Patent ID: 7598979

Claim:
An imaging device comprising: a lens configured to focus light from a selected scene within an optical footprint; a substrate including: a primary array configured to acquire a desired image corresponding to a portion of the selected scene during an integration period; and at least one navigation array configured to acquire a series of images during the integration period including a first image and a second image having common features from the selected scene, wherein the imaging array and the at least one navigation array are positioned within the optical footprint; a correlator configured to receive the series of images from the at least one navigation array, to determine location differences of the common features of the first and second images relative to the at least one navigation array, and to provide a displacement signal indicative of imaging device translation in two planar dimensions during an interval between the first and second images based on the location differences; a compensator configured to opto-mechanically maintain one of: a substantially fixed relationship or a constant movement indicative of a panning movement of the imaging device between the selected scene and the primary array based on the displacement signal; a memory configured to store at least one of the series of images from the navigation array acquired during the integration period; and a processor, coupled to the primary array and the memory and configured to generate a composite image from the desired image from the primary array and the at least one of the series of images stored in the memory.