Sequencing camera

Abstract

A camera for taking a plurality of photographic images utilizing a single focal plane, usually a plate or a sheet of film, which is fixedly disposed with relation to the lens. The camera is divided into a plurality of focal locations arranged about a rotatable mirror associated with the lens and one or more additional mirrors which reflect an image from the rotatable mirror to a portion of the plane. The camera is capable of taking a succession of pictures and displaying them in a tightly packed, rectangular and non-overlapping array around the perimeter of the focal plane. The image beam from the lens is directed at each successive focal location by the rotatable mirror and the additional mirror which reflect the beam to image at the focal plane. To obtain the desired arrangements of the plurality of images on the fixedly disposed focal plane, the image centers are disposed at different length radii from the lens and rotating mirror axis. The maintenance of the focus on the single plane is accomplished with the additional mirror which is varied in height from the focal plane such that the optical distance from the lens to each image is substantially constant. Therefore in addition to the rotation of the axis of the first mirror, an orthogonal axis is required to tilt the first mirror towards the variable height of the other mirror and thereby maintain focus on the common focal plane. This construction will permit formation of a plurality of closely packed images in a rectangular array on the common focal plane without relative movement of the lens or the focal plane.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.