| 摘要 |
Plural image planes are illuminated through a single image-collecting objective system. The field of view or magnification (or both), is allocated dynamically among the plural planes. Preferably the planes include two detector planes—one corresponding to a wide field of view (FOV) and the other to a steerable narrow one. Allocation is performed by a beam splitter in combination with a steering mirror, or steering-mirror array, that steers both fields together. The splitter isolates radiation corresponding to the narrow FOV from radiation corresponding to the wide FOV. In method forms of the invention, an electrooptical observation system produces simultaneous plural images for a region of interest. The system displays simultaneous images having respective plural resolutions. In operation a first, relatively wider FOV continuously covers a region of interest; while the second is narrower and has finer resolution than the first. |
| 主权项 |
1. A method for operating an electrooptical observation system that produces simultaneous plural images for a region of interest, at least some of said plural images having respective plural resolutions; for use when the system also has an inertial-navigation system and a steering mirror and when the steering mirror intercepts and deflects radiation that forms the relatively narrower field of view, said method comprising the steps, by a remote operator, of:
operating the system to display simultaneous images having respective plural resolutions; controlling the system to cause: at least a first of the simultaneous plural images and a second of the simultaneous plural images to be formed simultaneously from radiation passing through a single optical aperture, radiation that is physically separated into the first and second of the simultaneous plural images formed on a plurality of physically separated imaging planes, including a lower resolution imaging plane and a higher resolution imaging plane; the at least first of the simultaneous plural images to have a relatively wider field of view, and to continuingly cover a region of interest, and the at least second of the simultaneous plural images to have a narrower field of view, with finer resolution than the relatively-wider-field image, continuingly directed toward a particular detail or details within or associated with the region of interest; using the system to: identify and follow, in the second of the simultaneous plural images with the wider-field of view, the region of interest to maintain an overall situational awareness, and concurrently observe as a real-time telephoto view, in the first of the simultaneous plural images with the narrower-field of view, relatively higher-resolution data and visible scenes for relatively finer investigation and analysis of one or more specialized details; operating the steering mirror to point the relatively narrower field toward a particular region of interest within the relatively wider field; operating the system to employ the inertial-navigation system for measuring spatial coordinates of the relatively narrower view, or of at least one object therein, or both; and operating the system to incorporate information from the inertial-navigation system to substantially stabilize the steering mirror with respect to inertial space. |
