Which component makes the light rays nearly parallel and sends back to the scan mirror?

Which component makes the light rays nearly parallel and sends back to the scan mirror?

• A. Imager Assembly
• B. Collimator Assembly
• C. Detector Array
• D. Video Indicator

Answer: (B)

Collimation is about shaping the beam so it travels in almost parallel rays. The collimator assembly uses lenses to take light from the source and turn its divergent rays into a nearly parallel beam that is directed toward the scan mirror. With parallel rays, the scan mirror can sweep a consistent, well-defined beam across the scene, and the light that returns follows a predictable path back through the optical system to the detector. In short, the collimator aligns and straightens the beam and links it with the scanning process. The other components handle sensing and display (imager assembly and detector array) or provide the visual output (video indicator), but they don’t generate the parallel beam or route the light back to the scan mirror.

Collimation is about shaping the beam so it travels in almost parallel rays. The collimator assembly uses lenses to take light from the source and turn its divergent rays into a nearly parallel beam that is directed toward the scan mirror. With parallel rays, the scan mirror can sweep a consistent, well-defined beam across the scene, and the light that returns follows a predictable path back through the optical system to the detector. In short, the collimator aligns and straightens the beam and links it with the scanning process. The other components handle sensing and display (imager assembly and detector array) or provide the visual output (video indicator), but they don’t generate the parallel beam or route the light back to the scan mirror.