Sub-sampled Image Sensor Array for High-Speed Microscopy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital imaging technologies face limitations in capturing large frames with high frame rates due to the product of maximum frame rate and number of pixels being constrained by data transfer rates and manufacturing costs, making it difficult to achieve high-speed imaging with multi-megapixel sensors.
Innovation Solution
The use of multiple digital image sensors with associated lenses, each capturing a unique field-of-view, routing data to a centralized processing location for image data collection and processing, and employing image reduction processes such as sub-sampling and binning to increase frame rates while maintaining high pixel counts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single multi-megapixel image sensor is used to capture large frames, then the number of pixels per frame increases, but the frame rate decreases due to data transfer limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides a single large image sensor into multiple smaller sensor arrays, each capturing a portion of the total image. By segmenting the sensing task across multiple independent sensors, the system can read out data from each sensor in parallel, thereby maintaining high frame rates while achieving the equivalent of a multi-megapixel resolution through concatenation of the smaller sensor outputs.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple digital image sensors are used to increase pixel count, then the total number of pixels increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple digital image sensors into a unified imaging system where the individual sensor outputs are concatenated to form a complete high-resolution image. The system integrates control circuits and data processing capabilities that coordinate the multiple sensors, merging their functions into a single operational unit that appears as one complex sensor to the user, thereby managing complexity through systematic integration.
3Productivity
If full frame rate is maintained for each sensor, then the temporal resolution is high, but the total data transfer rate becomes prohibitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs sub-sampling techniques where each individual sensor captures data at a reduced rate or with reduced spatial resolution, capturing only a portion of the full image data at any given moment. However, by coordinating multiple such sensors and combining their partial outputs, the system reconstructs complete high-resolution frames at high frame rates, achieving the desired temporal resolution without requiring each sensor to transfer full-bandwidth data continuously.
Data Source
AI summary
A method to capture microscopy images from multiple image sensors and to relay them to one or more central processing units with high frame rates can include preprocessing the image data from the image sensors to reduce the sizes of the captured images, before sending the image data to a central processing station for analysis. Using multiple image sensors and an image reduction process, large image frames of over 20 megapixels and up to 1 gigapixel or more can be obtained at high imaging frame rates of 30 or more to up to hundreds or thousands of frames per second.