Digital streak camera with rotating mirror

• US 9,020,336 B1
• Filed: 05/29/2012
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cordin Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cordin Company, Inc.
• Inventors: Leahy, Ronald S., Ovellette, Joseph W., Holtman, Steve H., Larkin, William L.
• Primary Examiner(s): OSINSKI, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US13/482,806
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 348 36- 39, 348143-159, 34820799-20711, 348/218.1, 348/222.1, 348/239, 348262-265, 348335-369, 348373-376, 396322-340
• US Class Current: 396/333
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/105 with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors G02B26/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 39/00 High-speed photography
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00352 Input means H04N1/00411 takes precedence; input arrangements for computers G06F3/00

Abstract

A rotating mirror digital streak camera including means to convert an image presented to a roughly cylindrical image plane into a plurality of discrete zones, a sensor being adapted to capture the image data associated with each such zone, and a means to assemble the collected data to reconstruct the original image that is swept across the image plane as an essentially uninterrupted image.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

image relay optics configured to relay a light bundle representing a line image of a subject;

an image relay system structured to reflect said light bundle effective to sweep a focused image of said line image across a conventional image plane;

a first optical interruption element operable to focus a translated first swept image segment onto an alternative image plane removed from said conventional image plane; and

a first image sensor disposed to receive said translated first swept image segment as an input signal comprising said first swept image segment;

a second image sensor disposed to receive a second swept image segment as an input signal comprising said second swept image segment, wherein;

said second swept image segment is disposed adjacent to said first swept image segment to comprise a substantial continuation in time of an image contained in said first swept image segment;

a second optical interruption element disposed between said image relay system and said conventional image plane and operable to focus a translated third swept image segment at an alternative position removed from said conventional image plane;

a third image sensor disposed to receive said translated third swept image segment as an input signal comprising said third swept image segment; and

wherein

said third swept image segment is disposed adjacent to said second swept image segment to comprise a substantial continuation in time of an image contained in said second swept image segment.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

an image acquisition surface of said second image sensor is orthogonal to an image acquisition surface of said first image sensor.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

an image acquisition surface of said second image sensor is disposed at least approximately in said conventional image plane.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

an image acquisition surface of said third image sensor is disposed orthogonal to an image acquisition surface of said second image sensor.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

an image acquisition surface of said third image sensor is disposed parallel to an image acquisition surface of said first image sensor.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

an image acquisition area of said first image sensor is larger than required to capture the temporal length of said first translated swept image segment;

an image acquisition area of said second image sensor is larger than required to capture the temporal length of said second swept image segment; and

said first optical interruption element is disposed to create optical redundancy between a portion of captured image extending from the leading edge of said second swept image segment and the trailing edge of the preceding translated first swept image segment.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, in combination with software and a computing device for digitally stitching successive adjacent captured image segments to concatenate said successive adjacent captured image segments and create an uninterrupted image representative of that which would have been projected onto said conventional image plane;

wherein;

said uninterrupted image represents an uninterrupted temporal record of a length of said line image spanning across more than one sensor.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said first optical interruption element comprises a first surface mirror.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said first optical interruption element comprises a reflecting prism.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

an optical element disposed in the path of said light bundle comprises a beam splitter.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an optical element disposed in operable association with the data acquisition surface of said first image sensor effective to translate a focused image from said alternative image plane to the effective plane of data acquisition of said first image sensor.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein;

said optical element comprises a cylindrical lens.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein;

said optical element comprises a fused fiber optic plate having a negative cylindrical profile in one axis, fibers in said plate being aligned and oriented to translate said image from a receptor surface to a transmitter surface, said transmitter surface being arranged to convey said image to said first image sensor.