Patent ID: 11860505
Assignee: MBDA UK LIMITED
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  F  H | IPC F  G  H

Claim 4:
5. An imaging device including:
an array including a plurality of liquid crystal cells, the array being planar in that the liquid crystal cells of the plurality are arranged in a common plane in a contiguous group, each liquid crystal cell of the plurality providing a respective phase shift to electromagnetic radiation passing through the liquid crystal cell, wherein the liquid crystal cells of the plurality form a plurality of patches, wherein each patch is formed of a group of contiguous liquid crystal cells of the plurality;
a detector;
control electronics for controlling the phase shifts provided by each of the liquid crystal cells of the plurality, wherein the control electronics is configured to control the phase shifts of the liquid crystal cells of each patch, so that a given patch provides two or more phase shifts to electromagnetic radiation passing through the given patch and each patch forms a respective lens that focuses electromagnetic radiation focused on a surface of the detector, such that the plurality of patches form an array of lenses; and
an image processor for generating an image from electromagnetic radiation detected by the detector.