Lensless Camera Light Modulation Reducing Sensor Count
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contemporary digital image and video systems require large numbers of sensors and significant data storage for immediate compression of raw image or video data, leading to inefficiencies in image acquisition.
Innovation Solution
A single-aperture multi-sensor lensless compressive image acquisition system that employs a programmable aperture and sensors arranged based on its vertices, allowing for light modulation and compressive sampling to reduce the need for extensive sensor arrays and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If large numbers of sensors are used for immediate compression of raw image or video data, then image acquisition capability is improved, but device complexity and data storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sensor functions into a single sensor by using a programmable aperture to modulate light before it reaches the sensor. The aperture patterns encode multiple measurement perspectives that would traditionally require multiple sensors, thereby reducing sensor count while maintaining image acquisition capability
Solution Approach 2:
The programmable aperture acts as an intermediary between the scene and the sensor. It modulates the light field to encode compressive measurements, transforming the direct imaging function into a compressed sensing process that reduces data volume while preserving essential image information
2Productivity
If large numbers of sensors are used for immediate compression of raw image or video data, then image acquisition capability is improved, but data storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential information from the light field by using compressive sensing through programmable aperture modulation. Instead of capturing and storing all raw sensor data, the system extracts compressed measurements that contain sufficient information for image reconstruction, thereby reducing data storage requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the measurement parameters by using different programmable aperture patterns to encode information. By varying the aperture configuration, the system captures compressive measurements from multiple perspectives without increasing sensor count or storage requirements, as the compressed data format inherently reduces volume
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables efficient image acquisition by modulating light through a programmable aperture with sensors arranged to capture compressive measurements, reducing the number of sensors and storage requirements while maintaining image quality.
Implementation Method 1
The programmable aperture is configured to modulate passage of light therethrough
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure generally discloses single-aperture multi-sensor lensless compressive image acquisition capabilities. The present disclosure generally discloses a single-aperture multi-sensor lensless camera including a programmable aperture and a set of sensors. The programmable aperture is configured to modulate an amount of light permitted to pass through the programmable aperture and has a shape defined based on a set of vertices of the programmable aperture. The sensors are arranged, with respect to each other, based on the vertices of the programmable aperture. The sensors may be arranged such that respective reference lines, between the respective vertices of the programmable aperture and the respective sensors, are parallel or substantially parallel.