Spectroscopy module

Abstract

The application relates to a spectrum module, which comprises a circuit board, an optical assembly and a spectrum chip. The spectrum chip comprises an image sensor, a modulation area and a non-modulation area on the light-sensing path of the image sensor. The spectrum chip can cooperate with the optical assembly to obtain spectrum information of incident light through the modulation area and image information carried by the incident light through the non-modulation area, so that the spectrum module can simultaneously obtain spectrum information and image information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of spectral technology, and more specifically, to a spectral module. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of spectral technology, spectral analysis has been widely applied in daily life and industry; for example, it is used for non-invasive examinations in medical and cosmetic fields, food testing such as fruits and vegetables, and water quality monitoring. Its working principle is that light interacts with matter through processes such as absorption, scattering, fluorescence, and Raman spectroscopy, producing specific spectra. Each substance's spectrum is unique. Therefore, spectral information can be considered the "fingerprint" of everything.

[0003] However, existing imaging chips can only acquire image information of the subject, not its spectral information. In other words, current imaging chips and devices cannot obtain the spectral information of objects, limiting the application of the resulting image information in scenarios requiring spectral data support, such as intelligent AI recognition and qualitative / quantitative analysis of material composition. Therefore, when it is necessary to simultaneously obtain both spectral and image information of the subject, multiple camera modules and / or devices are often required to work together, and algorithms are used to integrate the acquired image and spectral information.

[0004] Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved spectral module. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One advantage of this application is that it provides a spectral module in which the spectral chip of the spectral module is provided with a modulation region and an unmodulated region, which can be used in conjunction with other structures to obtain the spectral information of the incident light through the modulation region and the image information carried by the incident light through the unmodulated region, so that the spectral module can simultaneously obtain spectral information and image information.

[0006] Another advantage of this application is that it provides a spectral module that can acquire spectral and image information without cooperating with other devices.

[0007] Another advantage of this application is that it provides a spectral module that can acquire spectral and image information in a relatively simple way, which is of great significance for its practical application. The spectral module can selectively acquire information about the target object according to the actual situation, using only the acquired spectral information, or only the acquired image information, or acquiring target information with the mutual assistance of the spectral and image information.

[0008] To achieve at least one of the above advantages or other advantages and objectives, according to one aspect of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a spectral module comprising:

[0009] Circuit board;

[0010] Optical components; and

[0011] A spectral chip is disposed on and electrically connected to the circuit board, and the optical component is located on the photosensitive path of the spectral chip.

[0012] The spectral chip includes: an image sensor, a modulation region and an unmodulated region located on the photosensitive path of the image sensor, wherein the modulation region includes at least one modulation layer, and the at least one modulation layer is formed in the central region of the image sensor.

[0013] In the spectral module according to this application, the image sensor includes a plurality of physical pixels, each modulation layer includes at least one set of structural units, each set of structural units includes at least one micro-nano structure, and each set of structural units corresponds to at least one physical pixel. In the spectral module according to this application, the filter structure includes at least two modulation layers, and the at least two modulation layers have different structural parameters.

[0014] In the spectral module according to this application, the optical component includes a uniform light region and a non-uniform light region, the uniform light region corresponding to the modulation region of the spectral chip, and the non-uniform light region corresponding to the non-modulation region of the spectral chip.

[0015] In the spectral module according to this application, the optical component includes a lens, the spectral chip is located on the image side of the lens, and the homogenizing region is located on the image side of the lens and between the spectral chip and the lens.

[0016] In the spectral module according to this application, the optical component includes a transparent plate located between the spectral chip and the lens, and the light-diffusing region is formed on the transparent plate.

[0017] In the spectral module according to this application, the uniform light region is formed in the lens.

[0018] In the spectral module according to this application, the spectral component further includes a filter located on the photosensitive path of the spectral chip, and the uniform light region is formed on the filter.

[0019] In the spectral module according to this application, the filter includes a transparent structure having a first surface and a second surface, a filtering region being formed on the first surface of the transparent structure, and a uniform light region being formed on the second surface of the transparent structure.

[0020] In the spectral module according to this application, the filter includes a transparent structure and a filter structure formed on the surface of the transparent structure, a portion of the transparent structure forming a uniform light region, and the filter structure forming a filter region.

[0021] In the spectral module according to this application, the filter has a filtering region, and the homogenizing region and the filtering region at least partially overlap.

[0022] In the spectral module according to this application, the optical component includes a lens, the spectral chip is located on the image side of the lens, and the homogenizing region is located on the object side of the lens.

[0023] In the spectral module according to this application, the optical component includes a transparent plate located on the object side of the lens, and the uniform light region is formed on the transparent plate.

[0024] In the spectral module according to this application, the transparent plate is located on the object-side focal plane of the lens, and the spectral chip is located on the image-side focal plane of the lens.

[0025] In the spectral module according to this application, the thickness of the transparent plate is greater than or equal to 0.4 mm.

[0026] In the spectral module according to this application, the uniform light region is circular in shape, and its diameter is less than or equal to 1.5 mm.

[0027] In the spectral module according to this application, the spectral module further includes a shielding member formed between the transparent plate and the lens, and the shielding member, the transparent plate and the lens form a shielding space that encloses the uniform light area.

[0028] In the spectral module according to this application, the spectral module includes a filter for filtering light, the filter being located between the lens and the spectral chip.

[0029] In the spectral module according to this application, the optical component includes a lens and a transparent plate integrated into the lens, and the light-diffusing region is formed on the transparent plate.

[0030] In the spectral module according to this application, the transparent plate also has a filtering region.

[0031] In the spectral module according to this application, the optical component includes a lens, and the spectral module is adapted to be assembled on a terminal device having a transparent plate. When the spectral module is assembled on the terminal device, the transparent plate of the terminal device is located on the object-side focal plane of the lens of the spectral module. The transparent plate of the terminal device has a light-uniforming area, and the light-uniforming area corresponds to the modulation area of ​​the spectral chip. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Various other advantages and benefits of this application will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiments below. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the spectral chip of a spectral module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 2 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of the modulation region and the non-modulation region of a spectral chip according to an embodiment of this application.

[0035] Figure 3 The illustration shows a cross-sectional view of an example of a spectral chip according to an embodiment of this application.

[0036] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of another example of a spectral chip according to an embodiment of this application is illustrated.

[0037] Figure 5 The illustration shows a first example of the correspondence between physical pixels and structural units of a spectral chip according to an embodiment of this application.

[0038] Figure 6 The illustration shows a second example of the correspondence between physical pixels and structural units of a spectral chip according to an embodiment of this application.

[0039] Figure 7 The illustration shows a variation example of the modulation region of a spectral chip according to an embodiment of this application.

[0040] Figure 8 The figure shows a schematic diagram of a spectral module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0041] Figure 9 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of another example of a spectral module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0042] Figure 10 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of yet another example of a spectral module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0043] Figure 11 The diagram shows... Figure 10 The schematic diagram shown is of the filter of the spectral module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0044] Figure 12 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of yet another example of a spectral module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0045] Figure 13 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of yet another example of a spectral module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0046] Figure 14 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of yet another example of a spectral module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0047] Figure 15 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of yet another example of a spectral module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0048] Figure 16 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of yet another example of a spectral module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0049] Figure 17 The illustration shows an application scenario diagram of a spectral module according to an embodiment of this application.

[0050] Figure 18 The figure shows a schematic block diagram of an identification system according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0051] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments according to this application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments of this application. It should be understood that this application is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0052] Because existing imaging chips cannot obtain spectral information, in scenarios requiring both spectral and image information, it is necessary to use both an imaging module and a spectral module 100. This inevitably leads to a more complex overall system and increased costs. This application provides a spectral module 100 that can simultaneously acquire spectral and image information, thus solving the existing technical problems.

[0053] Figure 1 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of the spectral chip 10 of the spectral module 100 according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 1As shown, the spectral chip 10 in the spectral module 100 of this application embodiment includes a filter structure 11 and an image sensor 12. The filter structure 11 is located on the photosensitive path of the image sensor 12, and the filter structure 11 is a broadband filter structure in the frequency domain or wavelength domain. The transmittance of the filter structure 11 at different locations is not exactly the same for different wavelengths. The filter structure 11 can be a metasurface, photonic crystal, nanopillar, multilayer film, dye, quantum dot, MEMS (microelectromechanical systems), FP etalon, cavity layer, waveguide layer, diffraction element, or other structures or materials with filtering properties. For example, in this application embodiment, the filter structure 11 can be the light modulation layer in Chinese Patent CN201921223201.2.

[0054] The image sensor 12 can be a CMOS image sensor (CIS), CCD, array photodetector, etc. In addition, the spectral device also includes a data processing unit 13, which can be a processing unit such as an MCU, CPU, GPU, FPGA, NPU, ASIC, etc., which can export the data generated by the image sensor 12 to an external source for processing.

[0055] Figure 2 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of the modulation region 110 and the non-modulation region 120 of the spectral chip 10 according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the spectral chip 10 of this embodiment includes a modulation region 110 and a non-modulation region 120. The modulation region 110 is provided with the filter structure 11, which achieves spectral modulation of the incident light. The non-modulation region 120 does not have a filter structure 11. Taking a CMOS sensor as an example, for the modulation region 110, the incident light first enters the filter structure 11 and is modulated before entering the physical pixel 121 of the CMOS corresponding to the modulation region 110 to obtain light intensity information, thereby obtaining spectral information. For the non-modulation region 120, the incident light is not modulated and directly enters the corresponding physical pixel 121 to obtain the corresponding light intensity information, thereby obtaining image information, etc. The non-modulation region 120 can be implemented as a blank, a Bayer array (regular or irregular array), a microlens, etc. For example, a blank means that the non-modulation region 120 is implemented as a black and white pixel, such as a Bayer array, or an RGGB array, etc. For example, as shown in the figure, in the embodiment of this application, the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10 is formed in the central region of the spectral chip 10, and the non-modulation region 120 is formed around the spectral chip 10, with the non-modulation region 120 at least partially surrounding the modulation region 110.

[0056] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an example of a spectral chip 10 according to an embodiment of this application is illustrated. Figure 3 As shown, at least one modulation layer is formed on the image sensor 12. Micro / nano structures 61 are then formed in the modulation region 110 through etching or nanoimprinting. Each micro / nano structure 61 constitutes a set of structural units 60. The micro / nano structures 61 can be implemented as holes, pillars, lines, etc. That is, the filter structure 11 includes at least one modulation layer, and each modulation layer includes at least one set of structural units 60, and each set of structural units 60 includes at least one micro / nano structure 61. The non-modulation region 120 can selectively have the material of the modulation layer removed, exposing the physical pixels 121 on the image sensor 12. In other words, there are no structural units 60 on the optical path of the physical pixels 121 in the non-modulation region 120. Alternatively, the modulation layer can be implemented as at least two modulation layers, with the micro / nano structures 61 of the at least two modulation layers having different structural parameters (e.g., material, size, structural type (e.g., holes, pillars, etc.), gaps) and / or shape parameters, such that each corresponding region of the at least two modulation layers has a micro / nano structure 61 with different modulation effects. The combination of different micro / nano structures 61 in the at least two modulation layers results in a better modulation effect. It should be understood that all the micro / nano structures 61 of the modulation layers can also have the same structural parameters.

[0057] In addition, such as Figure 4 As shown, the spectral chip 10 may include a first modulation layer 111 and a second modulation layer 112, which are sequentially formed on the photosensitive path of the image sensor 12. Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of another example of a spectral chip 10 according to an embodiment of this application is illustrated.

[0058] Furthermore, the working principle of broadband modulation is explained. The intensity signals of incident light at different wavelengths λ are denoted as f(λ), and the transmission spectrum curve of the filter structure 11 is denoted as T(λ). The spectral chip 10 has m groups of structural units 60, and the transmission spectrum of each group of structural units 60 is different, which can be denoted as Ti(λ) (i=1,2,3,…,m). Each group of structural units 60 has a corresponding physical pixel 121 below it, which detects the light intensity information Ii modulated by the structural unit 60. In a specific embodiment of this application, one physical pixel 121 corresponding to one group of structural units 60 is used as an example for explanation, such as... Figure 5 As shown. However, the embodiments of this application are not limited to this. In other embodiments, multiple physical pixels 121 may be grouped together to correspond to a group of structural units 60, such as... Figure 6As shown, a group of structural units 60 can be represented by 2*2 physical pixels 121, or by n*m physical pixels 121, where n ≥ m.

[0059] The relationship between the spectral distribution of the incident light and the measurements of the image sensor 12 can be expressed by the following formula:

[0060] Ii=Σ(f(λ)·Ti(λ)·R(λ))

[0061] Where R(λ) is the response of image sensor 12, denoted as:

[0062] Si(λ)=Ti(λ)·R(λ)

[0063] The above equation can then be extended into matrix form:

[0064]

[0065] Among them, I i (i = 1, 2, 3, ..., m) represents the response of the image sensor 12 after the light to be measured passes through the broadband filter structure 11, corresponding to the light intensity information of m image sensors 12, also known as m "physical pixels 121", which is a vector of length m. S is the system's response to light of different wavelengths, determined by the transmittance of the filter structure 11 and the quantum efficiency of the image sensor 12 response. S is a matrix, where each row vector corresponds to the response of a structural unit 60 to incident light of different wavelengths. Here, the incident light is sampled discretely and uniformly, with a total of n sampling points. The number of columns in S is the same as the number of sampling points of the incident light. Here, f(λ) is the light intensity of the incident light at different wavelengths λ, which is the incident light spectrum to be measured.

[0066] In practical applications, the system's response parameter S is known. By using the light intensity reading I of the image sensor 12, the spectrum f of the input light can be obtained by using an algorithm (which can be understood as spectral recovery). The process can adopt different data processing methods depending on the specific situation, including but not limited to: least squares, pseudo-inverse, equalization, least 2 norm, artificial neural network, etc.

[0067] The above example, using one physical pixel 121 corresponding to a group of structural units 60, illustrates how to recover spectral information, also known as a "spectral pixel," using m groups of physical pixels 121 (i.e., pixels on the image sensor 12) and their corresponding m groups of structural units 60 (identical structures on the modulation layer are defined as structural units 60). It is worth noting that in this embodiment, multiple physical pixels 121 can also correspond to a group of structural units 60. Further, a group of structural units 60 and at least one corresponding physical pixel 121 constitute a unit pixel; in principle, at least one unit pixel constitutes a spectral pixel.

[0068] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the logic circuit layer of the image sensor 12 can be configured according to the spectral pixels and physical pixels 121. That is, the logic circuit layer of the modulation region 110 is designed with structural units 60 as units. When the structural unit 60 corresponds to n*m physical pixels 121, the n*m ​​physical pixels 121 can share a spectral pixel circuit. The non-modulation region 120 is designed with physical pixels 121 as units. In principle, each physical pixel 121 is provided with an independent physical pixel 121 circuit.

[0069] That is, the spectral sensor acquires light intensity information (including spectral information and image information), which can be used for imaging or spectral reconstruction; the light intensity information can also be used directly for some material identification or judgment, that is, some applications can be performed using spectral information without imaging or spectral reconstruction.

[0070] In a modified embodiment of Embodiment 1 of this application, such as Figure 7 As shown, the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10 contains at least one calibration region 130. The calibration region 130 is implemented as a non-modulation region 120, that is, without a filter structure 11. The calibration region 130 is preferably implemented as a black and white physical pixel 121, so that the spectral information corresponding to the modulation region 110 can be calibrated based on the light intensity information of the surrounding calibration region 130. Figure 7 The illustration shows a variant example of the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10 according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0071] In other embodiments, the non-modulation region 120 and the modulation region 110 are arranged at intervals. They can be arranged according to a certain pattern or randomly, that is, the modulation region 110 and the non-modulation region 120 can be arranged in terms of position, quantity, etc., as needed.

[0072] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a spectral module 100 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 8As shown, the spectral module 100 provided in this embodiment includes the spectral chip 10, a circuit board 20, and an optical component 30. The spectral chip 10 is disposed on and electrically connected to the circuit board 20, and the optical component 30 is located on the photosensitive path of the spectral chip 10. Further, the optical component 30 includes a lens 31 and a transparent plate 32, wherein the transparent plate 32 has a uniform light region 310 and a non-uniform light region 320. The uniform light region 310 corresponds to the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10, and the non-uniform light region 320 corresponds to the non-modulation region 120 of the spectral chip 10. Furthermore, after the incident light is adjusted upon entering the lens 31, it enters the transparent plate 32. The uniform light region 310 of the transparent plate 32 homogenizes the incident light, and the homogenized incident light reaches the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10. After broadband modulation by the filter structure 11, it reaches the physical pixel 121 of the image sensor 12, thereby acquiring spectral information. A portion of the incident light enters the non-uniform light region 320 and reaches the non-modulation region 120 of the spectral chip 10, that is, directly reaches the physical pixel 121 of the image sensor 12, acquiring image information. The spectral information acquired by the modulation region 110 can be used to obtain the spectral characteristics corresponding to the incident light, while the image information acquired by the non-modulation region 120 can be used to reconstruct the image. The transparent plate 32 can be made of glass or transparent plastic, and its corresponding light-uniforming region 310 can be roughened (e.g., frosted). That is, the transparent plate 32 has a rough surface in its light-uniforming region 310, so that the region has a light-uniforming effect, while other non-uniforming regions 320 can be left untreated, allowing incident light to pass through normally. Alternatively, a light-uniforming device such as a light-uniforming sheet can be attached to the light-uniforming region 310. Furthermore, the spectral module 100 also includes a bracket 50, which is fixed to the circuit board 20, and the optical component 30 is disposed on the bracket 50.

[0073] Figure 9 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of another example of a spectral module 100 according to an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 9 As shown, the spectral module 100 may further include a filter 40, which is disposed on the support 50 to control the incident light band reaching the spectral chip 10.

[0074] Figure 10 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of yet another example of a spectral module 100 according to an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 10As shown, the spectral module 100 includes a circuit board 20, a bracket 50, a spectral chip 10, a filter 40, and a lens 31. The spectral chip 10 is attached to and electrically connected to the circuit board 20. The bracket 50 is fixed to the circuit board 20. The lens 31 and the filter 40 are disposed on the bracket 50 and located on the photosensitive path of the spectral chip 10. In this embodiment, the filter 40 has a filtering effect and includes a light-uniforming region 310. The light-uniforming region 310 has a light-uniforming effect and is configured according to the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10, so that the incident light is homogenized after entering the light-uniforming region 310 and reaches the modulation region 110. That is, the filter 40 has a light-uniforming region 310 and a light-filtering region 41. The light-filtering region 41 filters the incident light, while the light-uniforming region 310 mainly homogenizes the incident light.

[0075] Preferably, the filter 40 can be made of a transparent structure, and its first surface is coated to form a filtering region 41, while the second surface is treated to form a light-uniforming region 310, so that the light-uniforming region 310 has a light-uniforming effect. That is, the filter 40 includes a transparent structure, the first surface of the transparent structure is coated to form one surface of the filter 40 and forms the filtering region 41, the second surface of the transparent structure is treated to form another surface of the filter 40, and a portion of the second surface treated to form the light-uniforming region 310 is formed. The filtering region 41 is formed on the first surface of the transparent structure, and the light-uniforming region 310 is formed on the second surface of the transparent structure. Alternatively, the transparent structure may include a light-uniforming region 310 and a light-transmitting region extending from the light-uniforming region 310. The light-transmitting region forms the non-uniforming region 320. The light-uniforming region 310 and the light-transmitting region are integrally formed. For example, when the light-uniforming region 310 is located in the middle, it can extend outwards to form a light-transmitting region. Then, a coating or other process is performed on the surface of the transparent structure to form a filter structure 11, thereby obtaining a filter 40. That is, the filter 40 includes a transparent structure and a coating formed on the surface of the transparent structure. A part of the transparent structure forms the light-uniforming region, and the coating forms the filter structure 11, thereby forming the filter region 41. In this way, the filter 40 has a light-uniforming region 310 and a filter region 41. In this embodiment, the transparent structure can be implemented as a transparent plate. In this embodiment, the light-uniforming region 310 and the filter region 41 may have at least partial overlap, that is, some regions have both light-uniforming and filter functions, such as... Figure 11 As shown. Figure 11 The diagram shows... Figure 10The diagram shown is a schematic of the filter 40 of the spectral module 100 according to an embodiment of this application.

[0076] Figure 12 The illustration shows a schematic diagram of yet another example of a spectral module 100 according to an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 12 As shown, the spectral module 100 includes a spectral chip 10, a circuit board 20, a bracket 50, and a lens 31. The spectral chip 10 is attached to the circuit board 20, the bracket 50 is fixed to the circuit board 20, and the lens 31 is fixed to the bracket 50. The lens 31 is composed of multiple lenses, at least one of which has a homogenizing region 310 to homogenize the incident light, so that the homogenized incident light can reach the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10. The homogenizing region 310 is formed in the lens 31 and can be formed in the corresponding lens area of ​​the lens 31 using processes such as laser or inkjet printing. Figure 12 As shown, the lowermost lens of the lens 31 has a light-uniforming region 310 to homogenize the incident light.

[0077] It should be noted that, theoretically, the spectral chip is located on the image side of the lens, and the homogenizing region can be located on the image side of the lens, held between the spectral chip and the lens, or it can be located on the object side of the lens. However, after the incident light is adjusted by the lens 31 (lens group) and then homogenized by the homogenizing region 310, although a homogenizing effect can be achieved, the presence of the homogenizing region 310 will affect the imaging effect to a certain extent. Therefore, the spectral module 100 provided in this embodiment avoids the homogenizing region 310 from affecting the imaging effect. That is, in this embodiment, the incident light first passes through the homogenizing region 310 for homogenization, then enters the lens 31 for adjustment, and then reaches the spectral chip 10. The homogenized incident light enters the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10 to acquire spectral information; the incident light that has not passed through the homogenizing region mainly enters the non-modulation region 120 of the spectral chip 10 to acquire image information.

[0078] Specifically, such as Figure 13As shown, the spectral module 100 includes a transparent plate 32, a lens 31 (lens group), and a spectral chip 10. The transparent plate 32 can be made of glass or transparent plastic, etc. The transparent plate 32 has a homogenizing region 310, and the spectral chip 10 has a modulation region 110 and a non-modulation region 120. The transparent plate 32, lens 31, and spectral chip 10 are placed sequentially. The homogenizing region 310 of the transparent plate 32 corresponds to the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10; that is, after the incident light is homogenized by the homogenizing region 310, it is adjusted by the lens 31 and then modulated by the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10. Specifically, the transparent plate 32 is located on the object-side focal plane of the lens 31, and the spectral chip 10 is located on the image-side focal plane of the lens 31; that is, the distances from the transparent plate 32 and the spectral chip 10 to the lens 31 are equal to the object-side focal length and the image-side focal length of the lens 31, respectively. Accordingly, the uniform illumination region 310 formed on the transparent plate 32 is formed on the object side of the lens 31, and the spectral chip 10 is located on the image side of the lens 31. Furthermore, the thickness of the transparent plate 32 is greater than or equal to 0.4 mm, which helps to achieve uniform illumination on the chip surface. The shape of the uniform illumination region 310 can be circular, with a diameter less than or equal to 1.5 mm, specifically less than or equal to 0.8 mm, which helps to eliminate the module's sensitivity to angles.

[0079] like Figure 14 As shown, the spectral module 100 further includes a shielding member 70, which is formed between the transparent plate 32 and the lens 31. The shielding member 70, the transparent plate 32, and the lens 31 form a shielding space that encloses the homogenizing region 310. The shielding member 70 can effectively separate the homogenized incident light from the unhomogenized incident light, preventing them from mixing and entering the lens 31, thereby preventing any impact on the accuracy of the results. The two ends of the shielding member 70 are as close as possible to the transparent plate 32 and the lens 31. For example, the shielding member 70 extends downward and outward from the transparent plate 32 and is attached to the lens 31. It can be understood that the shielding member 70 divides the incident light into two optical paths: one area allows only the homogenized incident light to pass through before entering the corresponding area of ​​the lens 31; the other area allows only the unhomogenized incident light to pass through before entering the corresponding area of ​​the lens 31.

[0080] The spectral module 100 also includes a circuit board 20 and a bracket 50. The spectral chip 10 is disposed on and electrically connected to the circuit board 20. The bracket 50 is used to fix the lens 31 and the transparent plate 32. Further, as... Figure 15As shown, the spectral module 100 may further include a filter 40, which is located between the lens 31 and the spectral chip 10 for filtering light.

[0081] In another modified embodiment, such as Figure 16 As shown, unlike the above embodiments, the spectral module 100 may not have a transparent plate 32, but it is assembled into the terminal device 200, forming the spectral module 100 with the transparent plate 32 of the terminal device 200. For example, the terminal device 200 is a wearable device, consumer electronics, smart home, etc., and the existing module is assembled into the terminal device 200. The terminal device 200 will correspondingly have a transparent plate 32 to protect the module. In this embodiment, the transparent plate 32 is placed on the object-side focal plane of the lens 31 of the spectral module 100. The transparent plate 32 has a uniform light area 310. In this case, the transparent plate 32 and the spectral module 100 constitute the spectral module 100 corresponding to the above embodiments. Figure 17 As shown, taking a mobile phone as an example, the spectral module 100 is disposed on the back of the mobile phone, and a transparent plate 32 is disposed at a corresponding position on the mobile phone. The transparent plate 32 has a light-uniforming area 310. After the spectral module 100 is assembled into the mobile phone, the light-uniforming area 310 of the transparent plate 32 corresponds to the modulation area 110 of the spectral chip 10 of the spectral module 100, and the transparent plate 32 is located on the object-side focal plane of the lens 31.

[0082] In another modified embodiment, unlike the previous embodiments, the transparent plate 32 is disposed on the lens 31. That is, the optical component 30 of the spectral module 100 includes the lens 31 and the transparent plate 32 integrated into the lens 31. The transparent plate 32 has a light-uniforming region 310, which corresponds to the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10 of the spectral module. Preferably, the transparent plate 32 also has a filter structure 11, thereby forming a filter region 41. That is, this embodiment differs from the previous embodiments in that the transparent plate 32 with the light-uniforming region 310 is directly integrated into the lens 31, thereby reducing the assembly difficulty and height of the spectral module 100 to a certain extent.

[0083] Furthermore, the working principle will be explained to facilitate understanding of the significance of the uniform light region 310. In this embodiment, the spectral chip 10 has a modulation region 110 and a non-modulation region 120. The modulation region 110 can acquire the spectral information of the incident light and, after processing, obtain the spectral characteristics of the corresponding incident light; while the non-modulation region 120 can acquire the image information of the incident light and restore the image, i.e., image formation. Since the structural unit 60 of the modulation region 110 is relatively sensitive to the characteristics of the incident light, the incident light reaching the spectral chip 10 generally needs to be uniform light. However, if the incident light is homogenized and received by the physical pixel 121, even if the light intensity information is obtained, image restoration cannot be performed. Therefore, this embodiment of the application sets up a uniform light region 310 and a non-uniform light region 320. The uniform light region 310 corresponds to the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10, while the non-uniform light region 320 corresponds to the non-modulation region 120 of the spectral chip 10. That is, some incident light is homogenized after entering the uniform light region 310 before reaching the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10; some incident light enters the non-uniform light region 320 without changing its characteristics, and this part of the incident light eventually reaches the non-modulation region 120 of the spectral chip 10 for imaging. For example, the spectral module 100 can be used for imaging and also to recover spectral curves (or obtain spectral characteristics).

[0084] Furthermore, such as Figure 18 As shown, an identification system is provided, comprising a spectral module 100 and a light source module 300. The light source module 300 is disposed around the spectral module 100 and is used for supplementary lighting. The light source module 300 can be implemented as an LED, etc., and may further include a light source and a light homogenizer, the light homogenizer homogenizing the light emitted by the light source. That is, after the light emitted by the light source module 300 reaches the test area (or the test object) and is reflected, incident light is generated. This incident light enters the lens 31 of the spectral module 100, and part of the incident light enters the light homogenizer 310 and is homogenized before reaching the modulation area 110 of the spectral chip 10 to obtain spectral information, thereby obtaining the spectral characteristics of the test area or the test object. For example, the corresponding spectral curve can be recovered, which can be used to determine the color temperature of the test area, or to identify the test object or determine the authenticity of the test object using spectral characteristics. A portion of the incident light directly enters the non-modulation region 120 of the spectral chip 10 to acquire image information, directly perform imaging, and obtain an image of the area or object to be measured.

[0085] Further explanation of the application of the products involved in this application embodiment: Firstly, based on the special characteristics of the spectral chip 10, this application embodiment can acquire both spectral information and image information. Therefore, the spectral module 100 described in this application embodiment can, to a certain extent, realize the functions of a spectrometer or spectral imaging device, and also realize conventional image imaging functions. For example, when the non-modulation region 120 is implemented as an RGB Bayer array, it can output a conventional color photograph; if it is implemented as blank, it can output a black and white photograph. Specifically, spectral information and image information can be output simultaneously, and they can also assist each other to improve the performance of the other.

[0086] Application 1:

[0087] Spectral information-assisted imaging, for example, imaging is performed using a spectral module 100. At this time, the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10 can acquire the spectral information of the region to be measured, thereby acquiring the spectral characteristics. Then, the image acquired based on the image information of the non-modulation region 120 is compensated or modified according to the spectral characteristics.

[0088] Specifically, for example, when taking photos, if the ambient color temperature is not considered, the resulting color photos or color television images will be color-distorted and cannot accurately reproduce the colors of the scene. In this embodiment, the spectral information obtained by the modulation region 110 can be used to obtain spectral characteristics and further infer the ambient color temperature value. Then, the ambient color temperature value can be used to correct the image information obtained by the non-modulation region 120, so that the final obtained image color is closer to reality.

[0089] Application 2:

[0090] Image information can be used to assist in spectral recovery or object recognition. For example, the image information can be used to correct spectral information. After the modulation region 110 obtains the spectral information, it is adjusted according to the surrounding image information, thereby removing the influence of unnecessary stray light on the spectral information.

[0091] Alternatively, it can be used in a recognition field. The spectral module 100 uses the non-modulated region 120 to acquire an image of the region to be measured, and then analyzes the image, for example, using an edge analysis algorithm, to obtain the region where the region to be measured or the object to be measured is located. Then, the spectral module 100 is adjusted so that it can be aligned with the region to be measured or the object to be measured, thereby accurately obtaining the spectral characteristics corresponding to the region to be measured or the object to be measured, and then performing spectral analysis. It is understood that, in this embodiment of the application, because there is a uniform light region 310, the incident light entering the modulation region 110 is modulated, and then the corresponding spectral information is obtained. Therefore, this part of the incident light reflects the spectral characteristics of a certain region on the object side. Therefore, if it is not aligned during recognition, the incident light from other regions will enter the uniform light region 310 and mix with the incident light of the region to be measured, resulting in lower recognition accuracy.

[0092] To illustrate, consider a scenario where a test object is placed on the ground. The test object and the ground have different spectral characteristics; that is, under the same light source or in the same environment, the incident light produced by the two objects has different spectral characteristics. In this embodiment, the spectral module 100 can first take a picture of the area to obtain an image, then analyze the image to determine the position of the test object. The spectral module 100 can then be adjusted to align with the test object, ensuring that the spectral information acquired by the modulation region 110 of the spectral chip 10 of the spectral module 10 originates as much as possible from the test object. This allows the spectral information to accurately reflect the spectral characteristics of the test object, facilitating its identification or judgment. This approach can be applied to applications such as robotic vacuum cleaners and consumer electronics (e.g., object recognition).

[0093] Furthermore, the spectral module 100 can be adjusted. Optionally, the recognition system includes a driving module, which drives the spectral module 100 to move according to the image analysis results, so that the spectral module 100 is aligned with the object to be tested.

[0094] The basic principles of this application have been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, benefits, and effects mentioned in this application are merely examples and not limitations, and should not be considered as essential features of each embodiment of this application. Furthermore, the specific details disclosed above are for illustrative and facilitative purposes only, and are not limitations. These details do not limit the application to the necessity of employing the aforementioned specific details for implementation.

[0095] The block diagrams of devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems involved in this application are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, or configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As those skilled in the art will recognize, these devices, apparatuses, devices, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as “comprising,” “including,” “having,” etc., are open-ended terms meaning “including but not limited to,” and are used interchangeably with them. The terms “or” and “and” as used herein refer to the terms “and / or,” and are used interchangeably with them unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “such as” as used herein refers to the phrase “such as but not limited to,” and is used interchangeably with it.

[0096] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, equipment, and methods of this application, the components or steps can be disassembled and / or recombined. These disassemblies and / or recombinations should be considered as equivalent solutions of this application.

[0097] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this application. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0098] The above description has been given for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of this application to the forms disclosed herein. Although numerous exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, alterations, additions, and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A spectral module, characterized in that, include: Circuit board; Optical components; as well as A spectral chip is disposed on and electrically connected to the circuit board, and the optical component is located on the photosensitive path of the spectral chip. The spectral chip includes: an image sensor, a modulation region and an unmodulated region located on the photosensitive path of the image sensor, wherein the modulation region includes at least one modulation layer, and the at least one modulation layer is formed in the central region of the image sensor; The optical component includes a uniform light region and a non-uniform light region. The uniform light region corresponds to the modulation region of the spectral chip, and the non-uniform light region corresponds to the non-modulation region of the spectral chip. The optical component includes a lens, the spectral chip is located on the image side of the lens, and the homogenizing region is located on the object side of the lens; or, the spectral chip is located on the image side of the lens, the homogenizing region is located on the image side of the lens, and is located between the spectral chip and the lens.

2. The spectral module according to claim 1, wherein, The image sensor includes multiple physical pixels, each modulation layer includes at least one set of structural units, each set of structural units includes at least one micro-nano structure, each set of structural units corresponds to at least one physical pixel, and the filter structure includes at least two modulation layers, the at least two modulation layers having different structural parameters.

3. The spectral module according to claim 1, wherein, The spectral chip is located on the image side of the lens, and the optical component includes a transparent plate located between the spectral chip and the lens. The uniform light region is formed on the transparent plate.

4. The spectral module according to claim 1, wherein, The spectral chip is located on the image side of the lens, and the uniform light region is formed in the lens.

5. The spectral module according to claim 1 or 3, wherein, The spectral chip is located on the image side of the lens, and the spectral module further includes a filter located on the photosensitive path of the spectral chip, with the uniform light region formed on the filter.

6. The spectral module according to claim 5, wherein, The filter includes a transparent structure having a first surface and a second surface, a filtering region being formed on the first surface of the transparent structure, and a light-diffusing region being formed on the second surface of the transparent structure.

7. The spectral module according to claim 5, wherein, The filter includes a transparent structure and a filtering structure formed on the surface of the transparent structure, a portion of the transparent structure forming a uniform light region, and the filtering structure forming a filtering region.

8. The spectral module according to claim 5, wherein, The filter has a filtering region, and the light-diffusing region and the filtering region at least partially overlap.

9. The spectral module according to claim 1, wherein, The light-diffusing region is located on the object side of the lens, and the optical component includes a transparent plate located on the object side of the lens, with the light-diffusing region formed on the transparent plate.

10. The spectral module according to claim 9, wherein, The transparent plate is located on the object-side focal plane of the lens, and the spectral chip is located on the image-side focal plane of the lens.

11. The spectral module according to claim 9, wherein, The thickness of the transparent plate is greater than or equal to 0.4 mm.

12. The spectral module according to claim 9, wherein, The uniform light region is circular in shape, with a diameter of less than or equal to 1.5 mm.

13. The spectral module according to claim 9, wherein, The spectral module further includes a shielding member formed between the transparent plate and the lens, and the shielding member, the transparent plate and the lens form a shielding space that encloses the uniform light area.

14. The spectral module according to claim 1 or 9, wherein, The spectral module includes a filter for filtering light, which is located between the lens and the spectral chip.

15. The spectral module according to claim 1, wherein, The optical component includes a transparent plate integrated into the lens, and the light-diffusing region is formed on the transparent plate.

16. The spectral module according to claim 15, wherein, The transparent plate also has a light-filtering area.

17. The spectral module according to claim 1, wherein, The spectral module is adapted to be assembled in a terminal device with a transparent flat plate. When the spectral module is assembled in the terminal device, the transparent flat plate of the terminal device is located on the object-side focal plane of the lens of the spectral module. The transparent flat plate of the terminal device has the light-uniforming area, and the light-uniforming area corresponds to the modulation area of ​​the spectral chip.

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