Digital Simulation Applied to a Photo-Optical System

The validity of the Image Forming Systems Simulator, IMSIM/1, as a means of simulating multiple-stage photo-optical systems has been determined. IMSIM/1 was used to simulate a three-stage system consisting of a microfilm camera (first stage), followed by the photo-optical subsystem of a developmental image storage and retrieval system (second and third stage). Fine line targets were processed through the camera and the storage and retrieval system. Microdensitometer scans of the targets were then processed through the simulator. To compare the output of the real system with the output of the simulator, it was necessary to measure carefully those system and camera data used in the simulator. After this was done, a satisfactory agreement between experimental result and simulator output was achieved.