Optical receiving apparatus

A method of employing an optical component comprising at least one or more first lenses, and at least a series of first active elements, each of the first active elements being operable to receive light;

• the method comprising:
• operating an actuator arranged to effect a relative movement between the optical component and the series of first active elements in a first direction;
• and
• operating addressing circuitry to selectively activate a selected subset of one or more of the first active elements, from among a plurality of possible subsets, to receive light;
• wherein each of the first active elements is disposed behind a respective one of the first lenses so as when activated to receive light through the respective lens;
• different ones of the first active elements are arranged at different positions relative to their respective lens in a second direction non-parallel to the first direction, and thus by selecting which of the first active elements to activate using the addressing circuitry, a first receiving beam can be controlled to be formed at a selected angle in a second dimension as determined by the position of the activated element relative to its respective lens;
• and
• by operating the actuator to effect a relative motion between the optical component and the series of first active elements in the first direction, the first receiving beam is controlled to be formed at a selected angle in a first dimension non-parallel to the second dimension.