Patent ID: 7564031

Claim:
An imaging system comprising: (a) a two-dimensional imaging sensor array; (b) an optical system including: (i) at least one optical arrangement associated with the imaging sensor array and defining a field of view of given angular dimensions; and (ii) an optical switching mechanism for alternately switching an optical axis of the imaging system between a first direction and a second direction, said optical switching mechanism and said at least one optical arrangement being deployed such that said imaging sensor array generates images of at least two substantially non-overlapping fields of view of equal angular dimensions, said substantially non-overlapping fields of view having diverging optical axes in fixed spatial relation; (c) a first set of read capacitors including a capacitor associated with each sensor element of said two-dimensional imaging sensor array; (d) a second set of read capacitors including a capacitor associated with each sensor element of said two-dimensional imaging sensor array; and (e) a sensor switching arrangement associated with said two-dimensional imaging sensor array, said first and second sets of read capacitors and said optical switching mechanism, said sensor switching arrangement being configured to switch connections from each sensor element of said two-dimensional imaging sensor array between corresponding capacitors of said first and second sets of read capacitors synchronously with switching of said optical switching mechanism between said two fields of view such that said first set of read capacitors accumulate information corresponding to a first of said two fields of view and said second set of read capacitors accumulate information corresponding to a second of said two fields of view.