Integrated Coded Aperture Focal Plane Array for Low-Bandwidth Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sensor systems face challenges in achieving high resolution and efficient data bandwidth and power dissipation, particularly in hemispherical or spherical fields of view, often requiring complex external optical elements and multiple focal plane arrays.
Innovation Solution
A coded aperture focal plane array with a readout system that electronically applies encoded masks within the focal plane array, using computational imaging techniques to enhance resolution and reduce power and data bandwidth, eliminating the need for separate optical elements or spatial light modulators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional sensor systems use multiple overlapping distributed aperture sensors with large format focal plane arrays, then high resolution imaging is achieved, but device complexity and system cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple aperture functions into a single focal plane array by integrating coded aperture masks directly into the FPA structure. This merging eliminates the need for multiple separate sensors and complex optical paths, achieving high-resolution imaging through computational processing of signals from a single integrated array.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical distributed aperture systems with an electronic/computational approach. Instead of physically arranging multiple sensors, the system uses coded aperture patterns and computational imaging algorithms to synthesize high-resolution images from a single FPA, substituting mechanical complexity with computational processing.
2Device complexity
If conventional systems use scanned or step-stare systems with smaller focal plane arrays, then device complexity is reduced, but update rates for the full field of regard decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-encodes aperture patterns directly into the focal plane array structure, allowing all apertures to be simultaneously active rather than requiring sequential scanning or stepping. This preliminary encoding enables parallel signal acquisition from all apertures, dramatically increasing update rates while maintaining system simplicity.
3Measurement precision
If computational imaging techniques are used to enhance resolution of smaller pixel count systems, then additional optical elements are required, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the coded aperture mask function directly into the focal plane array structure, eliminating the need for separate optical elements. The coded patterns are integrated into the FPA itself, allowing computational imaging to enhance resolution without adding external masks or modulators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the aperture coding function from separate optical elements and integrates it directly into the focal plane array. This extraction and integration eliminates the need for additional optical components while maintaining the computational imaging capability for resolution enhancement.
4Measurement precision
If high resolution imaging is achieved with conventional systems, then data bandwidth and power dissipation increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the imaging function into multiple coded aperture patterns that are multiplexed through a single focal plane array. By dividing the high-resolution imaging task into multiple lower-resolution measurements taken with different coded patterns, the system reduces the instantaneous data bandwidth and power requirements while still achieving high effective resolution through computational reconstruction.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for a sensing system having a focal plane array having an n×m array of sensing elements and a single output pixel and a mask to select or deselect ones of the sensing elements in the array to form patterns, wherein the mask forms a part of the focal plane array.