Apparatus and method for a light direction sensor
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorDouglas B. Leviton
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Abstract
The present invention provides a light direction sensor for determining the direction of a light source. The system includes an image sensor; a spacer attached to the image sensor, and a pattern mask attached to said spacer. The pattern mask has a slit pattern that as light passes through the slit pattern it casts a diffraction pattern onto the image sensor. The method operates by receiving a beam of light onto a patterned mask, wherein the patterned mask as a plurality of a slit segments. Then, diffusing the beam of light onto an image sensor and determining the direction of the light source.
Claims11
A light direction sensor, comprising:
- a image sensor;
- a spacer attached to said image sensor;
- and a pattern mask having a plurality of slits, and is attached to said spacer, wherein said pattern mask has a slit pattern that as light passes through the slit pattern the light casts a diffraction pattern onto the image sensor with said slit pattern further comprising an arrangement of slits which form a Cartesian grid that intentionally dims the light from some of the slits by alternatively skipping placement of slits in the Cartesian grid.
A method for determining the direction of a light source, comprising:
- receiving a beam of light onto a patterned mask, wherein said patterned mask has a plurality of slit segments;
- diffusing the beam of light onto a image sensor;
- and determining the direction of the light source;
- wherein the plurality of slit segments on said patterned mask are in a Cartesian grid which intentionally dims the light from some of the slits by alternatively skipping placement of some of the slits in the Cartesian grid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.