Alignment of double eccentric aiming system for solid state camera

• US 4,884,145 A
• Filed: 12/31/1986
• Issued: 11/28/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fairchild Weston Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Loral Corporation (Newell Brands Inc.)
• Inventors: Thompson, William R., Kaye, Seymour
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/948,258
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 358/229, 358/225, 358/55, 358/101, 358/106, 358/107, 350/518, 350/522, 350/247, 350/252, 350/287, 340/705
• US Class Current: 348/189
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils

Abstract

An improved camera for recording stimuli received by the pilot of an aircraft. The camera features an improved mount for alignment of a charge-coupled device image forming element with respect to the housing of the camera. The improved mount comprises inner and outer eccentric adjustment members fitting within a bore in the camera housing. Each adjustment member comprises a cylindrical outer surface and a cylindrical bore, the axes of the cylindrical bores and cylindrical outer surfaces being parallel to but not coincident with one another, such that axial misalignment of an image forming element mounted on the inner adjustment member may be corrected by relative rotation of the adjustment members. Skew adjustment may also be provided. During assembly, the camera according to the invention is mounted on an alignment fixture bearing a predetermined relation to a target. A video image of the target provided by the image-forming element is displayed on a cathode ray tube display device for comparison to a reference image. The inner and outer adjustment members are rotated until the images are aligned, and are then locked. The aircraft contains a camera mount which is in fixed predetermined relation to an object which is to be imaged precisely.

Claims

1. An apparatus for aligning an image-forming optical element with respect to an object to be imaged, comprising:

(a) a housing comprising alignment means for permitting adjustment of the relative positions of an element mounting member and said housing, said alignment means comprising inner and outer eccentric adjustment members, each of said adjustment members comprising an outer cylindrical surface and a bore, the axes of said cylindrical surfaces and bores of said adjustment members being parallel to but not coaxial to one another, said element mounting member having a cylindrical surface fitting within said bore of said inner eccentric adjustment member, and said housing comprising a cylindrical bore for receiving said outer eccentric adjustment member,

(b) means for fixably mounting said image forming optical element to said element mounting member,

(c) means for mounting said housing on an alignment mount in predetermined relation to an optical target,

(d) means for operating said image-forming optical element to display an image of said optical target,

(e) means for adjusting the position of said optical element with respect to said housing and said alignment mount by varying the relative angular positions of said inner and outer eccentric adjustment member relative to the housing until said image of said optical target indicates that said element is properly aligned,

(f) means for locking said optical element with respect to said housing; and

(g) means for mounting said housing on a second mount in predetermined relation to said object to be imaged.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said image-forming optical element is a charge-coupled device image formation element.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in further combination with means for recording an image formed by said image forming optical element.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said alignment means further comprises skew adjustment means for correction of angular error in the position of the image forming optical element relative to the object to be imaged.

5. A method for the aligning of an image-forming optical element with respect to an object to be imaged, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a housing comprising alignment means for permitting adjustment of the relative positions of an element mounting member and said housing, said alignment means comprising inner and outer eccentric adjustment members, each of said adjustment members comprising an outer cylindrical surface and a bore, the axes of said cylindrical surfaces and bores of said adjustment members being parallel to but not coaxial to one another, said element mounting member having a cylindrical surface fitting within said bore of said inner eccentric adjustment member, and said housing comprising a cylindrical bore for receiving said outer eccentric adjustment member,

(b) fixedly mounting said image-forming optical element to said element mounting member,

(c) mounting said housing on an alignment mount in predetermined relation to an optical target,

(d) operating said image-forming optical element to display an image of said optical target,

(e) adjusting the position of said optical element with respect to said housing and said alignment mount by varying the relative angular positions of said inner and outer eccentric adjustment members relative to the housing until said image of said optical target indicates that said element is properly aligned

(f) locking said optical element with respect to said housing, and

(g) mounting said housing on a second mount in predetermined relation to said object to be imaged.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said adjusting step (e) further includes the steps of comparing the displayed image of said optical target with a reference image, and varying the relative positions of said inner and outer eccentric adjustment members relative to the housing until said images are axially aligned.

7. The method of claim 6 further including the step of adjusting the angular position of said image-forming optical element to obtain angular alignment of said displayed image with respect to said reference image.