Image input device having optical deflection elements for capturing multiple sub-images

An image input device for providing a composite image of an object, the composite image comprising a plurality of two-dimensional sub-images, the system comprising:

• a multi-pixel image sensor for receiving one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images and for providing electrical signals representative of the two-dimensional sub-image;
• a lens for focusing the two-dimensional sub-image onto the image sensor;
• a moveable optical deflection means having a plurality of optical elements, each corresponding to one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images, for deflecting one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images onto the lens;
• and
• control means for moving the optical deflection means so that each of the two-dimensional sub-images that comprise the composite image is sequentially deflected onto the image sensor via the lens, wherein the optical deflection means comprises a holographic optical disk that is brought to rest by the control means when the two-dimensional sub-images are sequentially deflected, the plurality of optical elements comprising holographic elements.

An image input device for providing a composite image of an object, the composite image comprising a plurality of two-dimensional sub-images, the system comprising:

• an image sensor for receiving one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images and for providing electrical signals representative of the two-dimensional sub-image;
• a lens for focusing the two-dimensional sub-image onto the image sensor;
• a moveable optical deflection means having a plurality of optical elements, each corresponding to one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images, for deflecting one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images onto the lens;
• control means for moving the optical deflection means so that each of the two-dimensional sub images that comprise the composite image is sequentially deflected onto the image sensor via the lens while the optical deflection means is at rest;
• and
• a plurality of focus correction means located in the optical path between the lens and the optical deflection means, wherein each focus correction means is associated with one of the optical elements for correction for the variations in the distance between the object and the lens.

An image input device for providing a composite image of an object, the composite image comprising a plurality of two-dimensional sub-images, the system comprising:

• a multi-pixel image sensor for receiving one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images and for providing electrical signals representative of the two-dimensional sub-image;
• a lens for focusing the two-dimensional sub-image onto the image sensor;
• a variable optical deflection means having a plurality of optical settings, each corresponding to one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images, for deflecting one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images onto the lens, the variable optical deflection means being disposed between the object and the lens;
• and
• control means for moving the optical deflection means so that each of the two-dimensional sub-images that comprise the composite image is sequentially deflected onto the image sensor via the lens, such that when each two-dimensional sub-image is deflected onto the lens, that two-dimensional sub-image fills the lens completely, wherein the control means brings the optical deflection means to rest as each two-dimensional sub-image is sequentially deflected onto the image sensor.

A scanning digital video camera for providing a video representation of an object image, the camera comprising:

• an array of a plurality of photosensitive elements, for providing an electrical representation of a received image;
• a lens for focusing an image onto the photosensitive array;
• tiling means for dividing the image of an object into a plurality of two-dimensional image tiles, the tiling means comprising a moveable set of fixed optical deflection elements, each element corresponding to a two-dimensional image tile;
• means for positioning the tiling means so that each of the plurality of two-dimensional image tiles is sequentially deflected to the lens, such that the tiles overlap;
• a memory coupled to the photosensitive array for storing the electrical representation of each received image;
• control means coupled to the positioning means and the memory means, for causing the positioning means to step sequentially through each of the plurality of two-dimensional image tiles and for causing the memory means to store the electrical representation of each two-dimensional image tile, the control means causing the positioning means to come to rest each time the positioning means steps through one of the plurality of two-dimensional image tiles;
• and
• processing means for combining the two-dimensional image tile representations stored in memory to produce an electrical representation of the object image.

A scanning video camera comprising:

• a base for supporting an object to be imaged;
• a monochromatic illuminating means for illuminating the object;
• means for optically dividing an image of the object into a plurality of two-dimensional image tiles;
• a multi-pixel optical imaging means for providing an electrical output representative of a received image;
• an optical deflection means for deflecting the image of one of the plurality of tiles comprising the object image onto the imaging means;
• control means for causing the optical deflection means to scan sequentially the plurality of tiles, the control means causing the optical deflection means to come to rest each time the optical deflection means deflects the image of one of the plurality of tiles onto the optical imaging means;
• and
• processing means coupled to the optical imaging means and the control means for combining a plurality of images received by the imaging means into a composite image, the processing means correcting for image distortion.

An optical imaging system, comprising:

• a multi-pixel image sensor having a fixed number of pixels for receiving a two-dimensional optical sub-image and for providing an electrical representation of the received sub-image;
• moveable tiling means having a plurality of image deflectors for optically dividing the image of an object into a plurality of two-dimensional sub-images and for deflecting each two-dimensional sub-image to the image sensor;
• positioning means coupled to the tiling means, for sequentially positioning each image deflector to deflect its corresponding two-dimensional sub-image to the image sensor in a predetermined sequence, the positioning means causing the tiling means to come to rest each time the positioning means positions one of the image deflectors to deflect its corresponding two-dimensional sub-image to the image sensor;
• and
• image processing means, coupled to the image sensor and the tiling means, for receiving the electrical representation of each two-dimensional sub-image from the image sensor and combining the two-dimensional sub-images to form a composite image comprising a number of pixels greater than the fixed number of pixels in the image sensor, the image processing means correcting for image distortion produced by individual image deflectors.

An optical imaging system, comprising:

• an image sensor having a fixed number of pixels for receiving a two-dimensional optical sub-image and for providing an electrical representation of the received sub-image;
• moveable tiling means having a plurality of image deflectors for optically dividing the image of an object into a plurality of two-dimensional sub-images and for deflecting each two-dimensional sub-image to the image sensor;
• positioning means coupled to the tiling means, for sequentially positioning each image deflector to deflect its corresponding two-dimensional sub-image to the image sensor in a predetermined sequence while the positioning means is at rest;
• and
• image processing means, coupled to the image sensor and the tiling means, for receiving the electrical representation of each two-dimensional sub-image from the image sensor and combining the two-dimensional sub-images to form a composite image comprising a number of pixels greater than the fixed number of pixels in the image sensor, wherein the tiling means comprises a disk of offset plano-convex lens pairs.

An optical imaging system, comprising:

• an image sensor having a fixed number of pixels for receiving a two-dimensional optical sub-image and for providing an electrical representation of the received sub-image;
• moveable tiling means having a plurality of image deflectors for optically dividing the image of an object into a plurality of two-dimensional sub-images and for deflecting each two-dimensional sub-image to the image sensor;
• positioning means coupled to the tiling means, for sequentially positioning each image deflector to deflect its corresponding two-dimensional sub-image to the image sensor in a predetermined sequence while the positioning means is at rest;
• and
• image processing means, coupled to the image sensor and the tiling means, for receiving the electrical representation of each two-dimensional sub-image from the image sensor and combining the two-dimensional sub-images to form a composite image comprising a number of pixels greater than the fixed number of pixels in the image sensor, wherein the tiling means comprises a linear array of offset plano-convex lens pairs.

An image input device for providing a composite image of an object, the composite image comprising a plurality of two-dimensional sub-images, the system comprising:

• a multi-pixel image sensor for receiving one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images and for providing electrical signals representative of the two-dimensional sub-image;
• a lens for focusing the two-dimensional sub-image onto the image sensor;
• a movable linear array of optical elements each of which may be positioned to come to rest between the object and the lens, each optical element corresponding to one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images, for deflecting one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images onto the lens, such that when each two-dimensional sub-image is deflected onto the lens, that two-dimensional sub-image fills the lens completely;
• control means for positioning the optical deflection means so that each of the two-dimensional sub-images that comprise the composite image is sequentially deflected onto the image sensor via the lens.

An image input device for providing a composite image of an object, the composite image comprising a plurality of two-dimensional image tiles, the system comprising:

• a multi-pixel image sensor for receiving one of the plurality of two-dimensional image tiles and for providing electrical signals representative of the two-dimensional image tiles, the image sensor having a fixed number of pixels;
• a lens for focusing the two-dimensional image tiles onto the image sensor;
• a variable optical deflection means having a plurality of optical settings, each corresponding to one of the plurality of two-dimensional image tiles, for deflecting one of the plurality of two-dimensional image tiles onto the lens, the variable optical deflection means deflecting the two-dimensional image tiles so that the two-dimensional image tiles overlap;
• control means for moving the optical deflection means so that each of the two-dimensional image tiles is sequentially deflected onto the image sensor via the lens, the control means bringing the optical deflection means to rest each time one of the two-dimensional image tiles is deflected onto the lens;
• and
• means for combining the two-dimensional image tiles to form a composite image comprising a number of pixels greater than the fixed number of pixels in the image sensor, wherein the overlap of the two-dimensional image tiles allows the means for combining to form the composite image without gaps.

An image input device for providing a two-dimensional image of an object located in an object plane comprising:

• a first mirror;
• a second mirror;
• a first drive motor for positioning the first mirror;
• a second drive motor for positioning the second mirror;
• a lens for focusing the two-dimensional image;
• a multi-pixel image sensor, wherein the image sensor generates:
• (1) a first field of pixels when the first and second mirrors are at rest in a first mirror position, such that a first portion of the two-dimensional image is deflected onto the sensor, and (2) a second field of pixels when the first and second mirrors are at rest in a second mirror position, such that a second portion of the two-dimensional image is deflected onto the sensor;
• memory for storing the first field of pixels at first memory addresses and the second field of pixels at second memory addresses;
• a display on which the two-dimensional image is displayed;
• and
• control means for controlling the position of the first and second mirrors with the first and second motors, and for calculating the relative displacement between the first and second portions of the two-dimensional image based on the first and second mirror positions, the control means receiving the first and second fields of pixels and adjusting the first and second addresses to compensate for blur in the interlaced video signal, so that the image of the object on the display is not blurred.

An image input device for providing a composite image of an object, the system comprising:

• a multi-pixel image sensor for receiving one of a plurality of two-dimensional sub-images of the object and for providing electrical signals representative of the two-dimensional sub-image;
• a lens for focusing the two-dimensional sub-image onto the image sensor;
• a variable optical deflection means having a plurality of optical settings, each corresponding to one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images, for deflecting one of the plurality of two-dimensional sub-images onto the lens, the variable optical deflection means being disposed between the object and the lens;
• control means for moving the optical deflection means so that each of the two-dimensional sub-images is sequentially deflected onto the image sensor via the lens, such that when each two-dimensional sub-image is deflected onto the lens, that two-dimensional sub-image fills the lens completely, wherein the control means brings the optical deflection means to rest as each two-dimensional sub-image is sequentially deflected onto the image sensor;
• means for processing the electrical signals that are representative of the two-dimensional sub-images, so that each two-dimensional sub-image is warped to form a warped sub-image to compensate for distortion;
• and
• means for assembling each of the warped sub-images to form a composite image.