Spectroscopic image acquiring apparatus and spectroscopic image acquiring method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9835492-B2
Application number	US-201514835843-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 26, 2015
Priority date	Aug 29, 2014
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

A spectroscopic camera is provided with a wavelength variable interference filter including a pair of reflection films and an electrostatic actuator for changing a size of a gap between the reflection films; an imaging unit including a plurality of imaging pixels; and a filter control unit for controlling the electrostatic actuator based on light-received wavelength data in which a control amount for receiving light of a target wavelength is recorded with respect to each of the imaging pixels of the imaging unit. An acquisition order of the target wavelength emitted from the wavelength variable interference filter is set for each of the imaging pixels, and the acquisition order is set in a descending order of the driving amount of a gap, and thus a value for emitting the light of the target wavelength in the set acquisition order is recorded as the light-received wavelength data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spectroscopic image acquiring apparatus comprising:
a wavelength variable interference filter that includes:
a first reflector;
a second reflector facing the first reflector; and
an actuator configured to change a gap between the first reflector and the second reflector,
wherein the wavelength variable interference filter exits first light including a plurality of first wavelengths corresponding to a first order number, and second light including a plurality of second wavelengths corresponding to a second order number;

an imaging sensor that includes a plurality of imaging pixels including first and second imaging pixels and that receives the first light and the second light from the wavelength variable interference filter; and
a processor that is configured to control the actuator so as to change the gap based on received light wavelength data, the received light wavelength data including a control amount for the actuator and an acquisition order of the first light and the second light from the wavelength variable interference filter,
wherein the processor is configured to change the control amount of the actuator to change the gap in one direction,
when the processor is configured to set the control amount as a first control amount:
the first imaging pixel detects a first one of the plurality of first wavelengths; and
the second imaging pixel detects a second one of the plurality of first wavelengths, wherein the first one of the plurality of first wavelengths and the second one of the plurality of first wavelengths are different from each other, and

when the processor is configured to set the control amount as a second control amount which is different from the first control amount:
the first imaging pixel detects a third one of the plurality of second wavelengths; and
the second pixel detects a fourth one of the plurality of second wavelengths, wherein the first one of the plurality of first wavelengths, the second one of the plurality of first wavelengths, the third one of the plurality of second wavelengths, and the fourth one of the plurality of second wavelengths are different from each other.

2. The spectroscopic image acquisition apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the acquisition order is set in an order of changing the control amount of the gap in one direction.

3. The spectroscopic image acquisition apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the received light wavelength data includes the control amount of the actuator corresponding to a predetermined target wavelength which is detected by each of the plurality of imaging pixels.

4. The spectroscopic image acquiring apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein each of the plurality of imaging pixels is divided into a plurality of pixel groups based on a variation of the gap on an optical path of each of the plurality of imaging pixels, and
wherein the received light wavelength data includes the predetermined target wavelength with respect to each of the plurality of pixel groups and the control amount of the actuator corresponding to the plurality of target wavelength with respect to each of the plurality of pixel groups.

5. The spectroscopic image acquiring apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the processor is configured to sequentially change the gap at a measurement interval in accordance with a predetermined wavelength resolution by controlling the actuator, and
wherein each of the plurality of imaging pixels is divided into a plurality of pixel groups in which a variation of the gap is divided by a length unit which is less than the predetermined wavelength resolution.

6. The spectroscopic image acquiring apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the received light wavelength data includes, as the predetermined target wavelength, an average value of a wavelength of one of the first and second lights received by each of the plurality of imaging pixels.

7. A spectroscopic image acquiring method of a spectroscopic image acquiring apparatus, the spectroscopic image acquiring apparatus includes:
a wavelength variable interference filter that includes:
a first reflector;
a second reflector facing the first reflector; and
an actuator configured to change a gap between the first reflector and the second reflector,
wherein the wavelength variable interference filter exits first light including a plurality of first wavelengths corresponding to a first order number, and second light including a plurality of second wavelengths corresponding to a second order number;

an imaging sensor that includes a plurality of imaging pixels including first and second imaging pixels and that receives the first light and the second light from the wavelength variable interference filter; and
a processor that is configured to control the actuator so as to change the gap, the method comprising executing in the processor the steps of:
acquiring received light wavelength data including a control amount for the actuator and an acquisition order of the first light and the second light from the wavelength variable interference filter;
changing the gap based on the received light wavelength data;
setting the control amount as a first control amount so that the first imaging pixel detects a first one of the plurality of first wavelengths, and the second imaging pixel detects a second one of the plurality of first wavelengths, wherein the first one of the plurality of first wavelengths and the second one of the plurality of first wavelengths are different from each other; and
setting the control amount as a second control amount which is different from the first control amount so that the first imaging pixel detects a third one of the plurality of second wavelengths, and the second pixel detects a fourth one of the plurality of second wavelengths, wherein the first one of the plurality of first wavelengths, the second one of the plurality of first wavelengths, the third one of the plurality of second wavelengths, and the fourth one of the plurality of second wavelengths are different from each other,
wherein the processor is configured to change the control amount of the actuator for changing the gap in one direction.

8. A spectroscopic image acquiring apparatus comprising:
a wavelength variable interference filter that includes:
a first reflector;
a second reflector facing the first reflector; and
an actuator configured to change a gap between the first reflector and the second reflector,
wherein the wavelength variable interference filter exits first light including a plurality of first wavelengths corresponding to a first order number, and second light including a plurality of second wavelengths corresponding to second order number;

an imaging sensor that includes a plurality of imaging pixels including first and second imaging pixels and that receives the first light and the second light from the wavelength variable interference filter; and
a processor that is configured to control the actuator so as to change the gap based on received light wavelength data, the received light wavelength data including a control amount for the actuator and an acquisition order of the first light and the second light from the wavelength variable interference filter,
wherein the processor is configured to sequentially change the control amount of the actuator for changing the gap in one direction,
when the processor is configured to set the control amount as a first control amount:
the first imaging pixel detects a first one of the plurality of first wavelengths; and
the second imaging pixel detects a second one of the plurality of first wavelengths, wherein the first one of the plurality of first wavelengths and the second one of the plurality of first w

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Nishimura Teruyuki

Classifications

• G01J3/2823 Primary

  Imaging spectrometer · CPC title

• G01J2003/1239

  and separate detectors · CPC title

• G01J3/26

  using multiple reflection, e.g. Fabry-Perot interferometer, variable interference filters · CPC title