Galvanometer Laser Scanning: Custom-Made Input Signals for Maximum Duty Cycles in High-End Imaging Applications

The paper presents some of the contributions achieved in the study of galvanometer-based scanners (GSs) utilized for high-end applications. The optomechatronic aspects of this most used type of laser scanners are presented, in relationship with the high requirements of biomedical imaging, for example. The use of GSs with common input signals, such as triangular, sawtooth, and sinusoidal for domains like Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for example are discussed—as studied in several researches. Custom-made input signals for GSs are considered in this presentation, and the analysis made on their effect on the of GS duty cycle (i.e., on the time efficiency of the scanning process) is presented. The rigorous theoretical demonstration contradicts the previous statement in the literature, that linear plus sinusoidal input signals are the best ones. Instead, linear plus parabolic input signals were demonstrated to provide the highest possible duty cycle of such devices.