Eye Safe Lasers And Their Miltary Applications In Germany

James F. Ruger

doi:10.1117/12.948316

7 December 1988 Eye Safe Lasers And Their Miltary Applications In Germany

James F. Ruger

Proceedings Volume 0972, Infrared Technology XIV; (1988) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.948316
Event: 32nd Annual International Technical Symposium on Optical and Optoelectronic Applied Science and Engineering, 1988, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

Laser rangefinders, laser altimeters, laser radars and other laser equipment must at least fulfill the requirements of class III a as defined in the STANAG 3606 (Standard Nato agreement) in order to be eye safe. This class calls out a Nominal Optical Hazard Distance of zero meters thus guaranteeing eye safety for direct observation into the exit pupil of the laser transmitter with the unprotected eye. Some military applications in the Federal Republic of Germany place a more strenuous NOHD requirement, namely 0 meters for intra beam viewing with a 10x50 binoculars. Such a system is described. The performance achieved shows that the class III a requirement need not necessary exclude the use of such a laser for military applications. On the contrary, the measured data of such lasers shows a performance which excells that achieved with the military proven Nd:YAG laser. The eye safe feature plays an important role in respect to training. Namely training can be conducted using the actual laser system without the need for laser simulation techniques thus allowing for real system training. This paper reports on the performance of lasers operating at 0.9 μm, 1.54 μm and 10.6 μm. The laser types used in the three wavelengths are the semi-conductor, the Raman-shifted Nd:YAG and the CO₂ TEA laser respectively. The results show - naturally excluding weapon laser requirements - that eye safe lasers can really fulfill the performance requirements of military systems.

Citation Download Citation

James F. Ruger "Eye Safe Lasers And Their Miltary Applications In Germany", Proc. SPIE 0972, Infrared Technology XIV, (7 December 1988); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.948316

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KEYWORDS

Eye

Laser safety

Raman spectroscopy

Laser range finders

Nominal ocular hazard distance

Transmitters

Gas lasers

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