Off-axis image correction with spaced photodetectors
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorRoger S. Holcombe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical device is positioned to receive an image and to deflect it into spatially separate portions onto the mutually spaced photosensitive surfaces of an array of staring array detectors. The optical device, which can be implemented with prisms or mirrors, directs the deflected light portions only onto the photosensitive portions of the array, avoiding non-photosensitive gaps between the photodetectors. The focal surface of the optical device may be nonplanar, and in that case the photosensitive portions of the array are positioned to lie at the nonplanar focal surface. The portions of the image received by the individual photodetectors combine to form the overall image.
Claims20
An image detector for detecting light from an image, comprising:
- a detector comprising multiple photodetectors having respective mutually spaced photosensitive photodetector surfaces, and
- an optical device positioned to receive light from an image and to direct said light in spatially separate portions, without separating the light spectrally, onto the respective photodetector surfaces, the combination of said light portions forming said image,
- wherein the optical device has a nonplanar focal surface and the multiple photodetectors are positioned such that each photosensitive photodetector surface lies at the nonplanar focal surface.
An image detector for receiving parallel unfocused light rays and detecting an image, comprising:
- an imaging device for focusing said light rays into an image;
- a plurality of photodetectors having respective mutually spaced photosensitive photodetector surfaces, and
- an optical device positioned to receive said image and to direct it in spatially separate focused portions, without separating the light spectrally, onto respective photodetector surfaces of said photodetectors, the combination of said image portions forming said image,
- wherein the optical device has a nonplanar focal surface and the multiple photodetectors are positioned such that each photosensitive photodetector surface lies at the nonplanar focal surface.
An image detector for detecting light from a continuous image, comprising
- multiple photodetectors having respective mutually spaced photosensitive photodetector surfaces that are separated from each other by gaps between said photodetector surfaces,
- an optical device positioned to receive a continuous pattern of light from a continuous image, to divide said continuous pattern of light into a plurality of spatially separated image portions, and to direct said mutually separated image portions onto respective ones of said photodetector surfaces so that substantially none of the light from said continuous image is directed onto the gaps between said photodetector surfaces, each image portion directed onto only a single corresponding photodetector surface,
- wherein the optical device has a nonplanar focal surface and the multiple photodetectors are positioned such that each photosensitive photodetector surface lies at the nonplanar focal surface.
An image detector for receiving parallel and substantially continuous unfocused light rays and detecting an image from said light rays, comprising:
- an imaging device for focusing said light rays into a continuous image,
- a plurality of photodetectors having respective mutually spaced photosensitive photodetector surfaces that are separated from each other by gaps between said photodetector surfaces, and
- an optical device positioned to receive said continuous image, to device said continuous image into a plurality of mutually separated image portions, and to direct said mutually separated image portions onto respective ones of said photodetector surfaces so that substantially none of the light from said continuous image is directed onto the gaps between said photodetector surfaces, with each image portion directed onto only a single corresponding photodetector surface, wherein the optical device has a nonplanar focal surface and the multiple photodetectors are positioned such that each photosensitive photodetector surface lies at the nonplanar focal surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.