Wide angle television system utilizing optical fibers

Claim 1

A WIDE ANGLE TELEVISION SYSTEM, COMPRISING A CAMERA PICKUP DEVICE HAVING AN OPTICAL AXIS: SAID CAMERA PICKUP DEVICE INCLUDING, ALONG SAID OPTICAL AXIS: LENS MEANS FOR FORMING A REAL IMAGE OF A SCENE, ENCOMPASSED IN A WIDE ANGLE FIELD OF VIEW, TO BE TELEVISED BY SAID SYSTEM; MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID IMAGE ABOUT SAID AXIS; AN ARRAY OF OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE ELEMENTS DISPOSED IN LIGHT-RECEIVING RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID IMAGE-ROTATING MEANS, EACH HAVING ITS LIGHT-RECEIVING END DISPOSED AT A DIFFERENT POINT ALONG A RADIAL LINE NORMAL TO AND EXTENDING FROM SAID AXIS TO A POINT ADJACENT THE PERIPHERY OF THE ROTATING IMAGE, WHEREBY TO SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSMIT LIGHT RAYS CONSTITUTING CONTIGUOUS ELEMENTS OF A LINEAL PORTION OF SAID ROTATING IMAGE, A SEQUENCE OF SUCH LINEAL PORTIONS FOR A COMPLETE ROTATION OF THE IMAGE CONSTITUTING THE TOTAL IMAGE DURING A GIVEN INTERVAL OF TIME; AND PHOTODETECTOR MEANS FOR CONVERTING LIGHT RAYS TRANSMITTED BY EACH OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE ELEMENT TO A RESPECTIVE ELECTRICAL SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL TO LIGHT RAY INTENSITY, TO GENERATE PARALLEL SIGNALS CONTAINING THE VIDEO INFORMATION IN A LINEAL PORTION OF THE TOTAL IMAGE.