Opportunities / ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: GigaPic-3D

Description (excerpt)

A gigapixel camera that captures three-dimensional images in a single shot Creating 3D images usually requires multiple cameras or repeated measurements. GigaPic-3D can capture a gigapixel image in a single exposure. The camera uses light-field imaging, a technique that records both the amount of light and the direction it travels, allowing software to reconstruct 3D images and refocus them after they have been captured. The same camera architecture can also be configured for imaging across a broad range of wavelengths, including visible light and X-rays. This flexibility allows one platform to support scientific, industrial, security and medical applications. Overview GigaPic-3D combines many image sensors into a single camera. Together, these sensors produce images containing billions of pixels. Most gigapixel imaging systems create a final image by collecting many separate photographs and stitching them together. GigaPic-3D captures the entire scene in a single shot, reducing image collection time and eliminating the need to align multiple images before processing. Unlike a conventional camera that records only the brightness of light, GigaPic-3D’s light-field imaging also records the direction that light travels. Its software uses this information to create 3D images and adjust the focus after the image has been captured. The modular design can be adapted for visible light, ultraviolet light, infrared light or X-ray imaging by selecting different optical components and radiation-conversion materials. Advantages Captures gigapixel images in a single shot Produces 3D images from a single exposure Allows images to be refocused after they are captured Eliminates the need to stitch together multiple photographs Built primarily from commercially available components Configurable for imaging from visible light through X-rays Modular design supports different sensors, optics and camera configurations Integrated processing reconstructs images directly from the collected data Technology Description GigaPic-3D uses several layers that work together to capture and process an image. Light first passes through an optical layer that directs it onto an array of image sensors. For X-ray imaging, the system includes materials that convert X-rays into visible light that conventional image sensors can detect. Instead of relying on one large image sensor, the camera combines many smaller commercial sensors into a single array. Because the sensors remain in fixed positions, …

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