Light signal assessment receiver systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12198355-B2
Application number	US-202217879715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2022
Priority date	Aug 2, 2022
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

Techniques for facilitating light signal assessment receiver systems and methods are provided. In one example, a light signal assessment device includes a light signal detection device including a filter array, a detector array, and a measurement device. The filter array is configured to filter a light signal incident on the filter array. The detector array is configured to receive the filtered light signal and generate a light signal detection image based on the filtered light signal. The measurement device is configured to determine a characteristic associated with the light signal based on the light signal detection image. The assessment device further includes a logic device configured to generate an output based on the characteristic. Related methods and systems are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light signal assessment device comprising:
a light signal detection device comprising:
a filter array configured to filter a light signal incident on the filter array to obtain a filtered light signal;
a detector array configured to receive the filtered light signal and generate a light signal detection image based on the filtered light signal; and
a measurement device configured to determine a characteristic associated with the light signal based on the light signal detection image;

a logic device configured to:
generate an output based on the characteristic, wherein the output comprises an assessment value for association with the light signal generated based on the characteristic; and
generate a control signal based on the assessment value; and

an imaging device configured to capture a scene image that encompasses the light signal in response to the control signal to provide scene context.

2. The light signal assessment device of claim 1 , wherein the output further comprises the light signal detection image with an overlay on the light signal detection image, and wherein the overlay is indicative of the characteristic.

3. The light signal assessment device of claim 1 , wherein:
the characteristic comprises a direction of arrival associated with the light signal;
the measurement device is configured to:
identify, in the light signal detection image, a cluster of pixels associated with the light signal based on a power threshold;
determine a centroid associated with the cluster of pixels; and
determine the direction of arrival associated with the light signal based on the centroid.

4. A light signal assessment device comprising:
a light signal detection device comprising:
a filter array configured to filter a light signal incident on the filter array to obtain a filtered light signal;
a detector array configured to receive the filtered light signal and generate a light signal detection image based on the filtered light signal; and
a measurement device configured to:
identify, in the light signal detection image, a cluster of pixels associated with the light signal based on a power threshold, wherein the power threshold is wavelength dependent;
determine a centroid associated with the cluster of pixels;
determine a characteristic associated with the light signal based on the light signal detection image, wherein the characteristic comprises a direction of arrival associated with the light signal determined based on the centroid; and
track a location of the light signal in a scene over a plurality of frames based on the centroid in the light signal detection image and a respective centroid associated with the light signal in each of the plurality of frames; and

a logic device configured to generate an output based on the characteristic.

5. The light signal assessment device of claim 4 , further comprising an imaging device configured to capture a scene image that encompasses the light signal.

6. The light signal assessment device of claim 5 , wherein
the output comprises an assessment value for association with the light signal generated based on the direction of arrival;
the logic device is further configured to generate a control signal based on the assessment value; and
the imaging device is configured to capture the scene image in response to the control signal.

7. The light signal assessment device of claim 1 , wherein:
the characteristic comprises a power value associated with the light signal;
the logic device is further configured to compare the power value with at least one power threshold; and
the assessment value is based on a comparison of the power value with the at least one power threshold.

8. The light signal assessment device of claim 1 , wherein the output further comprises a combined image based on the scene image and the characteristic.

9. The light signal assessment device of claim 8 , wherein the combined image comprises the scene image with an overlay on the scene image, wherein the overlay is indicative of the characteristic.

10. The light signal assessment device of claim 1 , wherein the detector array is further configured to generate a plurality of additional light signal detection images associated with different exposure times and/or different gains to increase a dynamic range associated with the detector array and/or prevent saturation, wherein the light signal detection image and each of the additional light signal detection images is associated with a respective exposure time and a respective gain, wherein the characteristic is further based on the plurality of additional light signal detection images, and wherein the characteristic comprises a wavelength associated with the light signal, a location associated with the light signal, a direction of arrival associated with the light signal, and/or a power associated with the light signal, and wherein the wavelength associated with the light signal is a visible-light wavelength or a near-infrared wavelength.

11. The light signal assessment device of claim 1 , wherein:
the filter array comprises a plurality of filters, wherein each filter of the plurality of filters is associated with a respective passband, and wherein each filter of at least a subset of the plurality of filters is configured to filter a respective portion of the light signal incident on the filter according to the respective passband to obtain a respective portion of the filtered light signal;
the detector array comprises a plurality of detectors, wherein each detector of the plurality of detectors is associated with a respective one of the plurality of filters, and wherein each detector of at least a subset of the plurality of detectors is configured to receive the respective portion of the filtered light signal from the respective one of the plurality of filters and generate a pixel value based on the respective portion of the filtered light signal; and
the characteristic associated with the light signal is based on the pixel values generated by the subset of the plurality of detectors.

12. The light signal assessment device of claim 11 , wherein the filter array comprises a plurality of sets of contiguous filters, wherein each set of contiguous filters comprises a respective subset of the plurality of filters, wherein, for each set of contiguous filters, each filter of the set of contiguous filters is associated with a different passband from remaining filters of the set of contiguous filters, wherein the characteristic comprises a wavelength associated with the light signal, and wherein the measurement device is configured to determine the wavelength based on the pixel values associated with each set of contiguous filters.

13. The light signal assessment device of claim 11 , wherein the light signal detection device further comprises an optical element configured to increase a size of the light signal to provide an expanded light signal, wherein the filter array is configured to filter the expanded light signal to obtain the filtered light signal, and wherein the optical element comprises a lens, a diffusive film, and/or a diffractive film.

14. A system comprising the light signal assessment device of claim 1 , the system further comprising:
an alert device configured to:
receive the output from the logic device; and
generate an alert based on the output, wherein the alert comprises a visual alert, an audible alert, and/or a tactile alert; and/or

an aperture protection device configured to selectively block the light signal based on the output.

15. A method comprising:
filtering, by a filter

Assignees

• Teledyne Scient & Imaging Llc

Inventors

• Mahajan Milind P
• Zhang Weiya
• Mansell John
• Murray Bryce

Classifications

• G06T2207/10048

  Infrared image · CPC title

• G06T7/60

  Analysis of geometric attributes · CPC title

• G01S17/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/4816

  of receivers alone · CPC title

• H04N23/72

  Combination of two or more compensation controls · CPC title