This technology is a collection of transparent glass or polymer elements (a lightguide array) for routing light to an array of sensors for use in spectral imaging. Background:
Spectral imaging combines traditional optical images with spectroscopy to capture the spectral properties at each part of an image. This technology is useful because it can provide visibility into things not typically recognizable through observing the normal visible light spectrum like the naked eye does. There are many applications for spectral imaging, and the list of applications is rapidly expanding.
In order to produce compact, high-quality spectral imaging devices, there needs to be a method to effectively route the light source to an array of sensors while minimizing light attenuation or overlap in light hitting each sensor. Generally, there is a tradeoff between the size of an imaging device, resolution, and manufacturing complexity (and thus, cost). This invention helps solve this problem by creating a cost-effective and high-quality 3D printed light guide array.
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