Scanning apparatus

• US 7,154,650 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2004
• Issued: 12/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Farran Technology Limited (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Farran Technology Limited (Smiths Group International Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lettington, Alan H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Mark A.
• Application Number:
  US10/919,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20050122556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 359/201, 359/220, 359/226, 343/758, 343/765
• US Class Current: 359/201.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/08 having a moving reflector
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/09 for electromagnetic radiation in the invisible region, e.g. infrared

Abstract

Scanning apparatus operable in the microwave, mm-wave and infrared ranges and comprises a support structure, a first reflective disc or mirror (10) which is mounted in said support structure for rotation relative to the support structure about a first axis (14), and a second reflective disc or mirror (12) which is mounted in said support structure for rotation relative to the support structure about a second axis (16) and driving means for said discs or mirrors arranged to drive these in respective opposite senses. In operation of the apparatus, radiation from a scene being scanned reaching a reflective surface of the first disc or mirror is reflected thereby onto a reflective surface of the second disc or mirror, to be reflected by the latter, in turn, onto the reflective surface of the first disc or mirror again, to be reflected from the first disc or mirror into or onto a further part of the apparatus incorporating a receiver or receivers for such radiation. The reflective surface of the first disc or mirror has an axis of rotational symmetry, tilted at a first small angle relative to said first axis and the reflective surface of the second disc or mirror has an axis of rotational symmetry tilted at a second angle relative to said second axis. The driving means for the discs or mirrors is arranged to drive these in such a way as to effect a substantially linear scan. the size of said second angle relative to said first angle being selected so as to reduce or eliminate pupil wander in the direction orthogonal to the direction of line scan.

Claims

1. Scanning apparatus operable in the microwave, mm-wave and infrared ranges and comprising a support structure, a first reflective disc or mirror which is mounted in said support structure for rotation relative to the support structure about a first axis, a second reflective disc or mirror which is mounted in said support structure for rotation relative to the support structure about a second axis, the arrangement being such that radiation from a scene being scanned can reach a reflective surface of the first disc or mirror to be reflected thereby onto a reflective surface of the second disc or mirror, to be reflected by the latter, in turn, onto said reflective surface of the first disc or mirror again, to be reflected from the first disc or mirror into or onto a further part of the apparatus incorporating a receiver or receivers for such radiation, and wherein said reflective surface of the first disc or mirror has an axis of rotational symmetry tilted at a first small angle relative to said first axis and wherein said reflective surface of the second disc or mirror has an axis of rotational symmetry tilted at a second angle relative to said second axis, and driving means for said discs or mirrors arranged to drive these in respective opposite senses, the arrangement being such as to effect a substantially linear scan, the size of said second angle relative to said first angle being selected so as to reduce or eliminate pupil wander in the direction orthogonal to the direction of line scan.

2. Scanning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said further part of the apparatus includes means arranged to effect a field scan or partial field scan in a direction perpendicular to the direction of line scan.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the arrangement is such that such image is repeatedly scanned past such array whilst effecting a partial field scan such that each receiver receives, in succession, input for a succession of scanned lines of a scanning raster.

4. Scanning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said further part of the apparatus includes a linear array of receivers, the apparatus being so arranged that, in effect, an image of the scene is scanned past the linear array in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which that linear array extends.

5. Scanning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said discs or mirrors has a concave reflective surface for focussing said radiation.

6. Scanning apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the arrangement is such that the radiation reflected by said first mirror from said second mirror passes in a direction substantially opposite to the direction of the radiation coming into the first mirror from the scene being scanned and wherein an apertured reflector is arranged in front of said first mirror to reflect incoming radiation from the scene being scanned onto said first mirror and the arrangement is such that the radiation reflected from said second mirror by said first mirror is focussed to pass through the aperture in the apertured mirror to said further part of the apparatus.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein picture information for each line of the scanned image is provided by a respective radiation receiver or sensor in an array of such receivers or sensors, each receiving radiation from a respective elevation in the field of view relative to said support structure.

8. Scanning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a combined polarizing filter and focussing reflector is interposed between said first mirror or disc and the scene to be scanned, such that radiation reaching said first mirror to be reflected onto said second mirror is polarised in a first direction, and wherein a Faraday rotator or quarter wave plate is interposed between said first mirror and said second mirror, whereby the radiation reflected by the first mirror to the second mirror and by the second mirror back to the first mirror, is passed twice through said Faraday rotator or quarter wave plate and has thus had its direction of polarization rotated through 90°

with respect to the radiation passing through the combined polarizing filter and focussing reflector towards said first mirror, such radiation, after reflection onto said first mirror from the second mirror being thereafter reflected by the first mirror towards the combined polarizing filter and focussing reflector, the apparatus including an array of polarization sensitive detectors (36) interposed between the first mirror (10) and said combined polarizing filter and focussing reflector (40) and oriented to be sensitive to polarised radiation reflected thereto from the combined polarization filter and focussing reflector (40).

9. Scanning apparatus operable in the microwave, mm-wave and infrared ranges and comprising a support structure, a first reflective disc or mirror which is mounted in said support structure for rotation relative to the support structure about a first axis, a second reflective disc or mirror which is mounted in said support structure for rotation relative to the support structure about a second axis, the arrangement being such that radiation from a scene being scanned can reach a reflective surface of the first disc or mirror to be reflected thereby onto a reflective surface of the second disc or mirror, to be reflected by the latter, in turn, onto a further part of the apparatus incorporating a receiver or receivers for such radiation, and wherein said reflective surface of the first disc or mirror has an axis of rotational symmetry, tilted at a small angle relative to said first axis and wherein said reflective surface of the second disc or mirror has an axis of rotational symmetry tilted at a small angle relative to said second axis, and driving means for said discs or mirrors arranged to drive these in respective opposite senses, and wherein said first and second reflective discs or mirrors are both concave mirrors, arranged with their concave sides facing one another and wherein a wire grid polariser is located between the mirrors inclined at an angle with respect to the two mirrors so as to receive radiation, from a scene being scanned, arriving transversely with respect to said first and second axes and to reflect a plane polarised component of such radiation towards said first mirror, and wherein a quarter wave plate or Faraday rotator is located between said first mirror and said wire grid polariser, whereby the radiation passing to said first mirror and reflected thereby towards said second mirror has its polarisation direction shifted through 90 degrees in passing twice through said quarter wave plate or Faraday rotator and can thus pass through said wire grid polariser to said second mirror to be focussed by said second mirror onto a radiation detector or receiver located between said first mirror and said second mirror.