Systems and methods for multi-spectral imaging with a non-mechanical adjustable aperture
AssigneeStryker Corporation
InventorRobert Anthony Stead
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjustable aperture for an imager includes a mechanical aperture having an opening for permitting light to pass through the mechanical aperture; and an electro-optic shutter having a hole in at least one linearly polarizing layer such that at least a portion of light incident on the electro-optic shutter can pass through the electro-optic shutter regardless of an operating state of the electro-optic shutter, wherein an aperture size of the adjustable aperture is defined by the mechanical aperture when the electro-optic shutter is controlled for light transmission and by the electro-optic shutter when the electro-optic shutter is controlled for light blocking.
Claims39
An adjustable aperture for an imager comprising:
- a mechanical aperture having an opening for permitting light to pass through the mechanical aperture;
- and
- an electro-optic shutter comprising a plurality of layers that include at least one linearly polarizing layer, wherein a hole extends through each layer of the plurality of layers of the electro-optic shutter such that at least a portion of light arriving at the electro-optic shutter can pass through the electro-optic shutter regardless of an operating state of the electro-optic shutter,
- wherein an aperture size of the adjustable aperture is defined by the mechanical aperture when the electro-optic shutter is controlled for light transmission and by the electro-optic shutter when the electro-optic shutter is controlled for light blocking.
An imaging system comprising:
- at least one imaging sensor;
- an adjustable aperture, the adjustable aperture comprising:
- a mechanical aperture having an opening for permitting light to pass through the mechanical aperture, and
- an electro-optic shutter having a hole in at least one linearly polarizing layer such that at least a portion of light directed through the hole in the at least one linearly polarizing layer can pass through the electro-optic shutter regardless of the operating state of the electro-optic shutter,
- wherein an aperture size of the adjustable aperture is defined by the mechanical aperture when the electro-optic shutter is controlled for light transmission and by the electro-optic shutter when the electro-optic shutter is controlled for light blocking;
- and
- a controller comprising one or more processors configured to control the adjustable aperture to adjust the aperture size, wherein the system is configured for capturing a series of frames in alternating spectral bands, and the controller is configured for controlling the adjustable aperture such that the aperture size is defined by the mechanical aperture for at least a first spectral band and by the electro-optic shutter for at least a second spectral band that is different than the first spectral band.
A method for imaging using an imager having an adjustable aperture comprising:
- capturing a first image while controlling an electro-optic shutter for light blocking such that a hole in at least one linearly polarizing layer of the electro-optic shutter defines an aperture size for the first image;
- and
- capturing a second image while controlling the electro-optic shutter for light transmission such that an opening in a mechanical aperture defines the aperture size for capturing the second image, wherein the first image is generated from light having a first spectral band and the second image is generated from light having a second spectral band that is different than the first spectral band.
An adjustable aperture for an imager comprising:
- a mechanical aperture having an opening for permitting light to pass through the mechanical aperture;
- and
- an electro-optic shutter comprising at least one linearly polarizing layer, a first polarization rotator, and a second polarization rotator disposed within a central portion of the first polarization rotator, wherein the second polarization rotator is controllable independently of the first polarization rotator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.