Scanning sensor processing apparatus and method for providing correction of output signal distortion

A method of simultaneously correcting time varying view angle errors and suppressing sensor noise in a sensor output signal of a scanning sensor system, comprising the steps of:

• detecting a jitter error angle as the difference between an actual view angle and a desired view angle for the scanning sensor system;
• generating a jitter erro signal corresponding to the detected jitter angle error;
• storing data samples of the sensor output signal in a data memory;
• selecting one of a plurality of stored weighting coefficient sets in accordance with the jitter error signal, each weighting coefficient set corresponding to a noise suppression filter impulse response;
• multiplying each stored data sample by a respective weighting coefficient from the selected set of weighting coefficients;
• and
• generating a corrected sensor output signal by summing the multiplicative results.

A scanning sensor system for simultaneously correcting time varying view angle errors and suppressing sensor noise, comprising:

• a scanning sensor producing a sensor output signal cor-responding to an actual view angle which differs from a desired
• view angle by a jitter angle error;
• means for sampling the sensor output signal at a predetermined sample interval n such that a plurality of data samples V.sub.1 -V.sub.i are provided for corresponding sample intervals n.sub.1 -n.sub.i ;
• a data memory for sequentially storing data samples V.sub.1 -V.sub.i ;
• means for selecting a set of k data samples from the stored data samples V - V.sub.i ;
• means for detecting the jitter angle error, and for generating a jitter time error signal M(n) corresponding to the detected jitter angle error, the jitter time error signal including an integer portion IP.sub.n, corresponding to a nearest integer multiple of the sample interval and a fractional portion FPn, less than the sample interval;
• coefficient memory means for storing a plurality of weighting coefficient sets, each weighting coefficient set being defined by a noise suppression filter impulse response;
• means for selecting a weighting coefficient W(n) from the plurality of weighting coefficient sets for each respective data sample V(n) of the selected set of k data samples;
• means for multiplying each respective data sample V(n) by the respective selected weighting coefficient W(n);
• and
• means for generating a corrected sensor output signal from the products of the multiplying means.

A method of simultaneously correcting time varying view angle errors and suppressing sensor noise in a sensor output signal of a scanning sensor system, comprising the steps of:

• sampling the sensor output signal at the sample interval n, such that a plurality of data samples V.sub.1 -V.sub.i are provided for corresponding sample intervals n.sub.1 -n.sub.i ;
• storing data samples V.sub.1 -V.sub.i in a data memory;
• selecting a set of k data samples from the stored data samples V.sub.1 -V.sub.i ;
• detecting a jitter angle error as the difference between an actual view angle and a desired view angle;
• generating a jitter time error signal M(n) corresponding to the detected jitter angle error, the jitter time error signal including an integer portion IP.sub.n corresponding to a nearest integer multiple of the sample interval and a fractional portion FP.sub.n less than the sample interval;
• selecting a weighting coefficient, W(n), from a plurality of stored weighting coefficient sets for each respective data sample V(n) of the selected set of k data samples, each weighting coefficient set being defined by a noise suppression filter impulse response;
• multiplying each respective data sample, V(n), of the selected set of k data samples by the respective selected weight-ing coefficient W(n);
• and
• generating a corrected sensor output signal from the multiplicative results.