Imaging system including an optical system compressing a circular object plane area to an elliptical area at a detection face

Claim 2

An imaging system, comprising: an image pick-up device including an image sensor having a rectangular detection face which is subdivided into a matrix of rows and columns of detection sub-faces for converting a radiation intensity distribution incident on the detection face into an electrical signal, said detection face having a long side and a short side; image forming means for forming a radiation intensity distribution in a circular area of an object plane; an optical system which receives radiation from the circular area of the object plane and images the radiation intensity distribution in said circular area of the object plane onto an elliptical area of the detection face, said elliptical area having unequal first and second axes being respectively directed parallel to the short and long sides of the detection face, a shorter one of the first and second axes being shorter than the short side of the detection face; and display means connected to the image sensor to display the radiation intensity distribution incident on the detection face.

Claim 3

An imaging system as claimed in claim 1 wherein a longer one of the first and second axes of the elliptical area is shorter than the long side of the detection face.

Claim 4

An imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the long and short sides of the detection face are of respective lengths a and b, the matrix of detection sub-faces comprises n rows dividing the short side and p columns dividing the long side, the first and second axes of the elliptical area respectively span n' rows and p' columns, and a quotient of lengths of the first and second axes of the elliptical area equals a compression ratio m, where: ##EQU20## p, p', n, and n' are integers greater than 1 p'<p and n'≦n.

Claim 5

An imaging system as claimed in claim 3, wherein n'=p'.

Claim 6

An imaging system as claimed in claim 3, wherein p'≦p/2.

Claim 7

an imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second axis of the elliptical area is the shorter one of the first and second axes.

Claim 8

An imaging system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the long and short sides of the detection face are of respective lengths a and b, the matrix of detection sub-faces comprises n rows dividing the short side and p columns dividing the long side, the first and second axes of the elliptical area respectively span n' rows and p' columns, and a quotient of lengths of the first and second axes of the elliptical area equals a compression ratio m, where: ##EQU21## p, p', n, and n' are integers greater than 1 p'<p and n'≦n.

Claim 9

An imaging system as claimed in claim 7, wherein n'=p'.

Claim 10

An imaging system as claimed in claim 2, wherein p'≦p/2.

Claim 11

An imaging system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the long and short sides of the detection face are of respective lengths a and b, the matrix of detection sub-faces comprises n rows dividing the short side and p columns dividing the long side, the first and second axes of the elliptical area respectively span n' rows and p' columns, and a quotient of lengths of the first and second axes of the elliptical area equals a compression ratio m, where: ##EQU22## p, p', n, and n' are integers greater than 1 p'<p and n'≦n.

Claim 12

An imaging system as claimed in claim 10, wherein n'=p'.

Claim 13

An imaging system as claimed in claim 10, wherein p'≦p/2.

Claim 14

An imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image sensor comprises a shift register for parallel reception of charges from detection sub-faces situated in a row and for sequential output to the display means of charges stored in the shift register, said shift register including, over at least a portion of its length, a reset electrode for applying charges stored in the shift register to a drain.

Claim 15

An imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical system comprises an anamorphic system.

Claim 16

An imaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image forming means comprises an X-ray intensifier tube having a circular exit window which comprises the circular region of the object plane.

Claim 17

An imaging system, comprising: an image pick-up device including t image sensors, t being an integer ≦2, having respective rectangular detection faces, each of which is subdivided into a matrix of n rows and p columns of detection sub-faces, n and p are integers greater than 1, for converting a radiation intensity distribution incident on the detection face into an electrical signal, each detection face having a long side and a short side, and each detection sub-face having a dimension x in a row direction and a dimension y in a column direction; image forming means for forming a radiation intensity distribution in a circular area of an object plane; an optical system which receives radiation from the circular area of the object plane and images the radiation intensity distribution in said circular area of the object plane onto elliptical areas of the respective detection faces, which are shifted on the respective detection faces relative to each other in either the row direction or the column direction by 1/t part of the dimension of a sub-face in that direction, each elliptical area having first and second axes respectively directed parallel to the short and long sides of the detection faces; and display means connected to the t image sensors to display the radiation intensity distribution incident on the detection faces of the t image sensors; wherein the first and second axes of each elliptical area respectively span n' of the n rows and p' of the p columns of the matrix of detection sub-faces, n' and p' being integers greater than 1, and a quotient of lengths of the first and second axes of each elliptical area equals m, where: ##EQU23## in the case of said elliptical areas being shifted relative to each other in the row direction, and ##EQU24## in the case of said elliptical areas being shifted relative to each other in the column direction.

Claim 18

An imaging system, comprising: an image pick-up device including t image sensors, t being an integer ≦2, having respective rectangular detection faces, each of which is subdivided into a matrix of n rows and p columns of detection sub-faces, n and p are integers greater than 1, for converting a radiation intensity distribution incident on the detection face into an electrical signal, each detection face having a long side and a short side, and each detection sub-face having a dimension x in a row direction and a dimension y in a column direction; image forming means for forming a radiation intensity distribution in a circular area of an object plane; an optical system which receives radiation from the circular area of the object plane and images the radiation intensity distribution in said circular area of the object plane onto elliptical areas of the respective detection faces, which are shifted on the respective detection faces relative to each other in either the row direction or the column direction by 1/t part of the dimension of a sub-face in that direction, each elliptical area having first and second axes respectively directed parallel to the short and long sides of the detection faces; and display means connected to the t image sensors to display the radiation intensity distribution incident on the detection faces of the t image sensors; wherein the first and second axes of each elliptical area respectively span n' of the n rows and p' of the p columns of the matrix of detection sub-faces, n' and p' being integers greater than 1, and a quotient of lengths of the first and second axes of each elliptical area equals m, where: ##EQU23## in the case of said elliptical areas being shifted relative to each other in the row direction, and ##EQU24## in the case of said elliptical areas being shifted relative to each other in the column direction.

Claim 19

An imaging system as claimed in claim 16, wherein a shorter one of the first and second axes of the elliptical areas is shorter than the short side of the detection faces.

Claim 20

An imaging system as claimed in claim 16, wherein n'=p'.

Claim 21

An imaging system as claimed in claim 16, wherein p'≦p/2.

Claim 22

An imaging system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the second axis of each elliptical area is the shorter one of the first and second axes.