Apparatus for acquiring and laying real time 3-d information

Claim 2

Apparatus for acquiring data that define the outline and range of a target subject comprising a source of wave energy, means for forming pulses of the energy at plural range locations on the target subject so that the plural range locations are sequentially illuminated by energy from said energy source to form outlines of each range zone, means for receiving the energy pulses from the target subject, means for sequentially gating each of the energy pulses received so that a sequence of outline images at discrete range distances is formed, and means for sequentially visually displaying the output of said gating means, said displaying means including an optical system that produces images corresponding to the image received by said receiving means, said displaying means being adapted to produce images at a number of apparent distances from the viewer that is equal to the number of discrete range gate pulses and having an equal number of means that form image producing faces, the apparent distance of each particular image producing face corresponding to the range of the target zone represented by the particular image.

Claim 3

The invention of claim 4 wherein said displaying means comprises a viewing station, a circular disk having a face confronting said viewing station, means for rotatively driving said disk about the central axis thereof, said axis being approximately normal to said face and being spaced relative said viewing station such that an annular region of said disk face sweeps past said viewing station in response to rotation of said disk, means for forming on the annular region of said disk face a plurality of optical imaging surface regions, each said surface region being spaced from said viewing station by a different amount so that images on said surface regions that are in alignment with said viewing station will appear at different distances, means in alignment with said viewing station for producing on said surface regions a sequence of images of different range segments of the target body, and means for synchronizing the rotation of said disk with said image producing means so that the range segment of the target corresponds to the distance of the imaging surface portion at the instant that the surface portion is in alignment with the viewing station.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said surface region forming means comprises a plurality of fiber-optic bodies mounted on said disk about the periphery thereof, said body having a front face adjacent said viewing station and a rear face remote from said front face, said rear faces being in mutually coplanar relationship and being adapted to transmit an image from said image forming device to the front face thereof to form an image on the front face, each said fiber-optic body having a length inversely proportional to the range distance of the image produced on it by said image producing means.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said surface region forming means comprises a body of optical fibers disposed on said disk, said body having a plane rear annular face and a helical front annular face opposite said viewing station.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said surface region forming means compRises a body of optical fibers disposed on said disk, said body being formed by a plurality of arcuate segments the totality of which form a generally annular body concentric with said disk, said segments having mutually coplanar rear faces, each said segment having a front face parallelly spaced from the rear face thereof by a different discrete distance, whereby the front face of the surface region forming means is of generally arcuately stepped configuration.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said surface region forming means comprises an annular body of transparent material secured to said disk, said body having a front face and a rear face parallel to said front face, said annular body being formed by two segments of transparent material that have different indices of refraction, each said segment having a helical surface, said helical surfaces being in intimate contact to define a helical interface therebetween, said interface being intermediate said front and rear surfaces.

Claim 8

A viewing device having an objective lens that is arranged to be viewed along a path coterminous with the optical axis thereof, a first reflector disposed on said axis, means for rotating said first reflector about said axis so that a first circular path concentric with said axis is scanned as said first reflector is rotated, first reflecting means disposed in said first circular path for reflecting images from said first reflector, second reflecting means spaced from said first reflecting means for reflecting images impinging thereon from said second reflecting means toward said axis, a second reflector disposed on said axis for establishing an optical path from said second reflecting means from an input disposed along the said axis, said second reflector being coupled to said rotating means so that said first and second reflectors rotate in unison, a plurality of fiber-optical bodies disposed intermediate said first and second reflecting means so that a reflected image revolving between said first and second reflecting means in response to rotation of said rotating means will sequentially pass through said bodies, said bodies having different lengths and having the ends thereof that are adjacent the said first reflecting means disposed in coplanar relationship so that the images reflected toward said viewing device appear to be formed at different ranges, and means for synchronizing the range of each image with the rotative position of said first and second reflectors so that the range of an image is inversely proportional to the length of a particular said fiber-optic body through which each image is reflected.

Claim 9

A viewing device having an objective lens that is arranged to be viewed along a path coterminous with the optical axis thereof, a first reflector disposed on said axis, means for rotating said first reflector about said axis so that a first circular path concentric with said axis is scanned as said first reflector is rotated, first reflecting means disposed in said first circular path for reflecting images from said first reflector, second reflecting means spaced from said first reflecting means for reflecting images impinging thereon from said second reflecting means toward said axis, a second reflector disposed on said axis for establishing an optical path from said second reflecting means from an input disposed along the said axis, said second reflector being coupled to said rotating means so that said first and second reflectors rotate in unison, a plurality of fiber-optical bodies disposed intermediate said first and second reflecting means so that a reflected image revolving between said first and second reflecting means in response to rotation of said rotating means will sequentially pass through said bodies, said bodies having different lengths and having the ends thereof that are adjacent the said first reflecting means disposed in coplanar relationship so that the images reflected toward said viewing device appear to be formed at different ranges, and means for synchronizing the range of each image with the rotative position of said first and second reflectors so that the range of an image is inversely proportional to the length of a particular said fiber-optic body through which each image is reflected.