Recent investigations into high pixel count imaging using multiscale optics have led to a novel optical design for a wide field, gigapixel camera. We review the mechanical design and optical performance of this imager.
Optical designMultiscale lens design is an attempt at severing the inherent connection between geometric aberrations and aperture size that plagues traditional lenses [1]. By taking advantage of the superior imaging capabilities of small scale optics, a multiscale lens can effectively increase its field of view and image size by simply arraying additional optical elements, similar to a lens array. The resulting partial images can then be stitched post processing to create a single image of a large field.The optical design for the wide field gigapixel imager MC0 (Figure 1) utilizes a multiscale design in conjunction with a monocentric objective lens [2] to achieve near diffraction limited performance throughout the field. A monocentric objective enables the use of identical secondary optics (referred to as micro-optics) greatly simplifying design and manufacturing. Following the multiscale lens design methodology, the FOV is increased by arraying additional micro-optics along the focal surface of the objective. In practice, the FOV is limited by the physical housing. The current design has a FOV of ±60º and is optimized for a pixel pitch of around 2 microns. Figure 1. Optical design of gigapixel imager MC0.
Wide field-of-view gigapixel imaging systems capable of diffraction-limited resolution and video-rate acquisition have a broad range of applications, including sports event broadcasting, security surveillance, astronomical observation, and bioimaging. The complexity of the system integration of such devices demands precision optical components that are fully characterized and qualified before being integrated into the final system. In this work, we present component and assembly level characterizations of microcameras in our first gigapixel camera, the AWARE-2. Based on the results of these measurements, we revised the optical design and assembly procedures to construct the second generation system, the AWARE-2 Retrofit, which shows significant improvement in image quality.
Recent developments in multiscale imaging systems have opened up the possibility for commercially viable wide-field gigapixel cameras. While multiscale design principles allow tremendous simplification of the optical design, they place increased emphasis on optomechanics and system level integration of the camera as a whole. In this paper we present the optomechanical design of a prototype two-gigapixel system (AWARE-2) that has been constructed and tested.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.