The Multiaperture Optical (mao) System Based on the Apposition Principle.

Automation freed mankind from repeated boring labor and/or labor requiring an instantaneous response. When applied as robotics it could even free mankind from dangerous labor such as handling radioactive material. For a robot or an automated system a vision device has proven to be an important element. Almost all artificial vision systems are similar in design to the human eye with its single large lens system. In contrast, the compound eye of an insect is much smaller than the human eye. Therefore, it is proposed to imitate the insect eye in order to develop a small viewing device useful in robotic design. The basic element of the multiaperture optical system described here is a non-imaging light horn. The optical studies on the non-imaging light horn (a simulated insect eye eyelet) have been done and show that this device may produce images when several horns are used together in an array. The study also shows that with several non -imaging devices the position of an object point light source can be determined very easily. One possible realization of multiaperture optical system design based on the apposition principle is proposed and discussed. The multiaperture optical system proposed is a small, low cost device with digital image processing.