Description translated from French Method for acquiring an image of a star and apparatus for implementing the method
Description of the embodiments
For clarity, the present invention refers to one or more " computer processes ". These correspond to the actions or results obtained by the execution of instructions of different computer applications. Also, it should also be understood within the meaning of the invention that “ a computer process is suitable for doing something ” means “ the instructions of a computer application executed by a processing unit do something ”.
As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of the ordinal adjectives " first ", " second ", etc., to describe an object simply indicates that different occurrences of similar objects are mentioned and does not imply that the objects thus described must be in a given sequence, whether in time, space, classification or in any other way.
The apparatus 30 object of the invention is used for the observation of both large and small stars. These stars or celestial objects or bodies can be planets, stars, nebulae, galaxies, etc. It is preferably a telescope but the device can also be in the form of a still camera or a video camera. For the sake of clarity, and by way of illustrative example only, the remainder of the description refers only to a telescope suitable for the observation of stars of a different nature, in particular small stars of relatively bright size (e.g. planets , moon) and darker large stars 51 (eg nebulae, galaxies).
In the accompanying figures, the telescope 30 comprises in particular a hollow body 302 inside which, in use, light rays 34 coming from the star 50, 51 observed enter. The hollow body 302 has a first end 300 through which penetrate the light rays 34 and a second end 301 opposite said first end.
The hollow body 302 is preferably in the form of a hollow tube of circular section, but could be a tube of oval, octagonal square or other section. It is specified that the hollow body 302 is not necessarily of tubular shape, but may be of conical shape, or formed of portions of tubes or cones for example. The hollow body 302 can be made of plastic material, composite material, etc. For example, its length is between 200 mm and 400 mm, its diameter is between 50 mm and 500 mm and its thickness is between 1 mm and 10 mm.
An optical system 31, 382, 383 is arranged in the hollow body 302 having an optical axis 32. The optical system is configured so that the light rays 34 form, in a focal plane 33, an image of the star 50, 51 observed. .
The telescope has an optical axis 32. For the purposes of the present invention, the term “optical axis” is understood to mean the line which passes through the center of each optical element of the optical system 31, 382, 383. The optical axis 32 is a rectilinear axis. coincident with the axis of symmetry of the telescope 30 (as for example in the first, second, fifth, seventh, eighth and ninth embodiments). Other configurations can however be envisaged, in which the optical axis 32 is non-rectilinear and is broken down into a main optical axis (coincident with the axis of symmetry) and by a secondary optical axis (between a mobile mirror 381 and a matrix of sensors 361, 362, 363), this type of configuration is for example shown in the third, fourth and sixth embodiments.
The telescope has an image focal point 330 at the intersection between the optical axis 32 and the light rays 34. Preferably, the image focal point 330 is in the focal plane 33.
In the hollow body 302, there are arranged at least two matrices of optical sensors 361, 362 configured to acquire the image of the star 50, 51 observed, formed in the image focal point 330. It is also possible to envisage three matrices of optical sensors. optical sensors (as shown in figure 9) or more, making it possible to obtain a wider range of resolution so that the user can observe a larger category of stars (for example stars of intermediate sizes, or very large stars such as the Andromeda Galaxy) but also to refine the resolution according to the nature of the observed star.
The first matrix 361 and the second matrix 362 have different designs so as to be adapted to the observation of stars 50, 51 of different nature.
The matrices 361, 362 are for example matrices of CCD (for the English acronym Charged Coupled Device) or CMOS (for the English acronym Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), this type of matrix having small dimensions, which makes it possible to easily install them in the apparatus 30. They consist of an arrangement of optical sensors, each sensor being in the form of a pixel. These pixels have different sizes and resolutions depending on the matrix 361, 362 in which they are installed. Each type of matrix is adapted to a type of star to be observed. Matrices are characterized by their size, pixel size, and number of pixels. The size of the matrix affects the field of view. The size of the pixels and their number affect resolution and sensitivity.
The size of the matrix determines the field of view. In fact, the larger the matrix, the larger the portion of sky observed. It will therefore be possible to observe large stars such as nebulae or deep sky stars. Conversely, with a smaller matrix, the portion of sky observed will be further reduced. The field of view being restricted, one can observe only smaller stars such as planets.
In the remainder of the description, the first matrix 361 is considered to have the largest size and is suitable for observing large-sized stars 51. Its surface area is for example between 50 mm 2 and 150 mm 2 . The second matrix 362 is considered to have the smallest size and is suitable for observing small-sized stars 50. Its surface area is for example between 5 mm 2 and 15 mm 2 . These particularly compact dies 361, 362 allow them to be easily integrated into the hollow body 302.
The optical resolution of the telescope 30 is generally defined by the dimension of the mirror or the lens of the optical system 31. The size of the pixels of the sensor array determines the digital resolution of the observed image and indirectly the possibility of zooming. Indeed, the more the size of the pixels decreases, the more the digital resolution increases. And by increasing the digital resolution, it is possible to achieve a good quality enlargement of a part of the observed image. Conversely, if the digital resolution is low, the magnification will be of poor quality. The resolution of the digital telescope is determined by the least resolved element between the optics and the sensor array. It is therefore not interesting to use a pixel size smaller than the optical resolution of the telescope 30.
Pixel size also affects sensitivity to light. Small pixels are insensitive. Conversely, large pixels are more sensitive. If the user observes a small star 50, such as a planet for example which is very bright, it is not necessary to have a high sensitivity. The observation of small stars 50 can therefore be done with small pixels having a low sensitivity so that one focuses on the digital resolution which makes it possible to observe details of the surface of the planet (ex : storms, craters, etc.). Conversely, if the user observes a large star 51, such as a nebula for example which is not very bright, it is advantageous to have a high sensitivity to light. These stars being large, it is not necessary to have a very high resolution to observe details (gas clouds, arms of galaxies).
According to one embodiment, the pixels of small size have, for example, sides having a length of between 0.5 μm and 2 μm. Large pixels have, for example, sides having a length of between 2 μm and 10 μm.
Each matrix 361, 362 is preferably a CCD (for the English acronym Charged Coupled Device) or CMOS (for the English acronym Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) comprising an arrangement of pixels (preferably by generating color images). This type of matrix has small dimensions, which makes it easy to install
The first array 361 includes large pixels and the second array 362 includes small pixels. The telescope 30 therefore allows on its own, optimal observation both of small luminous stars 50 for which good digital resolution is desired and of darker large stars 51 for which good sensitivity to light is desired.
The optical sensors of the matrices 361, 362, are photosensitive components making it possible to generate data (or electrical signals) resulting from the acquisition of the image of the star 50, 51 in the image focus 330. The electrical signals generated by the optical sensors are transmitted to an electronic image processing unit 39. The connection between the matrices 361, 362 and the unit 39 can be carried out in a wired or wireless manner, for example according to a proximity communication protocol, such as, by way of non-limiting examples, the Bluetooth® protocol, Wifi. ®, Zigbee®. The first matrix 361 and the second matrix 362 are both linked to the same unit 39 and the data coming from the two said matrices are observed on the same screen 40.
The unit 39 comprises a computer in the form of a processor, microprocessor or CPU (for Central Processing Unit), a memory and in general the computer resources making it possible to ensure the processing of the electrical signals received from the matrices 361, 362 for the formation of a digital image of the star. These components are preferably mounted on an electronic card which makes it possible to group together in a single place, and on a single support, all the electronic components of the unit 39. This design makes it possible to minimize the number of electronic cards integrated in the telescope 30, and reduce the number of wiring. In addition, the manufacture of unit 39, its installation in telescope 30 and, where appropriate, its maintenance are greatly facilitated.
The digital image generated by the unit 39 is displayed on a screen 40. The screen 40 can be attached to the electronic card, so that the unit 39 and said screen form an easily manipulated one-piece assembly. In this case, a flat screen is advantageously used, for example a full color liquid crystal screen LCD (for Liquid Crystal Display) or OLED (for Organic Light-Emitting Diode).
According to another embodiment, the screen 40 is separate from the unit 39 and the electronic card. It is physically distant from the hollow body 302. In this embodiment, the screen 40 can be that of a mobile terminal of the user, for example the screen of a smartphone (smart phone) or a tablet. tactile. The connection between the unit 39 and the screen 40 can be made via a wired link (for example by means of a USB cable) or via a wireless link, for example according to a proximity communication protocol, such as by way of non-limiting example, the Bluetooth, Wifi, ZigBee protocol. This embodiment makes it possible to increase the compactness of the telescope 30 since the size of the screen 40 is not taken into account. |
發表於 2022-7-14 16:57:41
