. There are fall-delayed variants that hang in a parachute and thus remain in the air longer. The disadvantage of such lighting systems is that their burning time is relatively short and the light intensity can no longer be controlled after they have been used. It is not possible to switch off such lighting at the touch of a button after it has been activated. In addition, when they reach the ground, they can cause unwanted fires. If it is a flare with pyrotechnic ignition, this has the additional disadvantage that the pyrotechnic flare regularly poses a risk because it can unintentionally ignite and explode. In addition, when burning during the descent, burning parts can detach and fall to the ground, which is associated with an increased risk of fire and a risk to people and the environment, as well as reducing the burning time. If the flare is designed for infrared illumination of the battlefield, visible light will inevitably be emitted as a result of the burnup, which in itself should be avoided. Finally, the effort involved in clearing and salvaging pyrotechnic material is relatively large.

There are also light drones that are equipped with very powerful LEDs, with the help of which several hundred m ² can be well illuminated. However, for the power supply of the powerful LEDs, equally powerful batteries are necessary, which bring additional weight and have to be flown, which considerably shortens the service life.

The object of the invention specified in claims 1 to 39 is to create a lighting system for ground areas in the form of a flight device for military purposes, which is capable of providing reliable and, above all, very intense light, selectively or with the greatest possible To illuminate an area, ground, object or field, whereby the light can be controlled at any time.

This problem is solved with the features listed in claims 1 to 39.

• - die Leucht-Vorrichtung kann ziemlich lange in die Luft bleiben,
• - die Beleuchtung ist sehr intensiv und übertrifft deutlich die herkömmlichen Pyrotechnik-Leuchtmittel,
• - der Leuchtbereich kann genau bestimmt werden,
• - keine Brandgefahr, wenn die Beleuchtung nicht mehr benötigt wird,
• - keine Batterien oder Akkus und keine Lichtquellen an die Flug-Vorrichtung notwendig,
• - keine pyrotechnische Materialien im Einsatz,
• - günstige Lösung,
• - optimal auch für unsichtbare Bestrahlung und Beleuchtung mit UV- oder IR-Licht,
• - die Leucht-Funktion ist jederzeit kontrollierbar, schnell ein- und abschaltbar, auch die Lichtfarbe und eine Umschaltung von Sichtbares Licht auf IR- /UV-Licht jederzeit machbar, sogar auch während die Flug-Vorrichtung noch im Flug sich befindet,
• - die Vorrichtung ist beliebig widerverwendbar.

Advantages of the invention are:

• - the light device can remain in the air for quite a long time,
• - the lighting is very intense and clearly surpasses the conventional pyrotechnic lamps,
• - the luminous area can be precisely determined,
• - no risk of fire when the lighting is no longer needed,
• - no batteries or accumulators and no light sources to the flight device necessary,
• - no pyrotechnic materials in use,
• - cheap solution,
• - also optimal for invisible irradiation and illumination with UV or IR light,
• - the light function can be controlled at any time, can be switched on and off quickly, the light color and switching from visible light to IR/UV light can be done at any time, even while the flight device is still in flight,
• - the device can be reused at will.

The lighting system consists of a missile (e.g. in the form of a projectile, airship, balloon or drone) and a powerful light beam generator, which is installed, for example, in a manned or remote-controlled vehicle. This missile, which is described here, does not use its own energy source for lighting and can nevertheless illuminate an area very intensively. The luminosity is almost unlimited and depends only on the technical means on the ground. The device that flies up there and is supposed to illuminate an area is a kind of flying mirror / reflector that only deflects or reflects a strongly focused beam that hits it from the ground towards the ground. Another advantage of the invention is that the energy supply on the ground is much better and longer-lasting than would be the case with an energy source integrated into the flight device. In addition, the flight device is much lighter ter, because no additional energy source and lamps are installed there. The costs for such a flight device are also very low, so that if one is damaged or destroyed during flight maneuvers, there is no great financial loss and it can therefore be replaced quickly and cheaply.

Examples are based on the 1 until 23 explained.

• 1 die Flug-Vorrichtung in Form einer fernsteuerbaren Drohne,
• 2 eine Drohne, die mit einer unten eingebauten Spiegelfläche ausgestattet ist,
• 3 eine Ausführung in Form eines kleinen Luftschiffs,
• 4 eine Variante in Form eines Luftballons,
• 5 ein Projektil, das in einem Fallschirm hängt,
• 6 die Variante eines Ballons mit Lichtkonverter-Materialien,
• 7 die Steuerung der Drohne bzw. die Positionierung über das zu beleuchtendes Gebiet, durch die Lichtquelle selbst aus dem Boden,
• 8 die Drohne mit einem leichten Solarmodul (in eine Folien-Ausführung),
• 9 die Drohnen-Steuerung mit dem Lichtstrahl, bei der Infrarot-Laserstrahlen verwendet werden,
• 10 den Laserstrahler in eine Kardanaufhängung oder Kugelgelenk eingebaut,
• 11 eine Drohne, bei der ein Mikrospiegel-Chip eingebaut ist, der zahlreiche kleine Spiegel-Elemente aufweist, die einzeln gesteuert beweglich sind,
• 12 die Drohne mit dem beweglichen Spiegel,
• 13 eine weitere Variante mit Lichtleiter, die in die Flug-Vorrichtung eingebaut sind und nahezu kreisförmig oder Kugelförmig angeordnet sind,
• 14 ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel mit einem Lichtkonverter, der unter der Drohne eingebaut ist,
• 15 ein Projektil mit Lichtleiter ausgestattet,
• 16 eine Methode für eine unkomplizierte Steuerung,
• 17 die Laserstrahlen aus der Drohne, gerichtet auf einem Sprengkörper am Boden,
• 18 den Spiegel in die Drohne aus einem elastischen oder dehnbaren Material,
• 19 eine Drohne, die auch als Laser-Blitzableiter funktioniert,
• 20 die starke Fokussierung des Laserstrahls auf einem Sprengkörper,
• 21 eine Drohne, die ein durchsichtiges Lichtfenster aus einer Linse oder Linsen-System mit einstellbaren Fokussierungseigenschaften aufweist,
• 22 das System, das auch für Desinfizierungs-Zwecke eingesetzt wird,
• 23 das Projektil, bei dem der Fallschirm vom Boden aus gesteuert, geöffnet wird.

Show it:

• 1 the flight device in the form of a remote-controlled drone,
• 2 a drone equipped with a bottom-mounted mirror surface,
• 3 a version in the form of a small airship,
• 4 a variant in the form of a balloon,
• 5 a projectile hanging in a parachute,
• 6 the variant of a balloon with light converter materials,
• 7 the control of the drone or the positioning over the area to be illuminated, by the light source itself from the ground,
• 8th the drone with a light solar panel (in a foil version),
• 9 light beam drone control using infrared laser beams,
• 10 the laser emitter built into a gimbal or ball joint,
• 11 a drone that has a built-in micromirror chip that has numerous small mirror elements that can be moved individually under control,
• 12 the drone with the moving mirror,
• 13 another variant with light guides that are built into the flight device and are arranged in an almost circular or spherical shape,
• 14 another embodiment with a light converter installed under the drone,
• 15 a projectile equipped with light guide,
• 16 a method for easy control,
• 17 the laser beams from the drone aimed at an explosive device on the ground,
• 18 the mirror into the drone made of an elastic or stretchable material,
• 19 a drone that also works as a laser lightning rod,
• 20 the strong focusing of the laser beam on an explosive device,
• 21 a drone that has a transparent light window made of a lens or lens system with adjustable focusing properties,
• 22 the system, which is also used for disinfection purposes,
• 23 the projectile, in which the parachute is controlled from the ground, is opened.

The invention is in effect a mirror able to fly by electric propulsion and remote control (in some designs) which is struck by a highly concentrated beam of light from a light source on the ground. It can be a flight device designed in the form of a drone 1, balloons 2, a small airship 10, or a projectile (or rocket) 3 with a parachute 4, which may have an intense luminous function and large areas or a little at a time However, the flight device itself does not have an intensely luminous active light source capable of brightly illuminating an area within several hundred meters. Rather, the flight device serves as a flying mirror/reflector. The actual luminosity comes from a light source on the ground, which is installed, for example, in a vehicle 5 ( 1 ). Strong light sources such as laser emitters 6 (eg gas lasers or laser diodes) are used as the light source. Powerful LEDs with the appropriate optics and lens systems can also be used, but laser sources are the most effective. Although classic, outdated light sources such as halogen lamps can also be used for these purposes, this is not recommended because the energy requirement is quite high, the energy efficiency is quite low, the light beam scattering is extremely high and the lifespan is very short. Laser sources (e.g. laser diodes) are preferred because they emit strongly focused laser beams, which are then reflected back towards the ground by the flying reflectors. Of course, the reflector 7 should not emit the light in a bundled manner in the direction of the ground, but rather in the form of a somewhat wide light cone 8. Finally, the largest possible area 9 should be brightly illuminated. Therefore, the reflector on the missile is more or less concave or convex - curved. In this case, the size of the illuminated area and the luminance are determined by the flight altitude of the missile/mirror drone and the shape of the mirror.

The flight device can be a remote-controlled drone 1 that can fly relatively far or high ( 1 ). The use of a drone would be advantageous because it can be remotely controlled very precisely and positioning is also fairly easy. Thanks to built-in GPS systems, the drones are able to fly independently to specified coordinates and maintain their position at the previously determined flight altitude despite light crosswinds. Because there is no additional energy source for the lighting and no lamps are installed, the drone is quite light, small and therefore not an optimal target for enemy forces. Depending on the application, the drone 1 can be very small or large. Multiple drones can also be used at the same time. You can split a laser beam into several beams using light deflection elements and then hit the drones with them, which then reflect the laser beams in the direction of the ground, or you can use several laser sources. There is even the possibility of directing the laser beam from a vehicle 5 onto a drone, which then emits the bundled laser beam to another, distant drone, which then sends the laser beam in the direction of the ground. It would thus be possible to send a laser beam over greater distances and thus to illuminate a ground area, for example 5 km away from the laser emitter, or even to detonate an explosive device there using laser beam energy. This can be used to destroy explosive devices in a minefield. Of course, this invention can also be used in the civil sector. As lighting for large areas, for example for the rescue service or recovery forces, stadium lighting, areas that are difficult to access, etc. The drone has a reflector 7 or mirror that is directed towards the ground, or a light beam that hits it diagonally from the side below , is reflected towards the ground. The reflector/mirror can be installed in a ball joint or in a gimbal and would thus be pivotable in any direction. This can optimize the light reflection properties because the reflected light beam can be swiveled in any direction. Likewise, the installation of the reflector mirror in an almost half-sphere (halved hollow sphere), which can be rotated or tilted in any direction electromagnetically by magnetic field interaction, can bring clear advantages. In an application from the prior art, cell phone cameras are rotated in any direction very quickly and precisely controlled. The difference here would be that instead of the camera, a mirror would be installed.

On the 2 a drone 1 has been shown, which is equipped with a mirror surface 11 installed below. This mirror surface is slightly curved outwards or downwards and can thus reflect a bundled laser beam 17 downwards in a broader light cone shape 8 . The curvature of the mirror can also be shaped inwards, the light reflection result remains similar. As soon as the drone has risen and is positioned a few tens or even hundreds of meters above the area to be illuminated, a laser beam is emitted from a laser source 6 and strikes the drone at an angle from below. The mirror should be installed in the drone so that it can be moved or swiveled for optimal reflection. In addition, the drone can be swiveled in the air as desired using the drive control. The laser emitter 6 can be installed in a vehicle 5 or carried by a soldier. The laser power does not have to be very high. For a good illumination of an area of 10,000m ² a laser with 200W power is sufficient. CW laser diodes, among others, can easily achieve this level of performance. To make the device even cheaper, you can install 10 CW laser diodes, each with 20W, which are arranged with parallel beams and hit the drone in the same place, namely on the reflector. Such laser diodes are inexpensive and also light. If you combine laser diodes that emit different laser light colors, you can easily regulate the light color of the entire illumination. Only laser diodes must be present, each of which emits one of the basic light colors, eg a red, blue and green laser diode. Depending on which laser diodes are switched on, with which intensity and in which combination, the light color of the overall lighting is determined. For example, turning on both the red and green lasers will cause a jointly lit area to appear yellow. If all three laser colors shine on the same area at the same time with similar intensity, the light there appears similar to white light. The mirror in the drone can be made of an elastic material. With the help of a mechanism, eg a bimetallic construction or a pneumatic pressure system, one can deform the mirror. As a result, the shape of the mirror can be changed, or the degree of curvature could be adjusted as desired.

This is an advantage if you want to illuminate an area from different heights or if the drone flies over it and the light beam should become wider or narrower without having to change the drone's flight altitude. On the other hand, even with a mirror made of less elastic material, a slight curvature is sufficient to illuminate an area differently. In this case you would only have to change the flight altitude of the drone and the light cone would then be different in size. When the drone flies higher, the circle of light on the ground is larger and the light is correspondingly weaker than if the drone were flying closer to the ground. However, it is important that the mirror is movable, or at least tilted slightly towards the light source, so that the reflected light is actually emitted downwards and illuminates the ground. Because the drone can also turn around its own axis in the air, precise positioning of the mirror should not pose any problems.

As an alternative to an electric flight drone, other missiles can also be used. Variants with small airships ( 3 ), balloons ( 4 ) or even projectiles ( 5 ), which hang on the parachute after being launched, can be used as alternative variants to flying drones. A combination of remote-controlled ground vehicles and flying drones can also be implemented without any problems. In this case, the remote-controlled ground vehicle (depending on the area of application and purpose, can also be an RC model vehicle) can be equipped with a reflector / mirror on which the laser beam from another vehicle is directed, as close as possible to the one to be illuminated Area controlled and then focused on his mirror a powerful laser beam, which is then reflected upwards and hit the drone in the air, which then deflects the laser beam in the direction of the ground. Of course, the mirror on the remote-controlled ground vehicle must be able to be swiveled in any direction by electric actuators so that the reflected laser beam is precisely aligned with the drone.

The use of a projectile 3 with a parachute 4 is on the 5 been presented. This method is very cheap (a projectile only costs a few euros) and can be implemented quickly. The projectile can be small caliber and can be fired from a handgun or a long gun. Inside the projectile there is a small chamber in which a small parachute is installed, which opens automatically or controlled by the laser beam from the ground. Opening the parachute can be initiated by hitting it with a powerful laser beam from the ground. For such purposes, a glass light window can be installed on the tail of the spin-stabilized projectile, behind which is installed a lens and a primer, which is ignited by the laser energy from the ground and ejects the parachute. The parachute should be ejected from a capsule and folded in such a way that the spin rotation of the projectile favors deployment and at the same time consumes the rotational energy of the projectile. Once the parachute is deployed, the projectile's spin energy is absorbed and the projectile stops rotating. The parachute delays the fall of the projectile and at the same time serves as a curved mirror because it is mirrored on the inner surface facing downwards. The projectile stabilizes the position and the fall down. When you hit the inside/bottom surface of the parachute with a laser beam, the beam is thrown down in a wide cone of light.

A variant of a balloon 2 with a reflector / mirror 7 is on the 4 been presented. The balloon 2 can be used as a reflector / illuminant for a piece of land, a piece of forest or rough terrain. For a longer lighting possibility, it should be attached to a weight or anchor on the ground with a string/rope and filled with helium. The balloon can be transparent at the bottom and only its upper surface has a reflective layer, or it can be made of a light-converter material that glows intensely when a laser beam hits it. You emit a strong beam from the ground and hit the mirror layer located in the upper part of the balloon from below. This part of the balloon is concave downwards and a ray that hits there is reflected towards the ground in the form of a wider cone of light.

In the variant with the light converter materials 13, the balloon is completely hit by a somewhat wide laser beam (ideally as wide as the balloon is). Then the whole balloon lights up and donates the light in all directions ( 6 ). Alternatively, a small sphere of light-converter material can be placed inside the clear balloon, which will be struck by the laser beam source on the ground. Here, too, a mirror view 11 is to be installed on the upper side of the balloon, which reflects the light back towards the ground. The laser emitter can be a UV, blue or IR laser here, the laser beams of which are converted by the light converter 13 into visible, white light.

In order not to reveal the location of the laser beam source, pulse laser devices should be used, which emit very short IR laser pulses with a high repetition rate. Due to the light converter, which is enriched with phosphorescence materials, the light is delayed somewhat, or the missing laser beam phases are smoothed out by the afterglow effect, so that the light is emitted almost continuously from the light converter. The laser pulses, their frequency and the pauses in between determine the luminous intensity of the balloon.

The use of small, remote-controllable airships 10 can also prove to be a reliable lighting system for a large area ( 3 ). Due to their filling with lifting gas (e.g. hydrogen or helium), such airships can remain in the air much longer than a drone, making them ideal for longer missions. However, they are quite vulnerable and find it difficult to hold their position when it gets windy. The airship could also be stretched diagonally downwards by two or three thin ropes 53 and anchored over the deployment site. Because the airship only acts as a reflector or mirror and is also filled with lifting gas, the small batteries are also used for the drive system, but mainly for the remote control elements and can therefore last quite a long time. Because the airship does not have a built-in light source, it is very light. In the upper area of the airship the curved mirror is installed, or only a mirror layer is installed there with the reflection direction downwards, while the airship envelope is completely transparent. You can also install a mirror coating in the lower area or lower surface of the airship, which is slightly convex and directed downwards. As soon as a strongly bundled laser beam hits it, it is reflected back down in a wide beam cone. The light source will also emit a beam of light from the ground onto the airship and the beam will then be reflected on the ground.

When using a flying drone, it too can be fixed in position with the help of thin ropes 49 while it is hovering. Electricity can also be conducted via the ropes, so that the drone is supplied with electricity from the ground for flight propulsion. The laser source 6 from the ground emits a laser beam that hits the drone and is then reflected on the ground. Several laser emitters can hit the reflector or mirror on the aircraft at the same time and thus generate an intensive light on the ground. The laser emitters do not all have to have the same light colour. For example, three or more laser diodes may be used, each emitting a different color of light. For example, if you bundle all three light primary colors (red, green, blue) into one beam, then the reflected light that hits the ground is perceived as almost white. This variant can illuminate a floor area very intensively.

The advantage of using laser sources is that the entire color of the laser beam can be designed as desired by combining three primary colors (three laser sources in colors, red, green, blue). It is important for the military to use an appropriate laser beam color that is specific to a situation. For example, if you want to unmask the camouflage colors of the enemy forces, you use a laser beam color that makes precisely these uniforms high-contrast or clearly visible.

In all variants, an intense, strongly bundled light is emitted from the ground, which hits the flight device / missile and is reflected back from there towards the ground. The reflection is effected by mirrors, mirrored surfaces 11, luminescence/phosphorescence materials 12 or by light converter surfaces 13, which then themselves become a type of light source when irradiated. When using light converter materials or coatings, it is an advantage to have a mirror installed behind them. This is important because when the light converter is hit with a ray, it emits light in all directions. With a mirror reflector at the back, the light beams can be better focused and reflected towards the ground with little loss.

With all variants, the light intensity and the lighting duration can be precisely controlled because the light comes from a light source on the ground. The use of drones in this case is an optimal solution. When using drones, movable mirrors 14 are optimally suited as reflectors. The use of e.g. micromirror technology or mirror chips 15 (e.g. DLP chips) is also somewhat more expensive, but technically advantageous because it enables precisely controllable light bundling and movement of the light cone. Here, small mirror elements can be pivoted individually or in groups, and thus the light beam 16 can be pivoted in desired directions within certain limits. The use of other optical deflection elements, such as optical prisms or lens systems, can also optimize light reflection.

In any event, the RBM should also have a camera 32 and a radio module 56 to allow better control of the light beam and real-time video transmission of its perspective on the ground.

The control of the drone or the positioning over the area 9 to be illuminated can also be initiated relatively easily by the light source itself from the ground. Through small light sensors 41 in the drone, which are installed, for example, in the periphery of the drone (at the corners of the drone or distributed in a ring) or enclose the drone in a ring ( 7 ) is a smooth panning/moving of the light beam from the ground, followed by the drone. Due to the sensors and an automatic drive control, it will always fly automatically in such a way that it can receive the light beam in the center and then reflect the beam downwards through the mirror. When the light sensors are arranged in a ring around the drone, the drone's drive is controlled each time by controlling the drone so that it flies in the direction in which one of the light sensors is pointing was struck by the beam of light. As soon as the light beam hits the drone in the middle of the reflector, the drone practically hovers on the spot without moving, even if the light beam is no longer panned. A small light sensor can also be installed in the center of the reflector, which is hit by the light beam from the ground. In order to enable smooth control of the drone, the light beam coming from a device on the ground should be strongly concentrated in the middle, but also form a beam cone of weaker light. Such a ray projected onto a wall would form a small circle in the center of which the ray of light shines most strongly. Outside of the center, the beam is weaker and weaker the further away you are from the center. This geometry of the beam allows perfect control of the drone. Once you hit the drone with the light beam, it will automatically follow the beam if you keep panning it. As you pan the beam forward, the drone's light sensors on the front will get more and more light, while those at the back will get less and less light. The drive is controlled by a controller in the drone so that it flies forward until the center of the light cone hits the center of the drone. Pivoting the light beam cone to the right will blast the light sensors on the right side of the drone with more light, causing instantaneous propulsion control for flight to the right. Even the flight altitude of the drone can be automatically controlled by a light beam. If you aim two laser beams towards the drone, and these laser beams meet (cross) at one point, you can use an image sensor or light sensor to detect the light beam meeting point, and the drone can adjust the altitude so that it always flies to the beam meeting point. If you tilt the two laser emitters further towards each other, the height of the laser beam meeting point drops further down and the drone follows them automatically. The drone itself is relatively small and totally lightweight. The reflector is also made of a light material, so that the drone can hover in the air for a relatively long time.

It is conceivable to equip the drone with a light solar module (a solar module in a film version), through which it is additionally supplied with electricity from the light of the light source on the ground. The whole reflector can consist of a solar panel in foil form, which absorbs a few percent of the light rays and converts them into electricity for the drone's power supply, while most of the light energy is reflected back to the ground through a reflector layer ( 8th ). Recently there are solar cells that can generate up to 2000 times more power from light energy than the conventional cells that are on the market. When you irradiate a small (80x80mm), conventional solar cell with a 100W laser beam, very little power comes out (about 0.2W) because they are designed for solar energy power conversion purposes, but not optimized for laser energy. The situation is different with the special solar cells. Here approx. 10 - 20% of the laser energy is converted into electricity. Such solar cells may very well power the drone in the air and remotely with enough power to remain in the air indefinitely (as long as the laser beam source on the ground is active and hitting it).

For drone control with the light beam, infrared laser beams can be used instead of visible light. Also, instead of individual sensors, a light sensor surface that is directed downwards can be installed in the drone ( 9 ). The sensor surface, e.g. built in a circle (with a diameter of e.g. 8cm), can detect the beam very precisely and also determine the pivoting direction of the beam and automatically control the drive in real time so that the drone always has a position above the beam at which the beam always hits the sensor circle in the middle.

In order to enable sensor-controlled drone tracking by the laser beam from a vehicle on the ground, the laser emitter should be installed in a gimbal 18 or ball joint 19, which can be electrically driven to quickly tilt or position the laser emitter so that the laser beam hits the mirror surface of the drone hits ( 10 ). The laser beam from the ground can also be deflected at will by movable mirror elements. Such deflection devices for a laser emitter are known and are used in numerous devices (eg also in disco clubs as a laser show). The drone can be fitted with a couple of small low power laser diodes 20 or cat eye/retro reflectors 48 that will mark the reflector there and act as landmarks for the laser gun on the ground. As soon as the orientation laser beams 21 are received from the drone as landmarks, an automatic pointing system will deflect the laser beam right there and hit the mirror 11 of the drone. The mirror or the mirror surface of the drone can form the entire bottom surface of the drone. The aiming system can consist of an image sensor and an optics system, whereby the orientation light beams of the drone (from their LED-s or cat-eye reflectors) are captured and then the laser beam is aimed at the center of the drone. Alignment of the laser emitter via sphere device, the sphere being driven by magnetic field interactions rotated can prompt any correction of the beam direction in real time, so even if the drone is moving fast or is restless in the air (due to wind or turbulence), with great confidence its reflector will always be hit by the laser beam. Here, instead of a camera, a laser diode is built into the sphere. The ball itself is movably installed in a ball socket, which is equipped with numerous small electromagnets. The sphere is magnetic (or equipped with a permanent magnet) and is rotated very precisely by activating the electromagnetic coils individually or in groups. The laser beam, which is then emitted, also swivels as a result. The flight maneuvers of the drone are recorded very precisely by an image sensor and the ball is then rotated in such a way that the laser emitter always hits the reflector or the mirror of the drone. The beam can be highly focused and still hit the drone perfectly in real time. The ball is aligned very quickly and corrections can be made in fractions of a millisecond. However, the sphere should not be solid, but rather built out of a thin wall like a hollow sphere (eg like a small Christmas tree bauble). However, it can be constructed from lightweight materials, which greatly reduces inertia during rotation. The lighter the sphere, the faster the reaction times. Otherwise, if the mass of the sphere cannot be kept small, then this can be completely compensated for by strong electromagnets.

The laser beams are reflected from the drone towards the ground and illuminate a relatively large area that depends on the drone's flight altitude. The higher the drone climbs, the larger the illuminated area. As the drone's flight altitude increases, the intensity of the light on the ground also decreases, but the area that is illuminated increases. In this way one can control the illuminated area size and the light intensity quite precisely. The direction of reflection of the laser beams from the drone is determined by swiveling mirrors (or by targeted drone flight maneuvers) that can be moved by remote control.

On the 11 been presented. The mirror chip is controlled by radio control and is controlled from the ground (e.g. by a small, mobile remote control or from an emergency vehicle). With such a mirror chip, you can shape the laser beam on the ground as you wish, even focusing it strongly. With the corresponding laser beam power, remote detonation of land mines or ammunition is also possible. There are specially equipped army vehicles that have a correspondingly powerful IR laser emitter that can be used to ignite mines or ammunition from a few hundred meters away. While you can only operate with a laser blaster from a vehicle within line of sight, you can also ignite mines or an ammunition dump with the drone behind an obstacle, for example behind a hill or a building. In addition, the drone offers the possibility of better focusing the laser beam on the object to be ignited. The laser beams do not remain compactly bundled with the distance, but the laser beam becomes wider and wider. If only a dot of 5mm appears at 10m distance, it will appear at 100m a circle of about 2-8cm in diameter. You can't detonate a landmine with that. But with the use of such a drone, things look different. The drone's mirror is hit with a laser beam in the form of a 10-20cm circle from 800m, but the drone's mirror refocuses this laser beam to a small spot, eg 3 - 5mm in size, which hits the landmine. Because the drone can fly much closer to the landmine, the laser beam stays well focused on it. This refocuses the laser energy. You could also practically install the laser emitter directly in the drone, but that would make the drone very heavy and thus drastically reduce the flight time of the drone. The energy source, the laser emitter and the accompanying elements would make the drone relatively heavy due to the additional weight and thus significantly shorten the flight duration. The flight characteristics are also negatively influenced by this. The drone would be sluggish and significantly larger, which would also make it easier for enemy forces to hit as a launch target. In addition, in the event of a launch, the loss would be significantly higher. A simple drone equipped with a mirror surface is much cheaper and quicker to replace than one that has all the equipment with a laser emitter and accompanying elements. Therefore, in the invention, the drone with the mirror surface is preferred.

The drone from the 12 has a moveable mirror. Here, a mirror or mirror surface is installed under the drone, which reflects the light back on the ground. The mirror should be electrically remote controlled for better light reflection. In variants that have movable mirrors, the reflected laser beam can be controlled even more precisely. An optimal solution is to install a mirror on the floor, on a ball joint 19 or gimbal 18, just like with the laser emitter. A ball joint has the advantage of being very simple and robust. It consists of a ball 22, which is installed in a ball socket 23 and can be rotated there in any direction under electromagnetic control. The mirror 11 is attached tangentially to the sphere. A cut into the sphere could also be used for the mirror surface. The sphere can be equipped with magnets 24 or have magnetized areas. Some electromagnetic coils 25 built into the ball socket can cause the ball to rotate in any direction. Again, the sphere should not be a massive solid sphere, but rather a hollow sphere with a thin wall made of a light material (e.g. carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes) or a light metal alloy (e.g. titanium alloy) with small built-in permanent magnets. The rotation is very fast and can be controlled precisely. By finely controlling the magnetic field of the electromagnetic coils, the ball can be rotated in any direction and position. Thus, a light beam deflection is perfectly controllable. Because the sphere is not a solid sphere but merely a hollow sphere, the weight will be reduced to a minimum. Thus, the whole device is very light and hardly affects the flight duration or the flight characteristics of the drone.

A further variant uses light guides 26 which are built into the flight device and are arranged in an almost circular or spherical shape ( 13 ). The arrangement is designed in such a way that the light that hits the flight device from the side or at an angle from below is guided or deflected downwards by light guides in the direction of the ground. No matter from which side the light hits the light guide, the light rays are always emitted towards the ground. The light guides can also be installed in a ball joint, or in a ball that is located in a ball joint socket, in order to swivel them in any direction using electromagnetic coils, but you don't have to. The light guides have one good property: no matter from which angle the light enters there, the light is always widely scattered at the exit of the light guide anyway. It is enough to install a small lens at the exit of the light guide, which then perfectly illuminates the light on the floor area. In order to optimally absorb the light from the side, you can install a cone or pyramid-shaped mirror with the tip down under the drone, which then reflects the laser beams in a light guide and emits the laser beams correctly towards the ground. However, several light guides can also be built into the side of the drone, with their exits pointing downwards towards the ground. If you then aim a laser beam at the drone from the side or at an angle from below, the laser beams are thrown towards the ground. For an optimal accumulation of light, a small lens should be installed at the light guide outlet. The numerous light guides that collect the light from the periphery of the drone can then flow down like a tree with its branches and twigs into a single light guide, which would then, analogous to the tree, be the "tree trunk" that would then follow directed downwards and equipped with a lens that will emit light towards the ground.

Laser emitters are ideally suited as a light source, which are directed at the drone from a vehicle on the ground, ship or helicopter, for example, and irradiate it with a strong laser beam. The alignment of the laser beam on the reflector element of the drone and the detection of the drone is carried out automatically by a control system of sensors, which are coupled to the movement elements of the light source via a controller and e.g. small light signal transmitters that are built into the drone and the Orientation of the light source or target acquisition are used. It would be sufficient if one light source were installed in the middle of the mirror or three or four light sources were installed that mark the mirror surface edges of the drone. These can be small laser diodes that emit visible or invisible light (such as UV or IR laser diodes). The laser beam can then aim at the mirror from the ground. The mirror can be an ordinary mirror that is flat or curved or slightly spherical. A mirror surface or mirror coating of a surface under the drone would also suffice.

More complicated variants of the drones can have mirror chips, which consist of a multitude of small mirror elements, as shown in the 11 have been presented. These mirror elements can be electrically pivoted independently of one another and can therefore deflect the light beams in a desired direction. Instead of conventional mirrors, a light converter 27 can be installed, which converts laser beams into normal light. The light converters are advantageous because they convert, for example, UV or infrared laser beams, which are invisible to the eye, into visible light. Thus, the primary light source would not be visible to the enemy, at least with the naked eye. The light converter can be built spherically. When irradiated with IR laser beam, it turns into a light source that emits very bright white light. The light intensity depends on the intensity of the laser beams. There are very strong, powerful infrared laser beam sources that can be optimally used for this. Very large areas can thus be intensively illuminated via the light converter, which is not easily feasible with conventional means. Especially due to the light drone, which can fly quite high, the lighting quality in this form cannot be achieved by anything else. If the light converter is built completely or partially spherical, the light is emitted in all directions and thus illuminates the surroundings well. Of course, this radiant sphere can also have a directional reflector on top have, which then reflects most of the light downwards. There are also other geometric shapes for the light converter (e.g. "rose shape") that can emit a focused beam of light or at least produce a relatively narrow cone of light. However, the variant with a mirror chip has some advantages because it can also reflect invisible IR light, which can sometimes be advantageous. The color of the laser light can also be selected as desired and adjusted accordingly to the lighting conditions. In addition, any focusing of the laser beam would be possible with a mirror chip. In that case, the size of the light cone over the area to be illuminated could be changed at will. The light beam (laser beam) is deflected in any desired direction with a mirror chip. You can also use it to illuminate individual, smaller targets, regardless of whether they are moving or stationary. The reaction times of the mirror chips are very short these days, which allows for almost real-time control.

In order to extend the flight duration, the reflector drone can be coupled with a gas balloon 2, which is filled with helium or hydrogen, for example. In this case, part of the lift would have to be generated by the gas balloon and the flight duration of the drone can be significantly extended. Also advantageous are airship drones 10, the buoyancy of which comes partly from light gas. You can also stay in flight for hours on one battery charge. However, due to their larger volume and at the same time wind attack surface, these are more susceptible to crosswinds than the small, compact drones with propellers.

In order to keep a very light drone in the air, the laser beam from the laser beam source on the ground can also at least partially provide the necessary energy for the power supply of the drone. For a very light drone (less than 50g) it would be sufficient if the drone is equipped with a conventional solar cell, but for somewhat heavier drones a special solar cell designed for high-power laser beams would have to be installed.

Another embodiment with a light converter 27 built in under the drone may also be useful ( 14 ). It is a laser light-active surface, mostly made of phosphor components, which serves as a light converter, converting UV or infrared laser beams into visible light, for example. Such converters are used in numerous scientific devices, measurement technology and also in laser headlights in vehicles. A monochromatic laser beam (e.g. blue, infrared or UV laser beam) that hits there is converted into broad-spectrum light, i.e. almost conventional light, depending on the material consistency of the converter and is emitted in this way. The light, for example as white light, shines very intensively and can be used for large-area lighting. In that case, the converter could be installed in the form of a flat plate or in the form of a sphere under the drone, with a mirror surface on top. The laser beam would hit the converter and partially fall on the mirror. From the mirror, the rays would be reflected back towards the ground and emitted in the direction of the ground. The converter (e.g. a hollow sphere) and the mirror surface would only make the drone a little heavier and thus not significantly negatively affect the flight duration. In addition, the drone could be equipped with downward-facing solar cells that can partially convert the laser beam energy into electricity that it could use for the propulsion system. The heating of the converter by laser beams could also generate lift.

The simpler and cheaper variant, consisting of a projectile 3 which, once fired and having reached a certain height, hangs in a parachute 4 and then falls down, is very reliable ( 5 ). The inner surface 28 of the parachute has a reflective coating 11 . A laser beam will hit this area from the ground and be reflected over a large area in the direction of the ground. A laser beam converter coating can also be installed in parachutes over the mirror layer, which converts an IR laser beam into visible light and emits it towards the ground. However, a simple mirror has the advantage of also reflecting IR laser beams back on the ground, which is also desirable depending on the situation. The projectile serves as a carrier for the parachute (it raises the parachute to a certain height) and, after opening the parachute, as a stabilizer (it pulls the parachute down and aligns it optimally). This variant is the cheapest, but not necessarily the most optimal. You have to be able to aim well in an area, or fire the projectile in such a way that it comes down over the area to be illuminated. In addition, the burn time is not very long because the projectile will come to the ground in a few minutes. The advantage is that you can reach the area very quickly, even if it is quite far away, and of course the costs for the system are very low. However, the light system cannot be used again in this way, but instead a new projectile is fired. The parachute is installed in the projectile in its tail part in a built-in chamber with a lid. The parachute activation is time-controlled by a heat element or actuator in the projectile, which unlocks the lid when it cools down, which is then thrown backwards by the strong airflow and then the parachute with it pulls. In a better execution of this variant, as in the 23 shown, the parachute activated controlled from the ground. Here the parachute is activated by a strong laser beam impulse, which enters the projectile from behind through a light window 44 (made of glass or a transparent material) and activates a small detonator 42 there, which blasts a cover backwards and thus releases the parachute . The primer is installed just behind the cover behind an optical lens 54 which also acts as a light window for penetration of laser beams emitted from the ground. Another protective disk 55 installed behind the detonator protects the parachute from heat when the detonator is activated. Behind it is the folded parachute, which has an inner mirror surface, with which an optimal light reflection towards the ground takes place. The primer may be incorporated into a capsule or molded into a compact shape (eg, spherical or plate-like) just like that. The projectile itself can consist in part of a light converter material, which then converts the laser beam into visible light. Depending on whether the projectile is spin or wing stabilized, the parachute must be folded accordingly. If folded incorrectly, the projectile's rotational energy can quickly re-wrap or fold the parachute after release, and then it falls like a stone from the sky. The reflector at the top of the parachute reflects the light downwards.

On the 15 a projectile equipped with light guide 26 has been illustrated. In that case, a laser beam can be emitted onto the projectile 3, which deflects the laser beams through the light guide 26 onto the parachute surface 28 and from there the light is thrown back onto the ground. Here, too, the inner surface of the parachute is provided with a mirror or mirror coating. The laser beams are then reflected back down from the parachute and illuminate a large area of the ground below. It is also conceivable to install light guides above the parachute in the middle, which absorb the light from the side (or vice versa) and divert it towards the ground. In that case it would be possible to illuminate a far away area in relation to the position of the light source. Practically it works like this: you shoot the projectile up at an angle, ballistic, where the angle of flight determines the range, and as soon as the desired point is reached, a strong laser pulse is fired at the projectile, which has a small fuse or very small amount of explosives 42 activated on the projectile and thereby the parachute container 43 opens there. The projectile is quickly decelerated and slowly falls towards the ground. The initial ignition of the projectile for opening the parachute is generated by a powerful laser beam hitting it from the ground. At the rear of the projectile or also on the side, light windows or light guide junctions 44 are to be installed, through which the laser beam is transported into the interior of the projectile and there a small amount of explosive (e.g. initial detonating substance) ignites and thereby the parachute-container-closing flap 45 is blown away, or the parachute is thrown out of the projectile. The same or other light window light guide junctions 46 on the side of the projectile will then guide the laser beams that hit it on the side upwards and hit the parachute on the lower reflecting surface. These laser beams are then largely reflected upwards onto the reflector or directly downwards onto the floor to be illuminated. When using an IR laser emitter or microwaves (e.g. Gunn elements or MASER), the source of the laser beams is invisible to the eye. Direct light deflection from the projectile via built-in light guides in the direction of the ground can also be implemented. As soon as the projectile, which hangs in the parachute and slides down, is hit from the side with a laser beam there, the laser beams will enter a built-in light guide and then be directed towards the ground. With this variant, the parachute does not have to have a reflector coating. An advantage is the very cheap construction (a few EUR material value). Disadvantage is the increased weight, which makes the projectile move towards the ground faster.

The variants with projectiles can quickly reach a distant target and the lighting would be established there quickly, however, depending on the flight altitude, the projectiles fall to the ground after a few minutes at the latest, even hanging on a parachute, and then lighting is only possible with another projectile launch possible. Because the laser beams come from the ground, the lighting can still be controlled. It can be switched off at any time and the light intensity can also be changed as desired.

In all variants, the laser beam source on the ground can send a continuous laser beam or pulsed laser beams to the missile. Short laser pulses with a high repetition rate can illuminate the area just as well. If you build fluorescent or phosphorescent materials or light converters into the drone that absorb the light and then emit it somewhat sluggishly, then the laser pulses can be converted to a steady light and emitted that way.

The variant from the 4 is a gas balloon which has a flat reflective surface at the bottom, or carries with it a reflector plate 29 or a light guide sphere 30 which serves as a mirror. The balloon can also be built so that it is transparent in the lower area 36 and has a reflective coating 35 on the inside in the upper area. When inflated, it always orientates itself in such a way that the reflective coating always stays on top. Due to the small and specific weight distribution in the lower area, the balloon will always remain oriented with the weights pointing downwards. The lifting gas enables him to fly at a good altitude. The laser beam penetrates the transparent part of the balloon and is then reflected back towards the ground by the mirror coating. The same can also be applied in small model airships. Because the "ceiling" of the balloon or airship is more or less concave in shape, the laser beams are scattered from there and reflected towards the ground, illuminating a fairly large area. The degree of curvature of the balloon or airship mirror surface can be determined by the internal pressure in the vehicle and can be changed relatively well. Thus, the reflected light beams on the ground can be controlled relatively well.

A drone coupled with a partial lift gas balloon 2 is quite handy for this purpose. The gas balloon can, for example, be filled with helium or even with hydrogen. This allows the drone to stay in the air longer, but it is a little stiffer and more susceptible to crosswinds. A fiber optic ball can be hung on the balloon. This light guide ball consists of numerous light guides 26, which are arranged in such a way that all light rays that come from the side or diagonally laterally from below are directed downwards towards the ground. Instead of the light guide sphere, a converter sphere or layer can also be installed here. In this case, the balloon would have to be transparent and equipped with a surface that reflects downwards in the upper area ( 4 ). The resulting reflector serves to reflect the light rays that are produced from the converter sphere downwards. The converter sphere is irradiated from the ground with a laser beam (eg IR laser, blue laser or UV laser) and the converted light is then emitted in the direction of the ground. However, the balloon can deviate from the course at any time in cross winds and continue flying uncontrolled. In addition, the flight altitude cannot be precisely controlled. Actually almost nothing is controllable with this variant. It only works wonderfully when there is absolutely no wind, or if you fix or secure the balloon to the ground with a long cord. However, the extremely low price makes it worth a try.

The small, remote-controlled airship drone 10, which is filled with helium or hydrogen, can be used for various missions.

The mini airship is equipped with a propeller or electric drive and can be navigated very well over an area to be illuminated. This variant can also stay in the air much longer because part of the lift comes from light gas. The reflector / mirror or a light guide ball is also attached below and reflects (deflects) the laser beams, which fall on it at an angle from the side, towards the ground. Disadvantage is the susceptibility to cross winds and the somewhat stiff flight controls. If you implement the light beam control method here, then the airship will automatically follow the light beam and illuminate the area perfectly. Additionally equipped with solar module foil 47, the airship and its drive can also be remotely supplied with electricity from the light beam from the ground.

All of these methods require a light source that is on the ground. The light source (e.g. built into a vehicle, helicopter or ship) does not have to be brought very close to the place of use. The laser beam can be emitted even from a few km and reflected directly to the ground by the reflector or light guide device or laser beam converter flying over the job site.

The advantage of all these variants is the very strong and intensive lighting, because more powerful energy sources are available on the ground compared to elements that can be integrated into a small flight device. From the ground you can also operate a several KW strong laser, the light beam of which is then emitted by the flying mirror/reflector in the direction of the ground, which can even illuminate several km ² from a height of thousands of meters. This is the only way to ensure that the drone remains small and simply built. Strong light sources, power supply for them and accompanying devices are much easier to install on the ground in an emergency vehicle, which could not be easily integrated into a light and small drone. A very small, light drone, weighing only a few hundred grams, can reflect a beam of light on the ground that has a light output of several kilowatts for quite a long time or, with energy production by solar cells, possibly indefinitely (as long as the laser beams -source directs a laser beam at the drone from the ground).

Automatic tracking or laser beam aiming systems always hit the drone precisely on the reflector or converter surface with the laser beam. The laser beam hitting the reflector does not have to be in the visible range. It can be in the UV or IR light range, i.e. invisible to the human eye. If the emergency services in the war zone are equipped with night vision devices, lighting with IR laser beams makes sense in complete darkness. The great thing about the invention is the quick switching of the type of lighting, eg from IR lighting to visible light, or eg for high-contrast lighting, from green light to red, ultraviolet, blue or white light, etc Natural disasters, searching for missing people in a forest area or after a traffic accident or earthquake in rough terrain is a very important factor for a quick assessment of the situation. Stroboscopic effects can also be easily achieved with it. These effects can be used in combat, for example to confuse the enemy, or to induce nausea in enemy forces.

The mirror itself can be equipped with a converter coating or made of such a material that converts the infrared or UV light into visible light and reflects it as well. A reflector that is irradiated with an infrared or UV laser will glow or illuminate the surroundings, but the laser source is not directly visible to the eye. This is important in the military sector because it increases the safety of the weapon system user. This does not give away his position. In particular, pulsed laser beam sources are well suited because they are difficult to detect. They emit ultra-short laser pulses that cannot be located with the eyes or with conventional means such as night vision devices.

The controller for the laser emitter of the lighting system on the ground, which is intended to illuminate a ground area via the flying drone, can be coupled to an ambient light sensor 31 . The can regulate the light intensity of the laser automatically and adapted to the ambient light conditions. If the environment is totally dark, the maximum laser power does not have to be emitted, unless the area to be illuminated should be very large.

The mirror in the drone does not necessarily have to be able to swivel in all directions. This can be simplified quite a bit for straightforward control purposes. It is entirely sufficient if the mirror can only be pivoted in one direction, or if only one edge of the mirror can be lowered or tilted. This would set the reflection angle. The exact positioning of the mirror can be achieved by rotating the complete drone ( 16 ). The drone can be protected against strong laser beams by a light light-reflecting foil or by a highly reflective coating or paint, such as silver paint, in case they hit the drone and not just the mirror. The drone camera should also be protected. This can be done automatically using an iris or shutter on the lens. Some electronic systems can also reliably protect the camera from the laser beams from the ground. Light sensors that register the laser beams hitting there can provide reliable information about the direction of the laser beams in relation to the drone and rotate the drone so that the camera does not "look" directly into the laser beams.

The devices that have been described here are also suitable for other types of electromagnetic radiation, such as X-rays or microwaves. Today there are small, powerful microwave sources designed in the form of Gunn elements (e.g. Gunn diodes). Uses with acoustic sources (e.g. from a sound wave generator) are also conceivable, with the sound waves being reflected by the flying drone in the direction of the ground. Ultrasound or other sound waves can be reflected with it, provided they are bundled and emitted onto the drone's reflector.

The missiles shown here are used for military purposes, but can also be used in various other areas, including civilian ones.

As mentioned above, the focusing properties of the mirror into the drone are ideally suited for detonating explosive devices from a distance. The drone is positioned over the explosive device at a safe height, e.g. 100m above the explosive device, and the mirror is adjusted (or the degree of curvature is changed) in such a way that it directs or aims at a focal point on the explosive device to be detonated. An IR laser beam from a powerful laser beam source on a vehicle on the ground is aimed at the drone's reflector mirror and the beam is aimed at the explosive device on the ground ( 17 ). Control electronics keep the drone hovering stably in the air at a safe distance above the object and the focal point of laser beams always hits the explosive device at one point. The heat generated in the process detonates the explosive device. The great thing about it is that it can be used to do work in areas that are not directly in sight, for example behind a hill or a building. The drone flies there behind the hill and because it can fly high it will still stay in sight. In addition, you can do it from a greater distance than would be possible with direct aiming of the laser beams. The laser beams diverge with distance. For example, if a point with a diameter of 1 cm is created in 100m, in 1000m there will be a circle of light of approx. 10cm, which supplies energy per cm ² that is almost a hundred times weaker. The drone can compensate for this. The drone catches this circle of laser beams with a mirror of 20 cm diameter and refocuses it to fractions of a cm ² , which significantly increases the laser beam density and thus the power per cm ² . Defusing explosive charges or explosive devices is relatively easy and can be done over long distances.

A MASER device 33 (which is a microwave laser) can be aimed at the drone's reflector or reflector layer and these beams can then be focused towards the ground (e.g. for detonating the explosive device) or emitted in a wider beam cone. That would be useful, for example, if the enemy should also be confused, which is quite feasible with intensive microwaves 34 . In this case, the reflector can then be optimized for microwave reflection. Ideally, one could design the reflector for two types of radiation or integrate two types of reflectors in one panel. You would then only have to turn the plate and align it with the corresponding radiation source for a reflection of the rays towards the ground. A reflector that is designed for both types of radiation is advantageous because then both types of radiation can actually be emitted and reflected simultaneously or one after the other. Nowadays there are new types of MASER that work at room temperature and do not need complex cooling systems, which are ideal for mobile purposes. The new MASER features a sapphire ring with a diamond in the middle. When microwaves and light hit the sapphire, they excite the electrons in the diamond. Shortly thereafter, these electrons fall back into the ground state and emit photons, which amplify the original signal. This process continues until microwaves are produced, which can be amplified with electrical amplifiers. The significantly cheaper Gunn diodes can also be used for such purposes.

The mirror in the drone can be made of an elastic or stretchable material ( 18 ). That would be an advantage because the shape of the mirror can be changed, or the degree of curvature could be adjusted almost arbitrarily. All that would have to be built into the drone would be a small air cushion 39 or a small balloon above the mirror, and depending on how much the balloon is inflated, the curvature of the mirror will increase. In this case, the mirror itself could be a flat air balloon 37, which becomes rounder and rounder as it is inflated by a small pump 38, which then transforms the mirror surface into a curved shape. If the mirror is not fixed, but made of a flexible or stretchable material and electroactive plastic elements or bimetallic elements 40 are installed behind the mirror, which can actively adjust the degree of curvature of the mirror as desired, a variable beam area can also be adjusted as a result. With bimetallic elements in the form of small bands/strips, a bulge can be achieved relatively easily and quickly. The bimetallic element is heated and it bends, ie it will take on a bridge shape. The higher the temperature, the more the bimetallic strip will bend. Because the element is directly connected to the mirror, the shape of the mirror will change at the same time - it will curve ( 18 ). The degree of curvature of the elastic mirror can also be adjusted as desired by a small electromagnet (or several of them). In that case, an electromagnet would have to be able to move a pin or small ball up and down, changing the degree of curvature of the mirror. That would be similar to a loudspeaker, but here the whole mirror would not be moved evenly, but the part in the middle would be pushed a little more than the periphery, which leads to a variable degree of curvature.

One or more cameras 32 should also be installed in the drone, with which one can observe targets on the ground more closely and target them with a microwave beam or laser beam or IR laser beam.

In order to more precisely control the illuminated area, the cameras are absolutely necessary. The video signals, which are then sent by radio to a ground station, could be shown on a display. The higher the drone climbs, the larger the illuminated area becomes. The light intensity and the size of the illuminated area depend on the power of the laser on the ground. With the powerful laser, several km ² can be illuminated without any problems. Of course, some of the laser beams can be lost if they don't hit the reflector perfectly, but still, a lot of them are bounced back on the ground. Because the laser beam that hits the reflector is highly concentrated and the broader cone of light on the ground is only generated by the reflector, the laser energy lost is relatively small. Powerful laser devices are available on the ground, which, for example, also work in the KW range. The mirror/reflector that a drone carries can be made of very light material so that there is hardly any additional weight for the drone. After all, it is not a very large plate (e.g. at most as large as the drone), which is slightly curved and has a reflective coating. The plate can be round or square. If it is square, the corners should positio into the space between the drone's propellers ned so as not to disturb the buoyancy of the propellers.

The drones can be equipped with buoyancy elements. Balloons or other buoyant bodies that are filled with a light gas (e.g. hydrogen or helium) are ideal for this. Advantages of drones with gas lift support or small, remote-controlled airship models with built-in light reflectors are easy handling and control, longer flight times and considerable flight altitudes. On the other hand, they are vulnerable to crosswinds and find it difficult to maintain position when the wind picks up.

All of these lighting systems and devices are about illuminating an area from above without installing the light source in the aircraft. A light source that comes from above is perceived as much more pleasant, does not dazzle and the circle of light on the illuminated area is therefore significantly larger. Applied to military purposes, the advantages of this lighting technology are undoubtedly recognizable. You can also use it to illuminate an area behind a hill or obstacle and by using IR laser beam technology alone for illuminating the area with IR laser beams (combined with night vision devices) or in combination with appropriate converters, the actual light source on the ground can be discreetly made safer act distance. The lighting system can also be used for scientific purposes. With it, rescue missions can be completed, crevasses and caves can be optimally explored.

Designed for military purposes, the variant with the drone can be used not only to illuminate an area on the ground, but also for other purposes. The variants with the variable mirror element whose curvature can be changed or the variants with the mirror chip can, as already mentioned, be used for the targeted detonation of the enemy's ammunition or mines. They would aim a laser beam at the object to be detonated, thereby detonating it. An optical system of lenses and / or mirror elements can also be installed in the drone, with which a laser beam that hits the drone can be deflected or reflected in a targeted and precise manner on the ground with the desired degree of focus.

The method also works quite well as a laser lightning conductor. A strong, air-ionizing laser beam is aimed at the drone, which in this case focuses the laser beam towards the ground, towards the sky or in both directions at the same time. The air ionizing effect of the laser beams creates ion channels in the laser beams themselves, which can cause a lightning discharge in the desired direction in thunderclouds. In this case, the drone or the missile would have to be equipped with a Faraday cage or a bypass conductor so that it does not take damage when the lightning strikes ( 19 ). The lightning arrestor property of the air-ionizing laser beams can also be used to defuse explosive devices or for their controlled ignition. By aligning the reflectors, the drone directs part of the laser beams in a focused form towards the clouds and the other part towards the ground, hitting the explosive device. The drone waits in this position, hovering in the air, until a lightning strike or a lightning discharge occurs through the laser beams. This lightning discharge hits the explosive device and detonates it. It's a method that usually only works in bad weather, but still. However, this can also damage the power grid or enemy power plants by causing short circuits in high-voltage networks. It is sufficient if the drone aims the air-ionizing laser beam at a high-voltage transformer or substation and causes short circuits there. UV laser beams act as a strong air ionizer, but with enough power, infrared laser beams can also have a good effect. Even green, blue or violet laser beams with enough energy can ionize the air. There are always dust particles in the air, and when they are hit by high-energy laser beams, micro-explosions occur that ionize the air along the laser beams.

On the 19 another drone has been presented, which is equipped with an optical deflection system that can deflect and focus a laser beam hitting the drone in any direction (including upwards). This drone can be used, for example, to launch missiles (rockets, other drones or airplanes/helicopters) with the help of laser beams. It is well known that the further a laser beam is thrown, the more it diverges. If you want to shoot down a rocket with a laser beam, then you need a very powerful laser that can emit correspondingly high-energy laser beams that are able to heat the shell of the rocket to such an extent that a built-in explosive device detonates or the rocket no longer explodes remains airworthy. However, this task is relatively difficult to accomplish. A laser beam projecting a spot of just 1 cm ² at 100m will create a circle with an area of 100cm ² at 1000m, attenuating the energy by more than 100 times (the air resistance or absorption due to dust particles included). At 10 km, the area of the circle of the laser beam will be about 1m ² (or even larger), which makes the initial energy appear almost 10,000 times weaker on 1 cm ² . If you use a 10KW laser, only about 1W per cm ² arrives at the point, which is not enough to destroy the shell of an explosive device or aircraft. This is where the drone can help. Because it is significantly closer to the target or can fly towards it, it can focus the laser beam again and thus aim precisely at the missile to be destroyed and deflect / reflect a large part of the laser energy concentrated to a few cm ² ( 20 ). For example, the drone can be flown to the area where the missiles will be launched, and then redirect or reflect a powerful laser beam emitted by a laser in a vehicle or ship in the direction of the missile. The variants with a mirror chip are relatively well suited for such purposes. You can focus the laser beam on one point and use it to hit the missiles. Because the mirror chip consists of numerous (hundreds, thousands or even millions) small mirror elements, the laser beam can be reflected in any direction. Focusing is also possible at any time. The drone can thus follow a rocket in flight with the laser beam without moving, hitting it at one point until it is destroyed. A mirror chip from an earlier invention is optimally suited for these purposes. There, a mirror chip is described that is ring-shaped with a hole in the middle. This mirror chip is designed in such a way that a laser beam then passes through the mirror system without major changes in the direction of the beam's origin, but with a new focus. The ring-shaped mirror chip that is hit by the laser beam is built into the mirror system. These laser beams are then focused and reflected on a second mirror, which then reflects the laser beams back into parallel form, with the new beam becoming significantly more "concentrated", or having a higher energy density, while the original beam direction is more or less retained. This variant works almost like a mirror telescope, but instead of a rigid mirror, a mirror chip is installed here, which can converge or diverge the laser beam in almost any way.

On the 21 a drone has been shown having a transparent light window from a lens or lens system with adjustable focusing properties. If you send a laser beam to the lens or the lens system, the laser beam will penetrate the drone almost unhindered and on the other side, depending on the control, this laser beam will emerge more or less focused. If you want to launch a missile with it, the laser beam is focused on this body. The drone itself is insensitive to laser beams because it is coated with a laser reflector. In this case, the drone serves as an intermediate laser beam guide, which refocuses the propagating laser beams on a target object and is therefore well suited for combat missions.

Finally, the system can also be optimally used for disinfection purposes. In that case, the drone reflector would have to be irradiated with UV laser beams from the source below on the ground, which would then be reflected back towards the ground unchanged, bundled or scattered, or emitted ( 22 ).

Reference List

1

drone

2

balloon

3

projectile or missile

4

parachute

5

vehicle

6

laser emitter

7

reflector

8th

wide cone of light

9

area, area

10

airship

11

Mirrors, mirrored surfaces

12

Luminescent / phosphorescent materials

13

light converter surfaces

14

moving mirrors

15

mirror chip

16

beam of light

17

laser beam

18

gimbal

19

ball joint

20

small laser diodes

21

Orientation laser beams from the drone

22

Bullet

23

ball socket

24

magnets

25

electromagnetic coils

26

light guide

27

light converter

28

inner surface of the parachute

29

reflector plate

30

fiber optic ball

31

Ambient Light Sensor

32

Camera / camera system

33

Microwave Emitter / Gun Diode / MASER

34

microwave beam

35

Upper mirror surface of the balloon or airship

36

lower transparent part of the balloon or airship

37

Balloon-like mirror

38

inflation pump

39

air cushion

40

electroactive plastic elements or bimetallic elements

41

light sensors

42

Detonator / small amount of explosive

43

Parachute Tank

44

Light windows or fiber optic junctions

45

Parachute container closing flap

46

side light window light guide junctions

47

Solar Module Foil

48

Cat Eyes / Retro Reflectors

49

cord / rope

50

anchor

51

Floor

52

Light converter ball / sphere

53

thin ropes

54

Lid behind an optical lens

55

protective screen

56

radio module

Claims (39)

Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, characterized in that it consists of at least - a mirror equipped with flight propulsion elements, - a remote control system that makes the flight propulsion elements remotely controllable, - a laser beam source that is mobile or stationary on the ground and aims a focused laser beam at the mirror, - a sensor or image acquisition system that is coupled to the laser beam source, which determines the position of the mirror in the air in real time - an electrical drive that can move or swivel the laser beam source in any direction, or can control a light deflection element that is installed at the output of the laser beam source, - a controller that is coupled to the sensor or image acquisition system and the electrical drive is that directs the laser beams of the laser beam source on the mirror automatically or manually controlled. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, characterized in that it consists of at least - one missile, - a small sphere, which consists of a material with light-converter properties or is coated with it, which installed under the missile, - a mirror or light reflector coupled to or built into the missile, positioned so that the light rays emitted from the small sphere, in the form of a light cone or collimated light beam, are directed downwards into ground direction, - a laser beam source that is mobile or stationary on the ground, which emits a radiation invisible to the eye, in the form of UV or infrared laser beams, which is aimed at the small sphere, - a sensor or image acquisition system , which is coupled to the laser beam source, which can determine the position of the small sphere in real time, - an electric drive, which can move or pivot the laser beam source in any direction, - a controller, which is connected to the sensor or image acquisition system and the is coupled to an electrical drive, which automatically or manually directs the laser beams from the laser beam source onto the small sphere of the missile, - there is a remote control, which remotely controls the flight behavior of the missile. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, characterized in that it consists of at least - one aircraft, - a light reflector, which is installed in the aircraft or is coupled to it, which is arranged in this way that reflects laser beams hitting it from below, at an angle or from the side, downwards in the direction of the ground, - a laser beam source that is mobile or stationary on the ground, that can be moved or pivoted in any direction and is aimed at the light reflector , - a controller with an electric drive, which is coupled to the laser beam source and whose laser beams are automatically or manually directed on the light reflector of the aircraft, - a controller or remote control, which controls the flight behavior of the aircraft. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that the mirror or the reflector can be tilted at will by means of electrical actuators. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 4 , characterized in that the laser beam source is coupled to an electrically driven light deflection element and a tracking system, which always directs the laser beams on the small ball or on the reflector of the aircraft. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 5 , characterized in that the aircraft is a remote-controlled drone or a small airship. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area in a punctiform manner or over a wide area, characterized in that it consists of at least - a projectile or a rocket equipped with a parachute, - a reflector consisting of a reflector or mirror - layer installed on the parachute wall pointing down after the parachute opening, which reflects the light rays hitting it from the side or obliquely from below, downwards in the direction of the ground, - a laser beam source, mobile or stationary attached to the ground, aimed at the reflector, - a visual tracking system capable of detecting the reflector on the projectile / missile parachute, - a controller with an electric drive, coupled to the tracking system and the laser beams always aimed at the reflector or mirror layer of the parachute. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, characterized in that it consists of at least - a projectile or a rocket which is equipped with a parachute, - a reflector or mirror layer which on the parachute wall pointing downwards after the parachute opening, - a light converter built into the projectile or rocket, which is in the focal point of the reflector after the parachute has opened, - a laser beam source, which mounted mobile or stationary on the floor, aimed at the reflector or mirror layer, - an electrical drive or light deflection system, which is coupled to the laser beam source, which can change its beam direction, - a controller, which is connected to the drive - and light deflection system, - a sensor system capable of detecting the position of the projectile or missile after opening the parachute, which is coupled to the controller, thanks to which the laser beams on the light converter are always directed. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area Claim 7 or 8th , characterized in that the projectile or rocket - a small amount of propellant, distributed in the form of fuel, explosives or primer in one or more chambers inside, has, - with a plurality of nozzles, which are connected to the chamber or the chambers are connected, - is equipped with light windows or light guides opening laterally to the outside, through which the laser beam from the laser beam source on the ground can penetrate and ignite the propellant and thereby convey the built-in parachute to the outside and/or the position of the projectile or the Rocket can change by thrust force is equipped. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, characterized in that it consists of at least - a gas balloon or remote-controllable airship with a transparent envelope and filled with a buoyant gas, - a reflector, which consists of a reflector or mirror layer built into the inner wall only on the upper side of the gas balloon or airship, - a light converter body built into the gas balloon or airship, which is placed under the reflector, - a Laser beam source, mobile or stationary attached to the floor, which is equipped with an electric drive that allows the laser beam source to be aimed in any direction, - an electronic controller that is coupled to the drive of the laser beam source, - a tracking system that is coupled to the electronic controller and records the position of the light converter body and aiming the laser beam source at the light converter body of the gas balloon / airship. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area Claim 10 , characterized in that - the inner wall is curved with the reflector or mirror layer, - the light converter body is constructed in the form of a disk, sphere or rod, - the light converter body is in the focal point of the reflector - the reflector reflects the light beams emitted from the light converter downwards towards the ground. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area Claim 9 or 10 , characterized in that the gas balloon or the airship is connected to a small weight that aligns it / it so that the reflector or mirror layer always stays up. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 10 until 12 , characterized in that the gas balloon or the airship is anchored by a cable to the ground or to a remote-controlled ground vehicle. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area at a point or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the laser beam source is a pulsed laser beam source which emits laser pulses with an adjustable repetition rate and which is installed in a vehicle on the ground or in installed in an aircraft or on a ship. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 14 , characterized in that the laser beam source emits visible light. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 1 until 14 , characterized in that the laser beam source emits in the infrared range. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 1 until 14 , characterized in that the laser beam source emits in the UV range. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that it has a microwave radiator or a Gunn element or an X-ray source instead of or in addition to the laser beam source. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that the reflector is a clear mirror or consists of a clear mirror coating or a mirror is provided with numerous small bulges or dents is or is a frosted mirror surface. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that it has several laser beam sources, which each emit laser beams in different wavelengths, all of which are aimed at a target. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that instead of the reflector or in addition to it, a light guide system is installed, in which the light guides are arranged in such a way that the light received from the side or at an angle from below is deflected or guided downwards towards the ground. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or area of the ground selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that it is equipped with at least one video radio transmission system. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that the laser beam source is equipped with an ambient light sensor and a control for this, which automatically adjusts the light intensity of the laser beam source controls depending on the ambient light intensity. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that the reflector is designed to reflect both types of radiation, both laser beams and microwave radiation. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that the reflector consists of electrically movable or pivotable mirror elements or of a mirror chip. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area Claim 25 , characterized in that the mirror elements or the mirror chip can be controlled via a remote control. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 1 until 5 or 9 until 26 , characterized in that the laser emitter is coupled to a modulator via which, in the laser beam, optically modulated control commands are transmitted to the missile or drone and the missile or drone with optical sensors and a demodulator that can receive the laser beam modulated commands and can implement them accordingly. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the preceding patent claims, characterized in that the reflector is made of an elastic, flexible or stretchable material and electroactive plastic elements behind the light reflector or Bimetal elements are installed, which can adjust the degree of curvature of the reflector as desired. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area Claim 27 , characterized in that an inflatable air cushion and a small electric pump or propellant cartridge with electric valves are installed behind the light reflector, whereby the degree of curvature can be adjusted as desired. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area Claim 29 , characterized in that the reflector itself is equipped with a mirror layer, inflatable air cushion. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 6 or 10 until 30 , characterized in that the aircraft or the drone with solar cells, which partially converts part of the laser beams from the laser beam source on the ground into electricity for the power supply of a built-in propulsion system. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 6 or 10 until 31 , characterized in that the aircraft or the drone with a light beam control system consisting of - several light sensors, which are distributed around the missile or the drone, - a drive control, which is coupled with each individual light sensor and the controls the drive to always fly in the direction determined by the light sensor most strongly illuminated by laser beams from the laser beam source on the ground. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 6 or 10 until 32 , characterized in that the aircraft or the drone is equipped with a laser focusing system that can deflect a laser beam incident there on a target or focus it in a point-like manner. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 6 or 10 until 33 , characterized in that it is equipped with an electrically movable or electromagnetically vibrating lens or mirror system in the optical axis, which alternately focuses the laser beam coming from the laser beam source in such a way that a fast moving focus point in the beam direction arises. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 6 or 10 until 34 , characterized in that - the aircraft or drone is equipped with a mirror that reflects the laser beams incident there in a bundled manner, - the laser beam source emits an air-ionizing laser beam. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area Claim 35 , characterized in that the aircraft or the drone is equipped with a double-mirror reflector, which reflects the incident laser beams bundled into two laser beams, with one direction being emitted towards the ground and the other towards the sky. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area Claim 35 or 36 , characterized in that the aircraft or drone, by reflecting air-ionizing laser beams and thereby generating conductive air ion channels in the air, is additionally designed as a laser beam lightning rod and with a Faraday cage or a bridge current conductor, which discharges the electrical discharge of the lightning energy redirected in such a way that it does not destroy the drone. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 6 or 10 until 37 , characterized in that the aircraft or drone is equipped with a flight control system and is designed for defusing or detonating explosive devices or ammunition by focusing a laser beam on the explosive devices or ammunition. Lighting system for military purposes, which is intended to illuminate an object or ground area selectively or over a wide area, according to one of the patent claims 2 until 6 or 10 until 38 , characterized in that the aircraft or drone is equipped with a flight stabilization system and for defusing or detonating explosive devices or ammunition by focusing an air-ionizing laser beam on the explosive devices or ammunition and thereby an atmospheric lightning discharge on the Explosive devices or ammunition directs is designed.

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