Scanning radiation sensor with automatic focus control for optimal focus and method
AssigneeSquare D Company
InventorsWilliam J. Danley, Jeffrey M. Kresch, Eugene F. Kalley
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Abstract
A scanning radiation sensor (10) automatically focuses a focusable optical system (26) based on the closest distance (C) and the farthest distance (F) of the optical system (26) from a target (12) through means of a focusing controller (44), motor driver (42) and focus motor (40) to obtain an optimum focus for all points along a line between the farthest point (f) and closest point (c).
Claims21
In a scanning radiation sensor having a scanning optical system for collecting exitance from selected spots located on a target, a detector for converting the collected exitance into an electrical signal for each spot and means for converting the electrical signal into a representation of radiation of the selected spots, the improvement being an apparatus for automatically obtaining an optimal focus of the optical system to minimize the largest resolution for said spots, comprising:
- means for receiving an input representative of the distance from the optical system to the selected spot on the target closest to the optical system;
- means for receiving an input representative of the distance from the optical system to the selected spot on the target farthest from the optical system;
- means responsive to said inputs representative of the farthest and closest distance for automatically determining an optimal focus setting for the scanning optical system;
- and
- means responsive to said optimal focus automatically determining means to automatically adjust the focus of the scanning optical system to said optimal focus setting.
In a scanning radiation sensor having a scanning optical system for collecting exitance from selected spots on a target, a detector for converting the collected exitance into an electrical signal for each spot and means for converting the electrical signal into a representation of radiation of the selected spots, a method for obtaining an optimal focus of the optical system to minimize the largest resolution for all of the spots, comprising the steps of:
- determining the closest distance from the optical system to the closest selected spot on the target;
- determining the farthest distance from the optical system to the farthest selected spot;
- automatically determining the optimal focus setting for the scanning optical system to achieve the minimum largest resolution for all the selected spots based on said farthest and closest distances;
- and
- automatically adjusting the focus of the scanning optical system to said optimal focus setting.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.