Lidar remote sensing system

A lidar remote sensing system, comprising

• a. a frame;
• b. a telescope mounted on the frame and having opposite ends with a primary mirror at one end and a secondary mirror at the other end, said secondary mirror being positioned at one end of an optical path;
• c. a rotating scanning element positioned between the primary mirror and a target for directing a laser beam transmitted through the telescope toward the target in a conical scan;
• d. means for injecting a transmitted laser beam into said optical path to be directed through the telescope and the scanning element toward the target;
• e. a detector positioned at the other end of the optical path for detecting a reflected beam from the target;
• and
• f. a rotating prism positioned on the optical path for refracting said reflected beam back onto said optical path, said scanning element and said prism being rotated in synchronism.

A lidar remote sensing system, comprising

• a. a support frame;
• b. a telescope mounted on the frame, said telescope having opposite ends with a primary mirror at one end a secondary mirror at the other end, said secondary mirror being positioned at one end of an optical path, said telescope having a rotating scanning element positioned at the primary mirror and a target for directing a laser beam transmitted through the telescope toward the target in a conical scan;
• c. a detector positioned at the other end of the optical path for detecting a reflected beam from the target;
• d. a first beam splitter mounted on said optical path between the detector and the secondary mirror;
• f. a laser transmitter mounted to direct a transmitted laser beam into the beam splitter and along said optical path;
• said secondary mirror being positioned to reflect said transmitted beam traveling along the optical path onto the primary mirror and through the scanning element to the target and to reflect the reflected beam from the primary mirror back toward the detector;
• g. a prism mounted on the optical path between the beam splitter and the detector, said prism being rotated in synchronism with the scanning element for refracting the reflected beam onto the optical path;
• and
• h. a second beam splitter and a local oscillator for directing a heterodyning laser beam onto the optical path and into the detector with the reflected beam for detecting the Doppler shift in the return beam.