Abstract: Push-broom cameras using TDI CCD arranged in an alternating pattern are widely carried by typical high-resolution optical satellites in order to obtain high space resolution and enough strip width. For this kind of cameras, several TDI CCD are arranged in an alternating pattern in two lines on the focal plane and push-broom imaging mode is always adopted. Imaging principle and characteristic of this kind of camera is introduced. Exterior parameters of TDI CCD are modeled together based on their same values in any instant of time and an integrated geometric model is finally established. Error compensation methods are designed to remove exterior error and interior error based on this integrated geometric model. A series of tests are designed to verify models and methods proposed in this paper using original image of TH-1 Satellite HR Camera whose detectors are divided into 8 modules arranged in an alternating pattern. As the results, the imaging geometry of this kind of camera can be rigorously described by this integral geometrical model. The positioning accuracy can be obviously improved by our exterior error compensation method, however, different residual error would be remained for different TDI CCD. The positioning accuracy will not be obviously improved while systematic errors of different TDI CCD can be effectively removed by the interior error compensation method. 2 m positioning accuracy in X, Y and Z directions can be achieved and different systematic errors can be removed when both exterior and interior error were compensated. The same accuracy can be achieved in the other scenes when the calculated inner distortion parameters are adopted.

Key words: alternating pattern, push-broom camera, rigorous geometric model, exterior error compensation, interior error compensation