Patent ID: 7286295
Filing Date: 2007-10-23
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A microoptical compound lens for imaging an object, comprising: a segment of a hollow optical shell having an outer surface comprising a plurality of outer lenslets for collecting light from the object and an inner surface comprising a plurality of inner lenslets and wherein each outer lenslet is aligned on an ommatidial axis with a corresponding inner lenslet to provide a plurality of lenslet pairs; a spacing shell within the hollow optical shell for maintaining focus of the light rays along the optical axis of each lenslet pair; a coherent fiber bundle having a curved front surface that is concentric with the hollow optical shell and on which the light rays are focused, for transporting the focused light from each lenslet pair; and a detector for detecting the transported light from each of the lenslet pairs and forming an image of the object.