Lens-Less Digital Holography With Calibrated Wavefront Reconstruction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing holography methods require expensive optical equipment and complex optics, and there is a need for a more cost-effective and accurate method that accounts for imperfectly planar and spherical wave properties of real-world wavefronts.
Innovation Solution
A lens-less holographic imaging system using a stationary image sensor and illumination source to capture and reconstruct three-dimensional details of an object without traditional optical components, employing wavefront reconstruction algorithms for spherical and planar waves.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional optical equipment and complex optics are used in holography, then image quality and reconstruction accuracy are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes traditional optical components (lenses, mirrors, beam splitters) from the holographic system, extracting only the essential elements (light source, object, sensor) needed for hologram capture. This simplification eliminates complex optics while preserving the core holographic functionality through direct numerical reconstruction algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical/optical focusing and image formation systems with computational methods. Instead of using lenses and optical paths to form images, the system captures raw holographic data and uses numerical algorithms to reconstruct the three-dimensional object, substituting physical optical complexity with computational processing.
2Device complexity
If lens-less holographic imaging is used, then device complexity and cost are reduced, but image quality and reconstruction accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the reconstruction parameters and algorithms to account for the lens-less configuration. By developing specialized numerical reconstruction methods that model the specific geometry and wave propagation characteristics of lens-less systems, the patent achieves accurate three-dimensional reconstruction without traditional optical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces computational algorithms as an intermediary between the captured holographic data and the final three-dimensional reconstruction. These algorithms serve as a bridge that translates raw interference patterns into accurate spatial information, compensating for the absence of optical focusing elements.
3Measurement precision
If real-world wavefront properties (imperfectly planar and spherical) are accounted for, then reconstruction accuracy is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic and adaptive reconstruction algorithms that can adjust to different wavefront conditions. The computational methods are designed to handle varying degrees of spherical and planar wave characteristics in real-world scenarios, allowing accurate reconstruction across different object distances and configurations without requiring fixed, overly complex algorithms.
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
Enables low-cost, accurate three-dimensional imaging by reducing optical distortions and aberrations, allowing for precise reconstruction of objects with less hardware and complex components, utilizing spherical and planar wave properties of real-world wavefronts.
Implementation Method 1
the stationary illumination source may include a coherent light source configured to produce a divergent coherent light
Implementation Method 2
the divergent coherent light may be scattered by the object of interest in the sample to produce scattered light
Implementation Method 3
the scattered light may interfere with the undisturbed (un-scattered) divergent coherent light to produce interference patterns
Implementation Method 4
the lens-less holographic image of the sample captured by the stationary image sensor may include the interference patterns
Implementation Method 5
a processor configured to perform wavefront reconstruction of the lens-less holographic image of the sample to produce three-dimensional details of the object
Data Source
AI summary
A lens-less system for holographic imaging or a holographic imaging device is provided. The method/device includes a stationary image sensor to capture an image of a sample illuminated by light from a stationary illumination source. A reference lens-less holographic image may be captured and used as a base line to reduce image artifacts and/or remove noise from the lens-less holographic image. Since real wavefronts produced by a diverging point source are neither perfectly spherical nor planar but a combination of both qualities, theoretical estimates for wavefront reconstruction based on perfectly planar or spherical incident waves cannot be applied accurately. The method/device here provides a solution by performing a calibrated wavefront reconstruction based on equations governing coherent light propagation for both spherical waves and planar waves with a mathematical correlation between numerical magnification and propagation depth to produce accurate three-dimensional details of the object.