High speed line scanner

Claim 2

In combination with a moving vehicle a line scanning apparatus secured to the vehicle comprising a main imaging lens to image the subject upon a focal plane, a thin flexible fiber optic unit of sheet-like form having its fibers arranged in the same lateral sequence at its input and output ends and operable to transmit one scan line at a time from said focal plane to an arcuate line at its output end, a driven scanner rotating upon an axis at the center of said arcuate line having at least one scanning lens of short focal length fixed on the scanner to move close to the said arcuate end of the fiber optic unit in focus with the ends of the fibers, means to produce timing signals at the beginning and end of each line scanned, a fixed condenser Lens, a mirror fixed to the scanner positioned to reflect light passing through the scanner lens to said condensing lens, a fixed aperture plate acting to reduce the reflected light passing the condenser lens to a small area beam, light sensing means receiving said small beam and communication and reproduction means modulated by the output of said sensing means.

Claim 3

In combination with a moving vehicle a line scanning apparatus according to claim 1 and a support for the input end of said fiber optic unit movable with respect to the vehicle in the focal plane of the main focusing lens, an attitude reference gyro fixed in the vehicle, means connected to said gyro including servo motors acting to correcting the attitude of the image scanned when it is shifted by the pitch, yaw and roll of the vehicle by shifting only the position of the fiber optics support.

Claim 4

Line scanning apparatus in combination with means for producing relative motion between the subject and the line scanner comprising a lens for imaging the subject upon a focal plane, a thin sheet-like fiber optic unit having a thickness of substantially one scan line and in which the fibers are arranged in the same lateral sequence at its input and output ends, the fiber ends at one end of the unit ending upon the focal plane and at its other end the fibers end upon the arc of a circle, a driven scanner rotatable upon the center of said arc and having fixed thereon at least one short focus lens with its axis upon a radius from the rotational axis and having its focal plane upon said arc, a mirror fixed on the scanner in position to reflect light passing through the lens in a direction at an angle to the incident light, means to produce timing signals at the beginning and end of each line scanned, fixed means to reduce the reflected light to a small stationary beam modulated by the changing light intensities along the line scanned by the scanning lens as it traverses the said arcuate end of the fiber optic unit, light sensing means receiving the reduced light beam, communication and reproducing means modulated by the output of said sensing means operable to reconstruct the image of the subject and light excluding means for protecting the apparatus from extraneous light.

Claim 5

Line scanning apparatus in combination with means for producing relative motion between the subject and the line scanner comprising a lens for imaging the subject upon a focal plane, a thin sheet-like fiber optic unit having a thickness of substantially one scan line and in which the fibers are arranged in the same lateral sequence at its input and output ends, the fiber ends at one end of the unit ending upon the focal plane and at its other end the fibers end upon the arc of a circle, a driven scanner rotatable upon the center of said arc and having fixed thereon at least one short focus lens with its axis upon a radius from the rotational axis and having its focal plane upon said arc, a mirror fixed on the scanner in position to reflect light passing through the lens in a direction at an angle to the incident light, means to produce timing signals at the beginning and end of each line scanned, fixed means to reduce the reflected light to a small stationary beam modulated by the changing light intensities along the line scanned by the scanning lens as it traverses the said arcuate end of the fiber optic unit, light sensing means receiving the reduced light beam, communication and reproducing means modulated by the output of said sensing means operable to reconstruct the image of the subject and light excluding means for protecting the apparatus from extraneous light.

Claim 6

Apparatus for line scanning comprising a lens for focusing an image of the subject scanned upon a focal plane, a light excluding casing for housing the appartus and in which said lens is mounted in a wall thereof, a masking plate intercepting light passing through the lens and having a thin straight slot therein extending substantially diametrically across the full width of the lens format, a thin sheet-like flexible fiber optic element having its fibers arranged in the same lateral sequence at its input and output ends, one end of said element extending through and occupying the full area of said slot this end of the element having the ends of all its fibers ending upon the focal plane of the lens, the other end of the fiber optics having the ends of the fibers ending upon an arc of a circle, a driven scanner rotatable on the center of said arc having a plurality of mirrors thereon each mirror having a short focus lens of the microscope type secured to the scanner with its optical axis coinciding with a radius from the scanner axis and passing through the center area of its respective mirror said lens positioned to place its focal plane upon said arc, means to produce timing signals at the beginning and end of each line scanned, a condensing lens positioned to receive the light passing through the mirror lens and reflected from its mirror during its scanning motion along the arcuate end of the fiber optic member, a fixed aperture plate limiting the light from the mirrors and condensing lens to a small area beam and light converting means receiving light issuing from said aperture plate whereby the units of light intensity of each line scan are converted to electrical pulses which are communicated to ground where each line may be reconstructed to contiNuously reproduce the image of the subject.

Claim 7

Apparatus for line scanning comprising a lens for focusing an image of the subject scanned upon a focal plane, a light excluding casing for housing the appartus and in which said lens is mounted in a wall thereof, a masking plate intercepting light passing through the lens and having a thin straight slot therein extending substantially diametrically across the full width of the lens format, a thin sheet-like flexible fiber optic element having its fibers arranged in the same lateral sequence at its input and output ends, one end of said element extending through and occupying the full area of said slot this end of the element having the ends of all its fibers ending upon the focal plane of the lens, the other end of the fiber optics having the ends of the fibers ending upon an arc of a circle, a driven scanner rotatable on the center of said arc having a plurality of mirrors thereon each mirror having a short focus lens of the microscope type secured to the scanner with its optical axis coinciding with a radius from the scanner axis and passing through the center area of its respective mirror said lens positioned to place its focal plane upon said arc, means to produce timing signals at the beginning and end of each line scanned, a condensing lens positioned to receive the light passing through the mirror lens and reflected from its mirror during its scanning motion along the arcuate end of the fiber optic member, a fixed aperture plate limiting the light from the mirrors and condensing lens to a small area beam and light converting means receiving light issuing from said aperture plate whereby the units of light intensity of each line scan are converted to electrical pulses which are communicated to ground where each line may be reconstructed to contiNuously reproduce the image of the subject.