Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for scanning radiated energy using a single mirror with a plurality of pivotal positions

US4560869A · kind A · utility

8Cited by

3References

19Claims

0Family size

Assignee

ELTRO GmbH · DE

Inventors

Rochus Hien · Speyer, DE
Wolfgang Weigel · Igersheim, DE
Horst Vierling · Heidelberg, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Feb 15, 1985
Grant date	Dec 24, 1985
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Feb 15, 2005

Classification

Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
CPC primaryH04N3/09
WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The method and apparatus for scanning for radiated energy employs a scanning mirror (1) pivoting azimuthally about a vertical scanning axis (2) and capable of being pivoted also about a pivotal axis (3) that makes an angle with the scanning axis. The mirror reflects the incident IR energy onto a vertically disposed field composed on n individual IR detector elements (22) having (n-1) spacings of equal magnitude. The horizontal motion of the mirror takes place in customary manner but the pivotal motion is smaller than the individual detector elements and their separations. Therefore, the same thermal image requires several pivotal processes and, hence, also several mutually parallel horizontal scanning motions, resulting in achieving greater resolution of the image.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.