Spectral camera with overlapping segments of image copies interleaved onto sensor array

Abstract

A spectral camera having an objective lens, an array of lenses for producing optical copies of segments of the image, an array of filters for the different optical channels and having an interleaved spatial pattern, and a sensor array to detect the copies of the image segments is disclosed. Further, detected segment copies of spatially adjacent optical channels have different passbands and represent overlapping segments of the image, and detected segment copies of the same passband on spatially non-adjacent optical channels represent adjacent segments of the image which fit together. Having segments of the image copied can help enable better optical quality for a given cost. Having an interleaved pattern of the filter bands with overlapping segments enables each point of the image to be sensed at different bands to obtain the spectral output for many bands simultaneously to provide better temporal resolution.