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US 7,443,554 B1Granted
Tilted plate dither scanner
AssigneeLockheed Martin Corporation
InventorJohn Gunderson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical apparatus and a method of using an optical instrument comprising providing to a primary optical axis of the instrument a plate tilted so as not to be perpendicular to the primary optical axis and continuously rotating the plate about the primary optical axis.
Claims10
An optical apparatus comprising a glass plate continuously rotatable about a primary optical axis of the apparatus, wherein said plate is plane parallel and tilted so as not to be perpendicular to the primary optical axis;
- a housing of said plate;
- and a motor driving continuous rotation of said plate via a gear, wherein said gear directly contacts the outside edge of said housing of said plate.
A method of using an optical instrument, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing to a primary optical axis of the instrument a glass plate that is plane parallel and tilted so as not to be perpendicular to the primary optical axis, wherein the plate comprises a housing;
- and
- continuously rotating the plate about the primary optical axis by employing a gear driven by a motor, which gear directly contacts the outside edge of the housing of the plate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.