LIDAR optical scanner system

1. An optical scanner system comprising:

a housing;

a detector contained within the housing configured to produce at least two resolvable azimuth fields-of-view relative to a center-axis of the housing, the detector being a matrix of detectors positioned in a non-symmetrical array; and

an external scanner rotatable relative to the center-axis of the housing switching between at least two elevations relative to a nominal optical axis of the detector, wherein motion of the housing azimuthally results in the detector producing a continuous coverage pattern at multiple elevations;

wherein a received light flux from two or more lenses is coupled to the detector, the optical axis of the two or more lenses radiating from the center of the detector, contained in one or more planes parallel to a detection plane, and coincident and co-linear with a center of the non-symmetrical array; and

wherein a folding mirror is situated to rotate lens optical paths by about 90 degrees.

2. A system according to claim 1 , further comprising an optical transmitter that produces one or more beams aligned to illuminate at least one receiver field-of-view.

3. A system according to claim 2 , wherein two or more azimuthally separated fields-of-view are produced by the detector and the optical transmitter.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the lenses are offset in elevation to increase elevation coverage of the continuous coverage pattern.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical axes of the two or more lenses are situated about the center of the detector and are substantially perpendicular to a plane in which the detector is mounted.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein the external scanner is a cylindrical drum including a series of diffractive or refractive beam deviation prisms distributed uniformly around the perimeter of the cylindrical drum.

7. A system according to claim 2 , wherein the external scanner is elongated to a provide elevation deviation steps for both the receiver and transmit fields of coverage.

8. An optical scanner comprising:

a housing;

a detector contained within the housing configured to produce at least two resolvable azimuth fields-of-view relative to center-axis of the housing;

an external scanner rotatable relative to the center-axis of the housing switching between at least two elevations relative to a nominal optical axis of the detector, the external scanner being;

a mounting base;

a rotary bearing;

a motor coupled to a cylindrical drum to provide a fixed rotational rate of the housing relative to the mounting base; and

a position detector situated to provide at least one indication of a position of the housing relative to the mounting base during a rotation;

wherein motion of the housing azimuthally results in the detector producing a continuous coverage pattern at multiple elevations; and

wherein the cylindrical drum includes a series of diffractive or refractive beam deviation prisms distributed uniformly around the perimeter of the cylindrical drum.

9. A system according to claim 8 , wherein a number of elevation steps of the external scanner and an effective pitch of azimuthal coverage provide a rotation rate of the external scanner that is substantially equal to a rate of housing rotation relative to the mounting base.

10. A system according to claim 9 , wherein the external scanner is fixed with respect to the base.

11. An optical scanner system comprising:

a housing;

a detector contained within the housing configured to produce at least two resolvable azimuth fields-of-view relative to center-axis of the housing, the detector being a matrix of detectors positioned in a symmetrical M by M array; and

an external scanner rotatable relative to the center-axis of the housing switching between at least two elevations relative to a nominal optical axis of the detector, wherein motion of the housing azimuthally results in the detector producing a continuous coverage pattern at multiple elevations;

wherein a received light flux from two or more lenses is coupled to the detector, the optical axis of the two or more lenses radiating from the center of the detector, are contained in one or more planes parallel to a detection plane, and angularly separated by 90 degrees and coincident with the center of the symmetrical array;

wherein a folding mirror is situated to rotate lens optical paths by about 90 degrees; and

wherein M is an integer greater than 1.

12. An optical scanner system comprising:

a housing;

a rotary bearing;

a rotary motor;

a rotary position encoder;

a detector contained within the housing configured to produce at least two resolvable azimuth fields-of-view relative to a center-axis of the housing; and

an external scanner rotatable relative to the center-axis of the housing switching between at least two elevations relative to a nominal optical axis of the detector, the external scanner including a series of diffractive or refractive beam deviation prisms distributed uniformly around the perimeter of a cylindrical drum;

wherein motion of the housing azimuthally results in the detector producing a continuous coverage pattern at multiple elevations; and

wherein the detector is synchronized to produce at least one scan of the azimuth field-of-view during a period of substantial overlap of an elevation scan facet and a receiver.

13. An optical scanner system comprising:

a housing;

a detector contained within the housing configured to produce at least two resolvable azimuth fields-of-view relative to a center-axis of the housing; and

an external scanner rotatable relative to the center-axis of the housing switching between at least two elevations relative to a nominal optical axis of the detector, wherein motion of the housing azimuthally results in the detector producing a continuous coverage pattern at multiple elevations;

wherein the external scanner comprises a segmented elevation deflector fixed in an entrance aperture of a receiver;

wherein one or more sets of vertically oriented diffractive or refractive elevation deflectors are contained with the entrance aperture of a lens coupled to the detector; and

a cylindrical drum surrounding the detector, wherein the drum includes a repeating vertical pattern of alternating transmission and attenuation regions matched to the periodicity and orientation of a beam deflector pattern.

14. A system according to claim 13 , further comprising:

a rotary bearing;

a motor coupled to the drum to provide a fixed rotational rate of the cylinder relative to the housing; and

a position detector situated to provide at least one on indication of a position of a cylinder mask pattern relative to the housing during a rotation of the cylinder.

15. A system according to claim 14 , wherein the cylindrical drum is rotated at a rate based on a pitch of the cylinder mark pattern and the circumference of the cylindrical mask.