Abstract

Fiber array comprising fibers arranged in one or more arrays has been used as an imaging element for copying machine or CRT- printer. Recently such fiber array has found also further application such as an imaging element for CCD sensor. A single fiber of distributed refractive index type presents a spheroidal pattern of light quantity distribution. Accordingly, a fiber array serving as actual size imaging element exhibits its light quantity distribution pattern corresponding to a combination of said spheroidal patterns exhibited by the individual unit fibers, which is a unique pattern of light quantity distribution never exhibited by ordinary lenses. It is the most important thesis to design the fiber array so that a relatively high luminosity is obtained with a negligible unevenness of light quantity, at one side, and to measure the light quantity distribution exhibited by this fiber array with an acceptable precision, on the other side.

© 1981 Optical Society of America