Heterodyne starring array active imager
First Claim
1. A heterodyne starring array active imager for producing an image, the heterodyne starring array imager comprising:
- a light source for intermittently illuminating a scene;
an array of light collecting sites imaging the scene, each one of the light collecting sites comprising;
a coupling component for optically coupling scene light into a first waveguide;
a local oscillator light coupled into a second waveguide;
the first and second waveguides coupled to a third waveguide, the scene light and the local oscillator light merging and propagating into the third waveguide;
a square law photo detector for receiving light propagating in the third waveguide, wherein heterodyning of the scene light and the local oscillator light occurs at the photo detector to produce a photo detector output signal;
components for processing and integrating a plurality of the photo detector output signals to produce a frame signal; and
a read-out device producing an array signal responsive to the frame signal from each light collecting site.
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Abstract
A heterodyne starring array active imager for producing an image. The imager comprises a light source intermittently illuminating a scene and an array of light collecting sites imaging the scene, each one comprising: a coupling component optically coupling scene light into a first waveguide and a local oscillator light coupled into a second waveguide. The first and second waveguides coupled to a third waveguide such that the scene light and local oscillator light propagate into the third waveguide. A square law photo detector associated with each light collecting site receives the merged light for heterodyning the scene light and the local oscillator light. Components receive and process the heterodyned light from the photo detectors to produce a frame signal for each light collecting site. A read-out device produces an array signal responsive to the frame signal from each light collecting site.
11 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A heterodyne starring array active imager for producing an image, the heterodyne starring array imager comprising:
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a light source for intermittently illuminating a scene; an array of light collecting sites imaging the scene, each one of the light collecting sites comprising; a coupling component for optically coupling scene light into a first waveguide; a local oscillator light coupled into a second waveguide; the first and second waveguides coupled to a third waveguide, the scene light and the local oscillator light merging and propagating into the third waveguide; a square law photo detector for receiving light propagating in the third waveguide, wherein heterodyning of the scene light and the local oscillator light occurs at the photo detector to produce a photo detector output signal; components for processing and integrating a plurality of the photo detector output signals to produce a frame signal; and a read-out device producing an array signal responsive to the frame signal from each light collecting site. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A heterodyne starring array active imager for producing an image, the heterodyne starring array imager comprising:
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a continuous laser light source for intermittently illuminating a scene by operation of an adjustable range gate, wherein intermittently illuminating the light source comprises pulsing the light source on and off, and wherein for a first frame a duty cycle of the on and off pulses is 0.5, and wherein during subsequent frames the duty cycle is reduced to 0; an N×
M array of light collecting sites imaging the scene, wherein N and M are integers and each one of the light collecting sites comprising;a coupling component further comprising a horn coupler or a Bragg grating coupler for optically coupling scene light into a first waveguide; a Mach Zehnder interferometer disposed between the coupling component and a first waveguide, the Mach Zehnder interferometer operating as an optical switch; a polarization diversifier for converting the scene light to a single mode, the polarization diversifier disposed between the Mach Zehnder and the first waveguide; a local oscillator light coupled into a second waveguide, wherein a spectral bandwidth of the local oscillator light is smaller than a spectral bandwidth of the scene light; the first and second waveguides coupled to a third waveguide, the scene light and the local oscillator light merging and propagating into the third waveguide; a square law photo detector for receiving light propagating in the third waveguide, wherein heterodyning of the scene light and the local oscillator light occurs at the photo detector to produce a photo detector output signal; wherein while the light source illuminates the scene, a wavelength of the local oscillator light is changed such that a difference frequency of the local oscillator light and the scene light is outside temporal bandwidth of the square law photo detector; components for AC coupling rectifying, and low pass filtering or integrating a plurality of the photo detector output signals to produce a frame signal; and a read-out device producing an array signal responsive to the frame signal from each light collecting site.
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Specification