Microlens Pixel Layout for Angle-Based Stray Light Detection

The microlens array serves dual purposes: it focuses light onto photodetector pixels for normal image capture while simultaneously enabling angle-of-incidence measurement for stray light detection. By making the same optical component multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate detection hardware, thus improving measurement capability without proportionally increasing device complexity.

The patent introduces microlenses as an intermediary optical element between the incoming light and the photodetector pixels. These microlenses modulate the light based on angle of incidence, creating detectable patterns that enable stray light identification without requiring direct measurement of the angle itself, thereby simplifying the overall detection mechanism.

The system uses photodetector pixels to measure the angle of incidence of incoming light and feeds this information back to a processor. The processor analyzes the angular distribution patterns to identify and quantify stray light components, then applies corrective algorithms to the captured image data, enabling dynamic compensation based on real-time measurements.

Instead of using complex mechanical stray light blocking structures or physical filters that would add hardware complexity, the patent substitutes a software-based correction system that processes electrical signals from the photodetectors. This replaces potential mechanical solutions with electronic and computational methods, maintaining image quality while minimizing added complexity.