Pixel displacement by series- parallel analog switching

Claim 2

An image displacement signal switching system, for use with a photodetector array, comprising: a first image-receiving array of electronic devices which receives output signals from the photodetectors and which has an address for each unit in the array, each photodetector output signal being separated from all other photodetector output signals; a second image-receiving array of electronic devices which receives the separate photodetector signals from the first image-receiving array, and which has an address for each unit in the array, each such unit being able to store and thereby integrate a plurality of time-spaced photodetector signals; busing/switching circuitry interposed between the first and second image-receiving arrays; and control means capable of changing the incoming and outgoing addresses of the busing/switching circuitry, in order to displace the image at the second image-receiving array from the image at the first image-receiving array.

Claim 3

The image displacement signal switching system of claim 1 in which the busing/switching circuitry comprises: a plurality of parallel buses, each of which carries multiplexed signals which instantaneously transfer a single photodetector signal from a single unit of the first image-receiving array to a single unit of the second image-receiving array.

Claim 4

The image displacement signal switching system of claim 1 which also comprises: one or more output conductors; and multiplexing control means for controlling the timing of transfer to the output conductors of signals stored at the respective units in the second image receiving array.

Claim 5

The image displacement signal switching system of claim 1 which also comprises: a scanner between the viewed scene and the photodetector array, which produces a series of space-varied signals at each photodetector.

Claim 6

The image displacement signal switching system of claim 1 in which: the units in the first image-receiving array are high frequency spatial filters; and the units in the second image-receiving array are low frequency temporal filters, which integrate a plurality of time-spaced signals from one or more units in the first image-receiving array.

Claim 7

An optical image receiving and transmitting system comprising: a photodetector array on a focal plane; a scanner which provides a series of spatially separated optical signals to each photodetector; a first electronic image plane representation which is created by the scanner-photodetector array combination, and which has a multiplicity of signal source addresses; a second electronic image plane representation which is created by electrical communication with the first electronic image plane representation, and which has a multiplicity of signal storage addresses; a switching network which controls communication between the first and second electronic image plane representations, and which connects a single signal source address to a single signal storage address at a given time; address-selecting means for determining and synchronizing the interconnected addresses; an output line for carrying multiplexed output signals from the signal storage addresses; and timing means for controlling multiplexed connection of each signal storage address to the output line after that storage address has integrated a plurality of separate electronic signals from the signal source addresses.

Claim 8

An optical image receiving and transmitting system comprising: a photodetector array on a focal plane; a scanner which provides a series of spatially separated optical signals to each photodetector; a first electronic image plane representation which is created by the scanner-photodetector array combination, and which has a multiplicity of signal source addresses; a second electronic image plane representation which is created by electrical communication with the first electronic image plane representation, and which has a multiplicity of signal storage addresses; a switching network which controls communication between the first and second electronic image plane representations, and which connects a single signal source address to a single signal storage address at a given time; address-selecting means for determining and synchronizing the interconnected addresses; an output line for carrying multiplexed output signals from the signal storage addresses; and timing means for controlling multiplexed connection of each signal storage address to the output line after that storage address has integrated a plurality of separate electronic signals from the signal source addresses.

Claim 9

The optical image receiving and transmitting system of claim 6 in which the switching network comprises: a plurality of parallel buses, each of which carries multiplexed electronic signals between the first and second image plane representations; switches between each bus and the signal source addresses; and switches between each bus and the signal storage addresses.

Claim 10

The optical image receiving and transmitting system of claim 6 which also comprises: a control for the address-selecting means which causes one or more elements in the optical image to appear substantially immobile at the second image plane representation.

Claim 11

The optical image receiving and transmitting system of claim 8 in which the control for the address-selecting means causes a target to appear immobile while the background appears mobile.

Claim 12

The optical image receiving and transmitting system of claim 8 in which the control for the address-selecting means causes the background to appear immobile while a target appears mobile.

Claim 13

The optical image receiving and transmitting system of claim 6 in which the signals at both the signal source addresses and the signal storage addresses are analog voltage signals proportional to, and essentially simultaneous with, the signals received by the photodetectors.

Claim 14

The optical image receiving and transmitting system of claim 6 in which the first and second image plane representations and switching network are provided by electronic devices located contiguous to the photodetector array focal plane.

Claim 15

An optical/electronic image receiving and transmitting system comprising: a photodetector array on a focal plane; a scanner which provides a series of spatially separated optical signals to each photodetector; a first electronic image plane representation which is created by the scanner-photodetector array combination, and which has a multiplicity of signal addresses; a second electronic image plane representation which is created by electrical communication with the first electronic image plane representation, and which has a multiplicity of signal addresses; a switching network which controls communication between the first and second electronic image plane representations, and which connects a single signal address of the first image plane representation to a single signal address of the second image plane representation at a given time; address-selecting means for determining and synchronizing the interconnected addresses; and an output line for carrying multiplexed output signals from the signal addresses of the second image plane representation.

Claim 16

An optical/electronic image receiving and transmitting system comprising: a photodetector array on a focal plane; a scanner which provides a series of spatially separated optical signals to each photodetector; a first electronic image plane representation which is created by the scanner-photodetector array combination, and which has a multiplicity of signal addresses; a second electronic image plane representation which is created by electrical communication with the first electronic image plane representation, and which has a multiplicity of signal addresses; a switching network which controls communication between the first and second electronic image plane representations, and which connects a single signal address of the first image plane representation to a single signal address of the second image plane representation at a given time; address-selecting means for determining and synchronizing the interconnected addresses; and an output line for carrying multiplexed output signals from the signal addresses of the second image plane representation.

Claim 17

The optical/electronic image receiving and transmitting system of claim 13 in which the signals at both the signal addresses of the first image plane representation and the signal addresses of the second image plane representation are analog voltage signals proportional to, and essentially simultaneous with, the signals received by the photodetectors.

Claim 18

The optical/electronic image receiving and transmitting system of claim 13 in which the first and second image plane representations and switching network are provided by electronic devices located contiguous to the photodetector array focal plane.

Claim 19

The optical/electronic image receiving and transmitting system of claim 13 in which the switching network comprises: a plurality of parallel buses each of which carries multiplexed electronic signals between the first and second image plane representations; switches between each bus and the signal addresses of the first image plane representation; and switches between each bus and the signal addresses of the second image plane representation.

Claim 20

The optical/electronic image receiving and transmitting system of claim 16 which also comprises: a control for the address-selecting means which causes one or more elements in the optical image to appear substantially immobile at the second image plane representation.

Claim 23

The method of claim 18 which also comprises: controlling the switching-effected position changes of the transferred signals by means of an external information input.