Collecting Data

The ``Spin up'' button is pressed to start the line-scanning motor running. While it is accelerating, the controls can be set for the desired resolution and scan angles. Once everything is set, the ``Scan'' button is pressed. The panning motor moves to the beginning location, and data collection begins.

An effort was made to ensure that every rotation of the mirror provided useful data, in as much as possible. This has been successful in that the pan from one column to the next can usually complete prior to the scanning mirror reaching the beginning of the next column to scan. Thus, it is simple to compute the length of time required to scan an environment; it is the number of columns of data divided by the rotational speed of the scanner. For example, a scan with a resolution of $1000\times 1000$ samples takes 125 seconds (2+ minutes) when the scanning motor is spinning at 8 Hz.