Encapsulated opto-electronic system for co-directional imaging in multiple fields of view

Abstract

A tethered opto-electronic imaging system encapsulated in an optically-transmissible housing capsule/shell and configured to image object space in multiple fields-of-view (FOVs) to form a visually-perceivable representation of the object space in which sub-images representing different FOVs remain co-directional regardless of mutual repositioning of the object and the imaging system. The capsule/shell of the system is a functionally-required portion of the train of optical components that aggregately define and form a lens of the optical imaging system. The tether is devoid of any functional optical channel or element. When different FOVs are supported by the same optical detector, co-directionality of formed sub-images images is achieved due via judicious spatial re-distribution of irradiance of an acquired sub-image to form a transformed sub-image while maintaining aspect ratios of dimensions of corresponding pixels of the acquired and transformed sub-images. Methodology of transformation of images utilizing radial redistribution of image irradiance.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An optoelectronic system comprising:
 a housing shell having a shell axis and first optically-transparent portion of the housing shell and a second optically-transparent portion of the housing shell that are integrally connected with one another to form a wall of the housing shell that encapsulates and fluidly seals a volume therein,   wherein the first optically-transparent portion has a first non-zero optical power and the second optically-transparent portion has a second non-zero optical power, the volume containing:
 an optical detector system, 
 a first lens facing said first optically-transparent portion, wherein a combination of the first lens and the first optically-transparent portion of the housing shell defining a front optical imaging system, and wherein the front optical imaging system has a first optical axis and a front field of view (FFOV) and is configured to form a first image at the optical detector system, 
 a second lens facing said second optically-transparent portion, wherein a combination of the second lens and the second portion of the housing shell defining a lateral optical imaging system, and wherein the lateral optical imaging system has a second optical axis and a lateral field of view (LFOV) and is configured to form a second image at the optical detector system, and 
   a programmable electronic circuitry in electrical cooperation with the optical detector system, said programmable electronic circuitry configured to govern the operation of the optical detector system and, when the optical detector system includes only one optical detector, to transform a chosen image of the first and second images to form a third image such that the third image and the other of the first and second images have the same directionality.   
     
     
         2 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: a) the optoelectronic system comprises a tether electrically connecting contents of the housing shell with a programmable processor outside of the housing shell and b) the first lens and the second lens are spatially separated by the optical detector system. 
     
     
         3 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 2 , wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied: (i) the tether includes only an electrically-conducting member and insulation for said electrically-conducting member, (ii) the optical detector system includes only one optical detector, and (iii) the tether does not contain an optical channel inside the tether. 
     
     
         4 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first image has a first perimeter that is a portion of a circumference of a circle that includes an axial point of the first image and has a first radius, wherein the second image is dimensioned as a stripe or band having a second perimeter that is a portion of a circumference of a circle with a second radius, and wherein the second radius is no smaller than the first radius.   
     
     
         5 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 1 , configured to form:
 the first image that is optically-conjugate to a portion of an object space covered by the FFOV, the first image having a first perimeter that is a portion of a circumference of a circle, the circle including an axial point of the first image and having a first radius,   the second image that is optically-conjugate to a portion of the object space covered by the LFOV, wherein the second image being dimensioned, when the optoelectronic system is rotated in operation thereof about the shell axis, as an annulus having a second perimeter that is a portion of a circumference of a circle with a second radius, the second radius being no smaller than the first radius.   
     
     
         6 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first lens includes a sequence of two meniscus lens elements of the first lens, an optical doublet of the first lens, and a positive lens element of the first lens, said positive element separating said sequence from said optical doublet.   
     
     
         7 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein none of the lens elements from the first lens includes an aspherical surface. 
     
     
         8 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein the second lens includes a sequence of a meniscus lens element of the second lens and a positive lens element of the second lens. 
     
     
         9 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein two optical surfaces of the second lens are aspherical surfaces. 
     
     
         10 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 9 , wherein an optical lens element having a first of said two optical surfaces and an optical lens element having a second of said two optical surfaces are separated by a positive lens element. 
     
     
         11 . An optoelectronic system according to  claim 1 , wherein the optical detector system includes spatially distinct from one another first and second optical detectors, and wherein the front optical imaging system is configured to form the first image at the first optical detector and the lateral optical imaging system is configured to form the second image at the second optical detector. 
     
     
         12 . A method for forming an image of an object space with the use of an optoelectronic system, the method comprising:
 acquiring, with an optical detector system located inside a housing shell of the optoelectronic system that has a shell axis, a first light through a first portion of the housing shell that has a first non-zero optical power and through a first lens, wherein a first combination of the first portion of the housing shell and the first lens defines a front optical imaging system of the optoelectronic system having a front field-of-view (FFOV),   receiving, at the optical detector system, a second light through a second portion of the housing shell that has a second non-zero optical power and through a second lens, wherein a second combination of the second portion of the housing shell and the second lens defines a lateral optical imaging system of the optoelectronic system having a lateral field-of-view (LFOV);
 wherein the first and second portions of the housing shell are integrally connected with one another to form a wall of the housing shell that encapsulates and fluidly seals the optical detector system and the first and second lenses, 
   forming a first image of a first portion of the object space covered by the FFOV from a first output provided by the optical detector system, the first image having a first perimeter that is a portion of a circumference of a circle that includes an axial point of the first image that that has a first radius, the first image having a first directionality; and   forming a second image of a second portion of the object space covered by the LFOV from a second output provided by the optical detector system, the second image being co-directional with the first image.   
     
     
         13 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein said forming the first image includes forming, the first image having a first perimeter that is a portion of a circumference of a circle, the circle including an axial point of the first image and having a first radius. 
     
     
         14 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein said forming the second image includes forming the second image dimensioned as a stripe or band having an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter, the inner perimeter being a portion of a circumference of a circle with a second radius, the outer perimeter being a portion of a circumference of a circle with a third radius, wherein the second radius is no smaller than the first radius and the third radius is larger than the second radius. 
     
     
         15 . A method according to  claim 12 , comprising rotating the housing shell about the shell axis by moving a tether that is connected to the housing shell to dimension said second image as an annulus circumscribing the first image. 
     
     
         16 . A method according to  claim 12 , comprising at least one of the following steps:
 a) transmitting electrical signals representing an output from the optical detector system through a tether that is connected to the housing shell and that is configured to transmit only electrical signals;   b) forming an auxiliary image of the second portion of the object space covered by the LFOV, the auxiliary image having an auxiliary directionality that is opposite to the first directionality; and   c) transforming irradiance distribution of the auxiliary image to create said second image by radially redistributing irradiance of the auxiliary image with respect to a circumference of a circle of a chosen radius located between the inner and outer perimeters of said auxiliary image.   
     
     
         17 . A method according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein said irradiance distribution of the auxiliary image includes a first irradiance at a first image pixel at a first location outside of said circumference and a second irradiance at a second image pixel at a second location inside said circumference, the first and second locations being radially-symmetric with respect to the circumference with said chosen radius, wherein the chosen radius is defined as a weighted combination of (i) a geometric mean of the second and third radii, and (ii) an arithmetic mean of said second and third radii, and   wherein the transforming said irradiance distribution includes assigning a value of the first irradiance to the second image pixel while assigning a value of the second irradiance to the first image pixel.   
     
     
         18 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the following conditions is satisfied:
 a) said acquiring includes acquiring the first light at a first optical detector structured to collect light from the object space only through the first optical imaging system; and   b) said receiving includes receiving the second light at a second optical detector structured to collect light from the object space only through the second optical imaging system.   
     
     
         19 . A method according to  claim 18 , wherein the first lens and the second lens are spatially separated from one another by at least one of the first optical detector and the second optical detector. 
     
     
         20 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein said acquiring includes transmitting the first light through a sequence of three meniscus lens elements prior to transmitting said first light through an optical doublet, wherein the first lens comprises two of said three meniscus lens elements and said optical doublet. 
     
     
         21 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein said receiving includes transmitting the second light through a sequence of two positive lens elements after transmitting said second light through a sequence of two meniscus lens elements, wherein the second lens comprises one of said two meniscus lens elements and said sequence of two positive lens elements.