Image pickup system capable of reproducing a stereo and/or a nonstereo image by the use of a single optical system
First Claim
1. An image pick up system for use with a craft capable of flying along a flight path over over an object zone to be imaged, said system comprising:
- (A) a single optical system for projecting an image of said object zone onto an image plane, said image plane having;
(1) a forward zone onto which said optical system projects an image of a first portion of said object zone; and
(2) a rearward zone onto which said optical system projects an image of a second portion of said object zone;
said first portion of said object zone being located at a position forward of said second portion of said object zone relative to the movement of said craft along said flight path whereby said forward zone of said image plane receives a forward optical image of a forward portion of said object zone and said rearward zone of said image plane receives a rearward optical image of a rearward portion of said object zone;
(B) first transducer means for converting only said forward optical image into forward electrical signals representative of said forward portion of said object zone;
(C) second transducer means for converting only said rearward optical image into backward electrical signals representative of said rearward portion of said object zone; and
(D) signal processing means for processing said forward and backward electrical signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In an image pickup system (15) which is carried on a craft (16) capable of flying along a flight path over an object zone, a single optical system (40) is disposed in the craft to form, on a focussing area (44), optical images of partial zones lying transversely of the flight path in the object zone. Forward and backward ones of the optical images that are picked up from forward and backward partial zones (P and Q) spaced apart from each other along the flight path are transduced into electrical signals by the use of photoelectric transducing members (41 and 42) placed on the focussing area with a gap left therebetween. The electrical signals are processed so that the forward and the backward images are concurrently reproduced on board the craft or in a terrestrial station to provide a stereo image. The forward optical image may be used to predict an intermediate one of the optical images that is to be picked up through a photoelectric transducing member (43) from an intermediate partial zone (R) between the forward and the backward partial zones. The intermedate optical image is processed to reproduce a high resolution image in accordance with a result of prediction.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An image pick up system for use with a craft capable of flying along a flight path over over an object zone to be imaged, said system comprising:
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(A) a single optical system for projecting an image of said object zone onto an image plane, said image plane having; (1) a forward zone onto which said optical system projects an image of a first portion of said object zone; and (2) a rearward zone onto which said optical system projects an image of a second portion of said object zone;
said first portion of said object zone being located at a position forward of said second portion of said object zone relative to the movement of said craft along said flight path whereby said forward zone of said image plane receives a forward optical image of a forward portion of said object zone and said rearward zone of said image plane receives a rearward optical image of a rearward portion of said object zone;(B) first transducer means for converting only said forward optical image into forward electrical signals representative of said forward portion of said object zone; (C) second transducer means for converting only said rearward optical image into backward electrical signals representative of said rearward portion of said object zone; and (D) signal processing means for processing said forward and backward electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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5. means for receiving said forward and said backward electrical signals as a received forward signal and a received backward signal which carry said forward and said backward optical images, respectively;
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delaying means for giving a prescribed delay to said received forward signal to produce a delayed forward signal, said prescribed delay being such that said delayed forward signal appears concurrent with said received backward signal; and image reproducing reproducing means resposive to said delayed forward signal and said received backward signal for reproducing a stereo image of said object zone.
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Specification