The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 16, 1995
Filed:
Dec. 03, 1993
Peter V Messina, Santa Monica, CA (US);
Hughes Aircraft Company, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
An optical scanning system (20, 20A-F), suitable for scanning a beam (26, 26A) emanating from a source (68) of light or for directing a beam towards a detector (62) of light, employs two independently rotatable wedge-shaped mirrors (M1, M2) wherein a reflecting surface (54,58) of each wedge mirror is inclined relative to a central axis (38) of the scanner. A main one of the wedge mirrors (M1) is centrally located about the central axis and an auxiliary one of the wedge mirrors (M2) is located on the central axis facing the main wedge mirror in one embodiment of the invention, and is displaced from the central axis in a second embodiment of the invention. A beam of light propagating between the source or detector to the auxiliary wedge mirror may pass either through a central bore (28) of the main wedge mirror in the first embodiment of the invention, or via a bypass (112) of relay mirrors around the main wedge mirror in the second embodiment of the invention. The beam to be scanned is reflected between the two wedge mirrors with the relative orientations of the wedge mirrors, in terms of their respective angles (B1, B2) of rotation about the central axis, determine the orientation of the scanned beam. The position of the main wedge mirror relative to the bypass path may be altered along the central axis by displacement means (156, 158) for minimization of a window (96) through which a scanned beam propagates.