Method and apparatus for arraying image sensor modules
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An electrical-output optical image sensor for a two-dimensional optical image composed of an arrayed plurality of contiguous two-dimensional optical sub-images bearing light energy, said sensor comprising:
- an image surface for receiving said two-dimensional optical image and transmitting a portion of the light energy of each said two-dimensional optical sub-image as a corresponding two-dimensional sub-image-bearing flux;
an arrayed plurality of minifying means including two-dimensional minified sub-image surfaces and corresponding in number and arrangement to said plurality of contiguous two-dimensional optical sub-images, said minifying means receiving and transmitting each said two-dimensional sub-image-bearing flux in image-coherent geometrically reduced form as a corresponding two-dimensional minified sub-image-bearing flux incident upon and through a corresponding said two-dimensional minified sub-image surface; and
arrayed flux-sensitive electrical-output image sensor modules, each having a flux-sensitive two-dimensional image-input surface in register with a corresponding two-dimensional minified sub-image surface and receiving a corresponding two-dimensional minified sub-image-bearing flux, and having electrical means for converting said two-dimensional minified sub-image-bearing flux into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals.
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Abstract
An image sensor, suitable for resolving a high-resolution image, comprises an arrayed plurality of image sensor modules of moderate individual resolution. The high-resolution image is subdivided into contiguous sub-images, each of which is minified before being projected upon an image sensor module. This avoids bars of blindness between the fields of view of the image sensor modules, and also facilitates production and repair of the image sensor.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. An electrical-output optical image sensor for a two-dimensional optical image composed of an arrayed plurality of contiguous two-dimensional optical sub-images bearing light energy, said sensor comprising:
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an image surface for receiving said two-dimensional optical image and transmitting a portion of the light energy of each said two-dimensional optical sub-image as a corresponding two-dimensional sub-image-bearing flux; an arrayed plurality of minifying means including two-dimensional minified sub-image surfaces and corresponding in number and arrangement to said plurality of contiguous two-dimensional optical sub-images, said minifying means receiving and transmitting each said two-dimensional sub-image-bearing flux in image-coherent geometrically reduced form as a corresponding two-dimensional minified sub-image-bearing flux incident upon and through a corresponding said two-dimensional minified sub-image surface; and arrayed flux-sensitive electrical-output image sensor modules, each having a flux-sensitive two-dimensional image-input surface in register with a corresponding two-dimensional minified sub-image surface and receiving a corresponding two-dimensional minified sub-image-bearing flux, and having electrical means for converting said two-dimensional minified sub-image-bearing flux into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An electrical-output optical image sensor according to 3 or 5 wherein:
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said input surface, formed upon said larger end, is adjusted in position and angle upon said larger end to be congruent to and in registry with said optical sub-image; and said output surface, formed upon said smaller end, is adjusted in position and angle upon said smaller end to be congruent to and in registry with said flux-sensitive image-input surface.
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11. An optical image sensor for converting a two-dimensional optical image to electric signals, comprising:
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means for receiving said two-dimensional optical image in the form of a plurality of contiguous two-dimensional sub-images and transmitting each said two-dimensional sub-image in image-coherent minified form to a two-dimensional minified sub-image surface; and a plurality of image sensor means for converting a two-dimensional optical image into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals, each said sensor means having a two-dimensional image input surface for receiving a different one of said two-dimensional sub-images at said two-dimensional minified sub-image surface and converting said two-dimensional sub-image into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 20)
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16. An optical image sensor for converting an optical image to electrical signals, comprising:
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photoemissive means for converting said optical image to a corresponding image-bearing flux of photoelectrons; electron-optical means for receiving said image-bearing flux of photoelectrons in the form of contiguous sub-image-bearing fluxes and transmitting each said sub-image-bearing flux in image-coherent minified form to a minified sub-image surface; and a plurality of image sensor means for converting an image-bearing flux into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals, each said sensor means having an image input surface for receiving a different one of said sub-image-bearing fluxes at said minified sub-image surface and converting said sub-image-bearing flux into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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21. An electrical-output sensor for a two-dimensional optical image comprising:
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an arrayed plurality of image-minifying tapered fiber-optics bundle elements, each having a two-dimensional face formed on one end image-coherently and fiber-optically connected to a smaller two-dimensional sub-image surface on the other end, said element faces being arrayed contiguously to provide an image surface upon which said optical image is received; and a corresponding plurality of electrical-output optical image sensor modules, each having a light-sensitive two-dimensional image-input surface abutting and in register with said two-dimensional sub-image surface of a corresponding one bundle element. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A method for combining the optical imaging resolution of a plurality of electrical-output image sensor modules to resolve a high-resolution two-dimensional optical image, said method comprising the steps of:
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projecting the high-resolution two-dimensional optical image onto an image surface, said image comprising an arrayed plurality of contiguous two-dimensional optical sub-images bearing light energy; transmitting a portion of the energy of each said two-dimensional optical sub-image, through said image surface, as a corresponding two-dimensional sub-image-bearing flux; providing from each said two-dimensional sub-image-bearing flux, image-coherent geometrically minified two-dimensional subimage-bearing flux; and applying each said minified two-dimensional sub-image-bearing flux to an electrical-output image sensor module. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method for combining the optical imaging resolution of a plurality of electrical-output image sensor modules to resolve a high-resolution two-dimensional optical image, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving said two-dimensional optical image in the form of a plurality of contiguous two-dimensional sub-images and transmitting each said two-dimensional sub-image in image-coherent minified form to a minified two-dimensional sub-image surface; and providing a plurality of image sensor means for converting an optical image into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals, each said sensor means having a two-dimensional image input surface for receiving a different one of said two-dimensional sub-images at said minified two-dimensional sub-image surface and converting said two-dimensional sub-image into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals.
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30. A method of combining the optical imaging resolution of a plurality of electrical-output image sensor modules to resolve a high-resolution optical image, said method comprising the steps of:
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converting said optical image to a corresponding image-bearing flux of photoelectrons; receiving said image-bearing flux of photoelectrons in the form of contiguous sub-image-bearing fluxes and transmitting each said sub-image-bearing flux in image-coherent minified form to a minified sub-image surface; and providing a plurality of image sensor means for converting an image-bearing flux into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals, each said sensor means having an image input surface for receiving a different one of said sub-image-bearing fluxes at said minified sub-image surface and converting said sub-image-bearing flux into a corresponding pattern of electrical signals.
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Specification