Coded LED or other light for target imaging or analysis

A method of using a device for imaging or analyzing a target object or scene, using different spectral bin light components, an individual one of the different spectral bin light components comprising an individual wavelength or wavelength distribution, the method comprising:

• illuminating the target object or scene using different spectral bin light components modulation encoded, using respective different non-binary light output time-varying modulation functions, and combined into a wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam projected from a shared single exit location for illuminating the target object or scene to be imaged or analyzed, the illumination light beam concurrently providing the modulation encoded at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components to the target object or scene, wherein at the shared single exit location the wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam is such that different wavelength light components cannot be separated by spatial or angular division of the wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam;
• transducing response light from the target object or scene, in response to the illumination light beam illuminating the target object or scene, to produce an electrical response signal in response thereto;
• using information about the respective different time-varying modulation functions, decoding the response signal to recover information about a respective response parameter of the modulation encoded different spectral bin light components to provide a spectral bin response output affected by the target object or scene;
• providing, using one or more LED or other light sources, corresponding LED output illuminations having different individual targeted illumination spectra, having respective corresponding illumination wavelength spectral distribution widths, corresponding to the different spectral bin light components;
• and
• limiting a corresponding illumination wavelength spectral distribution width of the corresponding LED output illuminations for respectively providing the different spectral bin light components.

A device for multi-wavelength spectroscopic analysis of a biological or other target, the device comprising:

• an optical illuminator, including an optical transmitter module, comprising:
• a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), including at least two individual LEDs providing corresponding LED output illuminations having different individual targeted illumination spectra;
• a plurality of optical collimators, including at least two individual optical collimators in respective optical pathways corresponding to respective individual LEDs;
• one or more wavelength-selective optical filters, in one or more of the respective optical pathways to limit a corresponding spectral bandwidth of the respective LED output illuminations before or after collimation;
• wherein the optical illuminator is arranged to provide at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components modulation encoded, using a plurality of respective different non-binary light output time-varying orthogonal modulation functions, and combined into an illumination light beam for illuminating the target to be imaged or analyzed, the illumination light beam concurrently providing the modulation encoded at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components to the target;
• and
• at least one diffuser in the one or more respective optical pathways to perform post-modulation wavelength homogenization without requiring an optical fiber, to provide a wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam that is projected from a shared single exit location for illuminating the target, the wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam having, at the shared single exit location for illuminating the target, a wavelength-homogeneous distribution of modulation-coded different wavelength light components across different emanating angles of illumination, such that at the shared single exit location the wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam is such that different wavelength light components cannot be separated by spatial or angular division of the wavelength-homogeneous light beam.

A device for multi-wavelength spectroscopic analysis of a biological or other target, the device comprising:

• an optical illuminator, including an optical transmitter module, comprising:
• a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), including at least two individual LEDs providing corresponding LED output illuminations having different individual targeted illumination spectra;
• one or more wavelength-selective optical filters, in one or more of respective optical pathways to limit a corresponding spectral bandwidth of the respective LED output illuminations;
• wherein the optical illuminator is arranged to provide at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components modulation encoded, using respective different non-binary light output time-varying modulation functions, and combined into an illumination light beam for illuminating the target to be imaged or analyzed, the illumination light beam concurrently providing the modulation encoded at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components to the target;
• wherein the optical illuminator includes at least one diffuser in the one or more respective optical pathways to perform post-modulation wavelength homogenization to provide a wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam projected from a shared single exit location for illuminating the target, wherein at the shared single exit location the wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam is such that different wavelength light components cannot be separated by spatial or angular division of the wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam.

A device for imaging or analyzing a target object or scene, using different spectral bin light components, an individual one of the different spectral bin light components comprising an individual wavelength or wavelength distribution, the device comprising:

• an optical illuminator, arranged to provide at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components modulation encoded, using respective different non-binary light output time-varying modulation functions, and combined into an illumination light beam for illuminating the target object or scene to be imaged or analyzed, the illumination light beam concurrently providing the modulation encoded at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components to the target object or scene;
• a target light transducer, arranged to receive response light from the target object or scene in response to the illumination light beam illuminating the target object or scene, and to transduce the response light into an electrical response signal;
• signal processing circuitry, coupled to the target light transducer to receive the electrical response signal and, using information about the respective different time-varying modulation functions, decoding the electrical response signal to recover information about a respective response parameter of the modulation encoded different spectral bin light components to provide a spectral bin response output affected by the target object or scene;
• and
• wherein the optical illuminator is configured to modulate a corresponding electrical input signal of one or more corresponding light-emitting diode (LED) or other light sources arranged to provide at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components that are modulation encoded, using the respective different time-varying modulation functions, and combined into a wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam projected from a shared single exit location for illuminating the target object or scene to be imaged or analyzed, the illumination light beam concurrently providing the modulation encoded at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components to the target object or scene;
• and
• wherein:
• the optical illuminator, is configured to provide, at corresponding specified target pump wavelengths of the target object or scene, the at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components modulation encoded, using the respective different time-varying modulation functions, and combined into the illumination light beam for illuminating the target object or scene to be imaged or analyzed, the illumination light beam concurrently providing the modulation encoded at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components to the target object or scene;
• the target light transducer is arranged to receive wavelength-shifted emission response light from the target object or scene, at corresponding wavelength-shifted emission response wavelengths of the target object or scene responsive to the corresponding specified target pump wavelengths of the target object or scene, in response to the illumination light beam illuminating the target object or scene, and to produce the electrical response signal thereto, wherein the wavelength-shifted emission response light includes a wavelength-shifted emission response to the corresponding specified target pump wavelengths;
• and
• the signal processing circuitry is configured to use information about the respective different time-varying modulation functions, decoding the electrical response signal to recover information about the respective response parameter of the modulation encoded different spectral bin light components to provide the wavelength-shifted emission spectral bin response affected by the target object or scene.

A device for imaging or analyzing a target object or scene, using different spectral bin light components, an individual one of the different spectral bin light components comprising an individual wavelength or wavelength distribution, the device comprising:

• an optical illuminator, arranged to provide at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components modulation encoded, using respective different non-binary light output time-varying modulation functions, and combined into an illumination light beam for illuminating the target object or scene to be imaged or analyzed, the illumination light beam concurrently providing the modulation encoded at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components to the target object or scene;
• a target light transducer, arranged to receive response light from the target object or scene in response to the illumination light beam illuminating the target object or scene, and to transduce the response light into an electrical response signal;
• signal processing circuitry, coupled to the target light transducer to receive the electrical response signal and, using information about the respective different time-varying modulation functions, decoding the electrical response signal to recover information about a respective response parameter of the modulation encoded different spectral bin light components to provide a spectral bin response output affected by the target object or scene;
• and
• wherein the optical illuminator is configured to modulate a corresponding electrical input signal of one or more corresponding light-emitting diode (LED) or other light sources arranged to provide at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components that are modulation encoded, using the respective different time-varying modulation functions, and combined into a wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam projected from a shared single exit location for illuminating the target object or scene to be imaged or analyzed, the illumination light beam concurrently providing the modulation encoded at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components to the target object or scene;
• and
• wherein at least one of:
• the optical illuminator includes spectral emphasizer componentry to pre-emphasize at least one spectral bin with respect to at least one other spectral bin, based on an actual measured or expected output spectrum from the target object or scene, before modulation encoding into the illumination light beam for illuminating the target object or scene;
• or
• the signal processing circuitry includes spectral gain adjustment componentry to adjust a spectral gain based on an actual measured or expected output spectrum from the target object or scene.

A device for multi-wavelength spectroscopic analysis of a biological or other target, the device comprising:

• an optical illuminator, including an optical transmitter module, comprising:
• a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), including at least two individual LEDs providing corresponding LED output illuminations having different individual targeted illumination spectra;
• a plurality of optical collimators, including at least two individual optical collimators in respective optical pathways corresponding to respective individual LEDS;
• one or more wavelength-selective optical filters, in one or more of the respective optical pathways to limit a corresponding spectral bandwidth of the respective LED output illuminations before or after collimation;
• and
• wherein the optical illuminator is arranged to provide at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components modulation encoded, using respective different non-binary light output time-varying modulation functions, and combined into an illumination light beam for illuminating the target to be imaged or analyzed, the illumination light beam concurrently providing the modulation encoded at least two individually modulated different spectral bin light components to the target;
• at least one diffuser in the one or more respective optical pathways to perform post-modulation wavelength homogenization without requiring an optical fiber, to provide a wavelength homogeneous illumination light beam having a wavelength-homogeneous distribution of modulation-coded different wavelength light components across different emanating angles of illumination, such that there is a spectral variation of less than 50% across the different emanating angles of illumination across an illumination Field Of View (FOV) that is projected from a shared single exit location for illuminating the target;
• and
• wherein at least one of:
• the optical illuminator includes spectral emphasizer componentry to pre-emphasize at least one spectral bin with respect to at least one other spectral bin, based on an actual measured or expected output spectrum from the target, before modulation encoding into the illumination light beam for illuminating the target;
• or
• signal processing circuitry that includes spectral gain adjustment componentry to adjust a spectral gain based on an actual measured or expected output spectrum from the target.