Image Fusion Using Offset Optical Axes and Tilted Focal Plane
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image fusion techniques require additional hardware and computational resources, leading to increased size, cost, and power requirements, and suffer from high transmission loss and coherence issues, especially as image bandwidth increases.
Innovation Solution
An imaging system that achieves image fusion at a single detector plane without beamsplitters or digital post-processing by using optics with offset optical axes to slice and reimagine images onto a tilted focal plane, allowing multiple images to be combined without distortion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If software-based digital image combination is used, then image fusion can be achieved, but hardware size, cost, and power requirements increase due to multiple sensors and computational resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple image acquisition functions into a single detector by using multiple optical systems with different optical axes that all focus onto the same detector plane. This eliminates the need for multiple separate sensors and their associated processing systems, directly reducing hardware complexity while maintaining image fusion capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an optical intermediary system (multiple optics with offset axes) that acts as a mediator between the scene and the single detector. This optical arrangement enables multiple images to be formed on one detector without requiring digital processing hardware, thus reducing device complexity while achieving fusion
2Reliability
If beamsplitters are used for optical image combination, then image fusion can be achieved, but transmission loss and coherence effects increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the beamsplitter component from the optical system entirely. Instead of using beamsplitters to combine images, the invention uses multiple independent optical paths that directly image onto the detector without intermediate beam combining, eliminating transmission loss and coherence effects associated with beamsplitters
3Reliability
If conventional optical combining methods are used, then image fusion can be achieved, but system becomes difficult or impossible as image bandwidth increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from temporal or sequential image processing to a spatial arrangement where multiple optical systems with different axes simultaneously image onto the detector plane. This dimensional change in the optical architecture enables the system to handle increased bandwidth without becoming intractable
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient combination of multiple images at a single plane with no relative distortion, reducing hardware and computational needs, and maintaining image quality and light throughput even with increased bandwidth or multiple images.
Implementation Method 1
a first optic configured to receive electromagnetic radiation representing a first image volume and to focus the electromagnetic radiation to form a first image at a focal plane of the imaging detector
Implementation Method 2
the second optic configured to receive electromagnetic radiation representing a second image volume, to slice the second image volume into a plurality of image slices and to reimage the plurality of image slices onto the focal plane of the imaging detector to reconstruct the second image
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods configured to implement sliced source imaging to produce a plurality of overlapping in-focus images on the same location of a single imaging detector without using beamsplitters.