Imaging system having modules with adaptive optical elements

• US 20060055811A1
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Wood, Roland A., Cox, James A., Ohnstein, Thomas R., Frtiz, Bernard S.
• Application Number:
  US10/940,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20060055811A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/340
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/06 for controlling the phase of light G02B26/08 takes precedence , measuring optical phase difference G01J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

A compound sensor imaging system having lenses moveable relative to one another and their respective detectors. The movement may be controlled by a computer. The patterns of movement may be provided by algorithms. The system may have numerous optical units or modules. Each module may have a lens and a sub-array of one or more detectors. There may be barriers between adjacent modules to reduce cross-talk. The lenses, barriers and detector sub-arrays may be of arrays aligned with one another and fabricated together as an assembly.

Claims

1. An imaging system comprising:

an array of detectors;

a holder situated over the array;

a lateral mover mechanism connected to the holder; and

a lens situated in the holder having a focal point focused on at least one detector of the array; and

wherein the lateral mover mechanism may move the focal point on around on the array.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein movement of the focal point around the array is movement from at least one detector to another detector.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein movement of the focal point on the array is beam steering relative to a scene.

4. An imaging system comprising:

an array of sub-arrays of detectors; and

an array of lenses situated proximate to the array of sub-arrays of detectors; and

wherein;

each lens of the array of lenses has a focal point situated on a respective sub-array of detectors; and

each lens is laterally moveable relative to the respective sub-array of detectors.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the focal point of each lens is laterally moveable on the respective sub array of detectors.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein each lens is laterally moveable relative to other lenses of the array of lenses.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising a movement actuator connected to each lens.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising baffles between adjacent lenses.

9. The system of claim 4, further comprising an array of electronics connected to the detectors and the movement actuators.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a computer connected to the array of electronics.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the lateral position of each lens may be adjusted for a particular field-of-view and resolution.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the lateral position of each lens may be dynamically adjusted to changing scenes being viewed by the imaging system.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein a first set of signals from the array of electronics go to the computer for image composition of a scene viewed by the imaging system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a second set of signals go from the computer to the movement actuator via the electronics for position adjustment of each lens to determine a beam steering of the lenses.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the computer varies and controls beam steering of the lenses.

16. The system of claim 4, wherein the lateral position of each lens is adjusted and coordinated with each other to achieve certain imaging results.

17. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the detectors are selected from a group consisting of visible detectors, infrared detectors and ultraviolet detectors; and

the lenses are selected from a group consisting of aspheric elements, spheric elements, grating elements, prism elements, refractive elements, reflective elements and diffractive elements.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein:

the infrared detectors are uncooled detectors; and

the lenses are micro-lenses.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein:

the infrared detectors are silicon microbolometers;

the lenses are silicon micro-lenses; and

portions of the imaging system are MEMS fabricated.

20. An imaging system comprising:

an array of modules; and

wherein each module comprises;

a sub-array of at least one detector; and

a lens moveable relative to the sub-array having a focal point positioned proximate to the sub-array.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein each module further comprises a position actuator connected to the lens.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein:

each module of the array of modules has a lens with a position displacement; and

the position displacements of the lenses of the modules vary among the modules.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein some of the lenses of the array of modules have lateral displacements to achieve particular beam patterns for the system.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein each module further comprises light-blocking baffles between each module and neighboring modules.

25. The system of claim 21, each module further comprises interface electronics connected to the sub-array of detectors and the position actuator.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising a computer connected to the interface electronics of each module.

27. They system of claim 21, wherein:

each module of the array of modules has a lens with a position displacement;

the position displacements of the lenses of the modules vary among the modules; and

the imaging system is reconfigurable by a computer which sends signals to the position actuator of each module to adjust the position displacement of the lens.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the position displacement provides beam steering of the module.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the beam steering of the array of modules provides adjustment of field-of-view and resolution of the imaging system.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the array of modules provides integrated compound imaging.

31. An imaging system comprising:

an array of detectors; and

a lens proximate to the array; and

wherein the lens is laterally moveable.

32. The system of claim 31, further comprising an actuator connected to the lens.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein the lens has a plurality of lateral positions relative to the array.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein:

a computer may send signals to the actuator to move the lens to each of the plurality of lateral positions; and

the array of detectors may send an image to the computer for each of the plurality of lateral positions of the lens.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the images of the plurality of lateral positions are processed into a resultant image.

36. The system of claim 31, further comprising:

a plurality of image units; and

wherein each imaging unit comprises;

an array of detectors; and

a lens proximate to the array of detectors.

37. An imaging method comprising:

providing an array of detectors;

situating a lens proximate to the array of detectors;

moving the lens to each of a plurality of positions;

processing each image from the array of detectors for each of the plurality of positions into a resultant image.

38. The imaging method of claim 37, repeating claim 37 for other arrays of detectors lenses proximate to the arrays of detectors, respectively.