Interleave Different Scans

Complex scans, such as an aiming scan interleaved with a raster scan, are easily created using FreeformScan. Any combination of scan pattern generations or scan config objects can be used to generate the segments that FreeformScan uses. This example illustrates how to configure an aiming scan (i.e., a RadialScan with two perpendicular segments) and insert it throughout a larger raster scan. Each scan type is assigned different flags so the two can be distinguished later on.

1. Import needed modules.

   from vortex.marker import Flags, ScanBoundary, VolumeBoundary
   from vortex.scan import RasterScanConfig, RadialScanConfig, FreeformScanConfig, FreeformScan
   

2. Set up a RasterScanConfig purely to generate its segments. Assign unique flags to distinguish from the aiming segments.

   rsc = RasterScanConfig()
   rsc.bscans_per_volume = 30
   
   # set unique flags for raster segments
   rsc.flags = Flags(0x1)
   
   raster_segments = rsc.to_segments()
   

3. Now set up a RadialScanConfig for its segments. Also assign unique flags to distinguish from the raster segments.

   asc = RadialScanConfig()
   
   asc.set_aiming()
   # add an offset just to illustrate
   asc.offset = (4, 0)
   
   # set unique flags for aiming segments
   asc.flags = Flags(0x2)
   
   aiming_segments = asc.to_segments()
   

4. Combine the two scans by inserting aiming segments at 10 evenly-spaced intervals between the raster segments.

   pattern = []
   # segment indices within the raster scan to insert the aiming scan
   idx = np.linspace(0, len(raster_segments), 10, dtype=int)
   
   # loop over each pair of indices
   for (i, (a, b)) in enumerate(zip(idx[:-1], idx[1:])):
   
       # this if statement is only needed until an outstanding bug is fixed
       if i > 0:
           markers = raster_segments[a].markers
           markers.insert(0, VolumeBoundary(0, 0, False))
           markers.insert(0, ScanBoundary(0, 0))
   
       # append the next chunk of raster segments
       pattern += raster_segments[a:b]
       # append the aiming segments
       pattern += aiming_segments
   

5. FreeformScan can now generate a scan based on this pattern.

   ffsc = FreeformScanConfig()
   ffsc.pattern = pattern
   ffsc.loop = True
   
   scan = FreeformScan()
   scan.initialize(ffsc)
   

6. (Optional) Configure formatters with flags to route the segments of each type to different processing.

(Source code, svg, pdf)