Device for generating picture information in real time for testing picture resolving sensors

A device for generating picture information in real time for testing picture resolving sensors (32), comprising:

• (a) a micro-mechanical mirror array (20) comprising a two-dimensional array of mirror elements (22) and means for moving said mirror elements individually between first and second operative positions in response to actuating signals,
• (b) illuminating means
• which are arranged to illuminate said mirror array (20) and
• the light of which, in the first operative position of each particular mirror element (22), being reflected to pass by a sensor (32) to be tested and, in the second operative position of the mirror element (22A) being reflected into the path of rays (26) of the sensor (32),
• (c) actuating means (34,36) for actuating said moving means to move said mirror elements (22) into said first or second operative positions such that the sensor to be tested observes a simulated object scene,
• (d) a detector array of detector elements wherein
• (e) said mirror array (20) comprises a plurality of submatrices, each of which, in turn, consists of a plurality of matrix elements, said mirror array (20) and said illuminating means being arranged such that light incident from said illuminating means and reflected by elements of each particular one of said submatrices, if said reflecting elements are in their second operating positions, falls on a particular detector element associated with said particular sub-matrix, and
• (e) the number of mirror elements (22) associated with each particular detector element, which are moved by the actuating means into their second operative positions, being variable, in order to vary the simulated object intensity.

A method of testing picture resolving sensors (32) having a detector array of detector elements, comprising the steps of

• (a) illuminating a picture resolving sensor defining a path of rays with light reflected by a micromechanical mirror array (20) comprising a two-dimensional array of mirror elements (22) and means for moving said mirror elements individually between first and second operative positions in response to actuating signals, such that light, in the first operative position of each particular mirror element (22), is reflected to pass by a sensor (32) to be tested and, in the second operative position of the mirror element (22A) is reflected into the path of rays (26) of the sensor (32),
• (b) applying actuating signals to said mirror array such that the mirror elements moved to their second operative positions define a picture of a simulated object scenes,
• wherein
• (c) the detector elements of the picture resolving sensor to be tested sum up the radiation energy impinging thereon through an integration time and are read out at the end of each such integration time, said integration time thereby defining a read-out frequency,
• (d) said mirror elements (22) are actuated with clock intervals, which are substantially shorter than the integration time of the detector elements of the sensor, and the number of clock intervals, during which mirror elements (22) are moved by the actuation means into the second operative positions during each integration time is varied in order to vary the simulated object intensity,
• (e) said mirror array (20) comprises a plurality of submatrices, each of which, in turn, consists of a plurality of matrix elements, said mirror array (20) and said illuminating means being arranged such that light incident from said illuminating means and reflected by elements of each particular one of said sub-matrices, if said reflecting elements are in their second operating positions, falls on a particular detector element associated with said particular sub-matrix, and
• (f) the number of mirror elements (22) associated with each particular detector element, which are moved by the actuating means into their second operative, positions, is variable, in order to vary the simulated object intensity.