Polarization Filter for Laser Beam Contrast Enhancement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing positioning and measurement devices often use low-quality lasers and digital cameras, leading to challenges in detecting laser beams due to low intensity and noise, especially in ambient lighting conditions, requiring sophisticated image processing for accurate detection.
Innovation Solution
A mobile object equipped with a laser source and a polarization filter, which enhances image contrast by filtering out non-reflective image components, allowing the imaging apparatus to detect the laser beam's reflection on a metallic marker plate, enabling accurate position and orientation determination without additional signal processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If low-quality lasers and digital cameras are used to reduce costs, then device complexity and cost are reduced, but laser beam detection accuracy deteriorates due to low intensity and noise
Solution Approach 1:
A polarization filter is introduced as an intermediary component between the laser source and the digital camera. The filter selectively transmits polarized light from the laser beam while blocking ambient light and noise, enabling accurate detection even with low-quality cameras. This mediator resolves the contradiction by allowing cheap components to achieve high detection accuracy through optical filtering.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the polarization parameter of the light to distinguish the laser beam from ambient light. By using a polarization filter that only passes light with specific polarization orientation, the system can detect low-intensity laser beams from inexpensive lasers against strong ambient lighting backgrounds, maintaining detection accuracy while using low-cost components.
2Ease of manufacture
If low-quality digital cameras are used, then cost is reduced, but image processing complexity increases to compensate for noise and insufficient processing capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The polarization filter serves as a pre-processing intermediary that performs optical noise reduction before the image reaches the digital camera. By filtering out non-polarized ambient light at the optical level, the filter reduces the noise burden on the camera's image processing system, allowing simple cameras to achieve clean laser beam detection without complex software processing.
3Device complexity
If standard digital cameras are used without polarization filtering, then device complexity is reduced, but laser beam detection fails in strong ambient lighting conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The polarization filter is a simple optical intermediary that can be attached to standard digital cameras without adding electronic or mechanical complexity. It reliably distinguishes polarized laser light from non-polarized ambient light through optical filtering alone, maintaining detection reliability in bright conditions while keeping the device structure simple and camera-based.
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 method provides simple, inexpensive, and accurate laser detection, improving positioning and orientation determination using standard image scanning, even with low-quality laser sources and imaging apparatus, by enhancing contrast and distinguishing laser reflections from other image components.
Implementation Method 1
a polarization filter operable to receive a reflection of the laser beam as an input
Implementation Method 2
receiving an image at an imaging apparatus... identifying pixels comprising the image that are at or above a threshold intensity level... representative of a reflection of the laser beam
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for providing image contrast enhancement is disclosed. A mobile object is equipped with a laser source, polarization filter, and imaging apparatus. The reflection of the laser source output passes through the filter and is received by the imaging apparatus. If the output of the laser source impinges a metallic marker plate located at a pre-determined location, the filter decreases the intensity level of image components not associated with the reflection of the laser source output. The imaging apparatus uses such filtered image components to determine the position and/or orientation of the mobile object.