Jul 15, 2025

US12359967 - Deployable micro-spectrometer bullets

A tiny and portable micro-spectrometer deployable in a bullet-like form that is inexpensive to the point that it can even be disposable is described. The device is based on the micro-spectrometer that uses the Fresnel diffraction principle that allows a tiny implementation with a nanometer resolving power of spectral signal. A bullet-like micro-spectrometer has an integration of a super capacitor as a power source, a charging coil for the super capacitor, an LED or laser diode light source and driver, an analog to digital converter (ADC) circuit, and a telemetry system with antenna string. An LED or laser diode runs in a burst mode to generate deep or vacuum UV to excite target material. When the excited state of target material undergoes a singlet or triplet transition, this transition process yields fluorescence or luminescence which is a material-dependent. The micro-spectrometer senses and uses this spectral emission from material to identify the spectral signature of the targeted material. The data is converted by an ADC and transmitted to a receiving station.

Assignee: SPACE AGE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC.
Inventors: Sang H. Choi, Robert W. Moses
Filing date: 2023-04-12

The patent describes a deployable micro-spectrometer designed in a bullet-like form that utilizes a super capacitor and a burst-mode light source to analyze and transmit spectral data from target materials. This innovative device can be launched from various platforms, including firearms and satellites, and is intended to be both portable and disposable.

Claim 1

A bullet micro-spectrometer comprising: a super capacitor configured to be chargeable and dischargeable for supplying power; a charging/discharging mode selection circuit configured to charge and discharge the super capacitor; a burst-mode light emitting diode (LED) ultraviolet (UV) light source or a laser diode light source that produce ultraviolet light; driving control electronics configured to control the ultraviolet light emitted by the burst-mode LED UV light source or the laser diode light source for burst mode emission of deep or vacuum ultraviolet light; telemetry electronics configured to collect and transmit digitized spectral data; and a stretchable wire antenna through which the digitized spectral data are transmitted, configured to be deployed as a projectile from a gun, as a mortar shell, as a self-propelled rocket, as a projectile from a rover vehicle, as a projectile from a satellite, from a bottom of a shoe, or from an axial end of a stick. a super capacitor configured to be chargeable and dischargeable for supplying power; a charging/discharging mode selection circuit configured to charge and discharge the super capacitor; a burst-mode light emitting diode (LED) ultraviolet (UV) light source or a laser diode light source that produce ultraviolet light; driving control electronics configured to control the ultraviolet light emitted by the burst-mode LED UV light source or the laser diode light source for burst mode emission of deep or vacuum ultraviolet light; telemetry electronics configured to collect and transmit digitized spectral data; and a stretchable wire antenna through which the digitized spectral data are transmitted, configured to be deployed as a projectile from a gun, as a mortar shell, as a self-propelled rocket, as a projectile from a rover vehicle, as a projectile from a satellite, from a bottom of a shoe, or from an axial end of a stick.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12359967

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12359967