Panoramic imaging system

1. A panoramic imaging system comprising:

a plurality of image capture devices, each having an associated center of perspective; and

a pyramidal reflective element having a plurality of reflective side facets facing in different directions wherein each one of the reflective side facets folds an optical axis associated with at least one of the image capture devices; wherein each one of the centers of perspective has associated with it a component image wherein the component images associated with adjacent side facets partially overlap;

such that said component images may be combined into a composite panoramic image and

one or more immersion media into which the reflective side facets of the pyramidal reflective element are effectively immersed, said immersion media having a characteristic index of refraction n 1 ;

a further medium into which the immersion media are effectively immersed, said further medium having a characteristic index of refraction n 2 , wherein n 1 >n 2 for each immersion medium;

wherein said imaging system includes a plurality of optical paths each of which includes:

a first refractive interface through which a light ray is bent by a first angular amount followed by;

a reflective interface followed by;

a second refractive interface through which the light ray is bent by a second angular amount.

2. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1 wherein said second angular amount is less than or equal to said first angular amount.

3. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1 further comprising an image processing device for combining the component images into a composite panoramic image.

4. The panoramic imaging system of claim 1 wherein one or more of said reflective side facets exhibits a convex shape.

5. A panoramic imaging system comprising:

a plurality of image capture devices, each having an associated center of perspective; and

a plurality of reflective surfaces facing in different directions wherein the reflective surfaces are arranged such that their combined shape is substantially pyramidal wherein each one of the reflective surfaces folds an optical axis associated with at least one of the image capture devices; wherein each one of the centers of perspective has associated with it a component image wherein the component images associated with adjacent side facets partially overlap;

such that said component images may be combined into a composite panoramic image and

one or more immersion media into which the reflective side facets of the pyramidal reflective element are effectively immersed, said immersion media having a characteristic index of refraction n 1 ;

a further medium into which the immersion media are effectively immersed, said further medium having a characteristic index of refraction n 2 , wherein n 1 >n 2 for each immersion medium;

wherein said imaging system includes a plurality of optical paths each of which includes:

a first refractive interface through which a light ray is bent by a first angular amount followed by;

a reflective interface followed by;

a second refractive interface through which the light ray is bent by a second angular amount.

6. The panoramic imaging system of claim 5 wherein each one of said component images is formed on a common image plane.

7. The panoramic imaging system of claim 6 wherein at least a portion of the image capture devices lie on the common image plane.

8. The panoramic imaging system of claim 5 further comprising an image processing device for combining the component images into a composite panoramic image.

9. The panoramic imaging system of claim 5 wherein one or more of said reflective surfaces exhibits a convex shape.

10. A method of producing a composite panoramic image using a plurality of sensors each having a respective center of perspective and each center of perspective being associated with a particular optical axis, said method comprising the steps of:

for each of the plurality of centers of perspective

refracting light corresponding to a particular center of perspective;

redirecting the refracted light by folding the optical axis associated with the refracted light;

further refracting the redirected light; and

generating a component image from the further refracted light; and merging the plurality of component images so generated into a panoramic image;

wherein for each center of perspective there is associated one or more individual light rays that are refracted in the first refractive step by a first angular amount and refracted in the second refractive step by a second refractive angular amount wherein the first angular amount is greater than the second angular amount.