Miniaturized laser readout head for application in a double-wedge prism scanner

Double-wedge prism scanners are typically used for one-dimensional (1D) scanning in imaging systems. This type of scanner operates on the principle of two identical wedge prisms counter-rotating around the optical axis with identical angular velocity in order to move the image formed by the optical system in the plane of detector arrays. However, the relationship between the deviation and rotation angles is not linear. The proposed solution to this problem involves using a metal ring inscribed with line markers. The interval between each of the line markers is unequal, and each line marker corresponds with the unequal angular orientation of the wedge prisms. The line markers are detected by a laser readout head (LRH), which converts the line marker signals to electric clock pulses to correct for the nonlinear distortion of the double-wedge prism scanner. This study presents a miniaturized LRH, electric driver circuit, and photodetector amplifier for this purpose. (c) 2019 Optical Society of America