OMNIDIRECTIONAL IMAGING SYSTEM WITH CONCURRENT ZOOM

• US 20090073254A1
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Technest Holdings, Inc. (AccelPath, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Technest Holdings, Inc. (AccelPath, Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Hui, Yi, Steven, Jatinder, Jatinder
• Application Number:
  US11/856,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20090073254A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/00 Details of cameras or camera bodies; Accessories therefor lens hoods or caps G03B11/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/58 Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

An optical system configured to simultaneously image an omnidirectional field-of-view and a concurrent narrow field on a single focal plane.

Claims

1. An optical system configured to simultaneously image a first field-of-view and a second field-of-view on a single focal plane.

2. The optical system of claim 1 wherein said first field-of-view is an omnidirectional field-of-view.

3. The optical system of claim 2 wherein said second field-of-view is a concurrent narrow field-of-view.

4. The optical system of claim 3 wherein a first bundle of light rays emanating from said omnidirectional field-of-view is imaged onto a donut shaped area on said single focal plane.

5. The optical system of claim 4 wherein a second bundle of light rays emanating from said concurrent narrow field-of-view is imaged onto an unused central portion of said donut shaped area on said single focal plane.

6. The optical system of claim 5 wherein first bundle of light rays is directed to said single focal plane by a first reflective surface, said first reflective surface being chosen from the following:

a substantially conical mirror, a mirror comprised of a plurality of flat segments, a substantially spherical mirror, a substantially parabolic mirror, and a substantially hyperbolic mirror.

7. The optical system of claim 6 wherein said first reflective surface comprises a hyperbolic mirror with a central aperture.

8. The optical system of claim 7 wherein said second bundle of light rays is directed to said focal plane by a second mirror.

9. The optical system of claim 8 wherein said second mirror further comprises a substantially planar mirror configured to be adjusted about at least one degree of freedom.

10. The optical system of claim 9 wherein said substantially planar mirror is configured to be adjusted about two degrees of freedom such that said concurrent field-of-view can be selected from substantially any subsection of said omnidirectional field-of-view.

11. The optical system of claim 10 further comprising a compensation element, wherein said second bundle of light rays is directed through said compensation element by said substantially planar mirror.

12. The optical system of claim 11 further comprising a third reflective surface, said first bundle of light rays being directed to said third reflective surface by said hyperbolic mirror.

13. The optical system of claim 12 wherein said first and second bundles of light rays pass through said central aperture.

14. The optical system of claim 11 wherein said first and second bundle of light rays pass through separate regions of said compensation element.

15. The optical system of claim 14 wherein support and adjust mechanisms coupled to said substantially planar mirror are at least partially contained within said central aperture.

16. An omni directional imaging system with concurrent zoom comprising:

a first reflective surface configured to reflect a first bundle of light rays such that extension of said first bundle of light rays are substantially coincident on a single view point;

a second reflective surface reflecting a second bundle of light rays, and

a camera with a field-of-view that substantially covers said first reflective surface and said second reflective surface, said camera being configured to generate image data signals.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said first reflective surface comprises a substantially hyperbolic mirror, said substantially hyperbolic mirror having a first focal point, a second focal point, and a central aperture.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said single view point is at said first focal point and said camera at said second focal point.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein said camera further comprises a focal plane, said light rays from said first field-of-view being imaged onto a donut shaped area on said focal plane.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said light reflected by said second reflective surface is imaged onto a central area of said focal plane.

21. The system of claim 20 further comprising a processor coupled to said camera, said processor manipulating and displaying said image data signals as a panoramic view and a concurrent zoom view.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said processor is additionally capable of adjusting said second reflective surface to correspond to a region of interest designated by a user.