Simultaneous spectral imaging system including commonly filtered optical paths defined by focusing elements exhibiting disparate f-numbers
First Claim
1. A multi-image detector assembly for detecting a plurality of correlated images of a single scene over a plurality of disparate electromagnetic wavelength sets, the detector assembly comprising:
- an array of detector elements, the array comprising a plurality of detector-array sections, each detector-array section comprising at least two detector-array subsections dedicated to the detection of a common wavelength set associated with that detector-array section;
a plurality of optical focusing elements, each focusing element aligned for focusing upon a corresponding one of the plurality of detector-array sub-sections an image of the scene correlating to the images of the scene focused upon other detector-array sub-sections by the other focusing elements of the plurality of focusing elements, each focusing element and its corresponding detector-array sub-section defining an optical path; and
a plurality of optical filtering elements, each filtering element being configured to pass a selected wavelength set;
wherein (i) each detector-array section has associated with it at least two optical paths, (ii) each optical filtering element is disposed within at least two optical paths associated with a common detector-array section, and (iii) when the detector assembly is in an operative mode, image detection occurs continuously and simultaneously over plural disparate detector-array sections in order to provide a correlated set of images over plural wavelength sets.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-image detector assembly for detecting a plurality of correlated images of a single scene over a plurality of disparate electromagnetic wavelength sets includes an imaging-sensor array, a plurality of focusing elements and a plurality of optical filtering elements. The imaging-sensor array has a plurality of detector-array sections, each of which detector-array sections comprises at least two detector-array subsections dedicated to the detection of a common wavelength set associated with that detector-array section. Each focusing element is aligned for focusing upon a corresponding one of the plurality of detector-array sub-sections an image of the scene correlating to the images of the scene focused upon other detector-array sub-sections by the other focusing elements. Additionally, each focusing element and its corresponding detector-array sub-section defines an optical path and each detector-array section has associated with it at least two such optical paths. At least two detector-array subsections belonging to each common detector-array section are configured to register images that are commonly filtered by a single optical filtering element.
-
Citations
11 Claims
-
1. A multi-image detector assembly for detecting a plurality of correlated images of a single scene over a plurality of disparate electromagnetic wavelength sets, the detector assembly comprising:
-
an array of detector elements, the array comprising a plurality of detector-array sections, each detector-array section comprising at least two detector-array subsections dedicated to the detection of a common wavelength set associated with that detector-array section; a plurality of optical focusing elements, each focusing element aligned for focusing upon a corresponding one of the plurality of detector-array sub-sections an image of the scene correlating to the images of the scene focused upon other detector-array sub-sections by the other focusing elements of the plurality of focusing elements, each focusing element and its corresponding detector-array sub-section defining an optical path; and a plurality of optical filtering elements, each filtering element being configured to pass a selected wavelength set; wherein (i) each detector-array section has associated with it at least two optical paths, (ii) each optical filtering element is disposed within at least two optical paths associated with a common detector-array section, and (iii) when the detector assembly is in an operative mode, image detection occurs continuously and simultaneously over plural disparate detector-array sections in order to provide a correlated set of images over plural wavelength sets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
Specification