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US 12,461,352 B2Granted
Method for acquiring images of at least one celestial body and apparatus for implementing the method
AssigneeUnistellar
InventorsArnaud Malvache, Antonin Borot
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An image acquisition method includes defining a first optical sensor configuration of a matrix to acquire the image of a first celestial body of first nature, the first configuration having a plurality of unit pixels, defining at least one second optical sensor configuration of the matrix to acquire the image of the second celestial body of second nature, the second configuration having a plurality of macro-pixels formed by groupings of unit pixels, and selecting one of the optical sensor configurations, the selection being made according to the nature of the observed celestial body.
Claims14
A method for acquiring an image of at least one celestial body, comprising:
- using an apparatus comprising a hollow body inside which, in use, light rays coming from at least one observed celestial body penetrate, said observed celestial body chosen from among at least one first celestial body of a first nature and one second celestial body of a second nature, the nature of the first celestial body being different from the nature of the second celestial body
- arranging, in the hollow body, an optical system having an optical axis, the optical system is configured such that the light rays form, in an image focus located in a focal plane, an image of the observed celestial body,
- arranging in the image focus, a matrix of optical sensors to acquire the image of the observed celestial body, wherein the matrix has a plurality n of unit pixels P1,
- defining a first optical sensor configuration of the matrix to acquire the image of the first celestial body of first nature, said first configuration having the plurality n of unit pixels P1, n being a natural integer,
- defining at least one second optical sensor configuration of the matrix to acquire the image of the second celestial body of second nature, said second configuration having a plurality m2 of macro-pixels P2 formed by groupings of unit pixels P1, m2 being a natural integer,
- selecting one of the optical sensor configurations to acquire the image of the celestial body formed in the image focus, the selection of the optical sensor configuration carried out according to the nature of the observed celestial body, either the first celestial body of first nature or the second celestial body of second nature, and
- defining the second optical sensor configuration according to the formula m2=n/k2 with k2 a natural integer of greater than or equal to 2.
4 more elements
An apparatus for acquiring images of a celestial bod, comprising:
- a hollow body inside which, in use, light rays coming from at least one observed celestial body, said observed celestial body chosen from among at least one first celestial body of a first nature and one second celestial body of a second nature, the nature of the first celestial body being different from the nature of the second celestial body,
- an optical system arranged in the hollow body and having an optical axis, the system is configured such that the light rays form, in an image focus located in a focal plane, an image of the observed celestial body,
- a matrix of optical sensors, arranged in the image focus, consisting of a plurality n of unit pixels P1,
- wherein the apparatus comprises:
- a first optical sensor configuration of the matrix to acquire the image of the first celestial body of first nature, said first configuration having the plurality n of unit pixels P1, n being a natural integer,
- defining at least one second optical sensor configuration of the matrix to acquire the image of the second celestial body of second nature, said second configuration having a plurality m2 of macro-pixels P2 formed by groupings of unit pixels P1, m2 being a natural integer,
- a processing unit suitable for selecting one of the optical sensor configurations to acquire the image of the celestial body formed in the image focus, the selection of the optical sensor configuration carried out according to the nature of the observed celestial body, either the abovementioned first celestial body of first nature or the abovementioned second celestial body of second nature,
- wherein the macro-pixels P2 have the same shape within the second optical sensor configuration, and
- wherein the processing unit is configured for simultaneously selecting the first optical sensor configuration in a zone of the matrix where the image of a first celestial body of first nature is located and the second optical sensor configuration in a zone of said matrix where the image of a second celestial body of second nature is located.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.