Patent ID: 8907260
Filing Date: 2014-12-09
Classification: G01J,G02B,G06K

Abstract:
1. A wavefront sensing system for estimating tip-tilt or higher order wavefront aberrations in a wavefront of light passing through any aberration medium or aberrations induced from mechanical jitter in an optical system by autocorrellating a reference image of the scene and a real-time image of the scene, the system comprising: an f-number matching element arranged for receiving the light from a scene or external optical imaging element; an updateable imaging sensor for capturing the reference image; an updateable display element; a beam splitter arranged to transmit a first portion of the light to the updateable imaging sensor and a remaining portion of the light to the updateable display element; the updateable display element arranged to have the reference image applied thereto for a predetermined period of time; a focusing optical element; and an autocorrelation detection sensor arranged in the focal plane of the focusing optical element, wherein in operation, light from a extended source scene is passed to the updateable display element where it is focused onto the autocorrelation detection sensor from a focusing optical element forming thereon an autocorrelation of the scene information passing through the updateable display element with the information from a template image acquired from the extended scene such that a change in a centroid position of the light on the autocorrelation detection sensor corresponds to a magnitude of tip/tilt aberration in the aberrating medium and/or magnitude of optical jitter.