Optical waveguides – Optical fiber bundle – Imaging
Patent
1995-08-03
1997-08-05
Ngo, John
Optical waveguides
Optical fiber bundle
Imaging
385 33, 385121, G02B 606
Patent
active
056550430
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to imaging arrangements and especially to integral imaging arrangements.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The manipulation of integral images is not straightforward and magnification (or reduction) without distortion can be problematical.
The present invention provides novel imaging arrangements which can be used to produce magnified (or reduced) integral images without distortion and which may provide for image capture.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The invention comprises an imaging arrangement comprising a lens array having a focal surface and an optical fibre bundle arranged with one end face coincident with the said focal surface.
The focal surface will usually comprise a focal plane.
The fibre bundle may have a second end face, and a second lens array comprising a second focal surface coincident with said second end face. Said second focal surface may comprise a second focal plane.
The fibre bundle may be coherent and connect the focal surfaces of corresponding lenses in the first and second lens arrays, and this will usually be the case for the production of regular images, though special effects could be produced with other arrangements of course.
The fibre bundle may be tapered for reduction (or magnification) of the image, though a constant cross-section bundle can be used for the transmission of integral images without reduction or magnification, for example where it is simply desired to produce an image without reduction or magnification at a location remote from an inaccessible object.
In one arrangement, multiple fibres of the bundle connect the focal surfaces of corresponding lenses of first and second lens arrays. In another arrangement, a single graded index fibre connects the focal surfaces of corresponding lenses in the first and second arrays, in which case the fibre bundle must be drawn down to the required cross section if reduction (or magnification) is required and must be of a particular length (dependent on the way the index is graded) to keep the image on the end face.
Instead of being connected to a second lens array, the second end of the fibre bundle may be adapted to be contacted by an image capture device, which may be photographic plate or an electronic image capture device such as a high resolution CCD array. Such an arrangement may comprise an integral transmission screen arranged to project a spatially inverted integral image on to the said lens array. If the captured image (after development and printing in the case of the photographic plate or electronic display in the case of the CCD-captured image) is overlaid by a lens array of appropriate dimension, an orthoscopic, three-dimensional integral image (without lens distortion) will be seen.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of imaging arrangements according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross-section through a first arrangement;
FIG. 2 is a cross-section through a second
arrangement; and
FIG. 3 is a cross-section through a third arrangement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The drawings illustrate imaging arrangements comprising lens arrays 11 having a focal surface 12 and an optical fibre bundle 13 arranged with one end 14 coincident with the said focal surface 12.
In each case, the focal surface 12 comprises a focal plane, though it is conceivable that the lens array could be generally curved either uniaxially or biaxially so that the focal surface 12 could be cylindrical or spherical for example.
The lens arrays 11 are two-dimensional so-called microlens arrays in which each lens is of millimetre dimensions. Each lens forms a complete image of the object, all from slightly different points of view, and the array thus captures sufficient parallax information to be able to produce an integral, three-dimensional image of the object.
In the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2, the fibre bundle 13 has a second end face 15 and a second lens array 16 comprises a second focal surface 17 coincident with said second en
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King et al; Applied Optics/vol. 27, No. 10; pp. 2048-2054 May 15, 1988.
Stevenagel; Electronics Letters/vol. 27, No. 12; pp. 1022-1024 Jun. 6, 1991 .
Davies Neil
McCormick Malcolm
De Montfort University
Felsman Robert A.
Ngo John
Perdue Mark D.
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