US 12,018,983 B2
Combined multi-spectral and polarization sensor
David Roderick Gerwe, West Hills, CA (US); Paul S. Idell, Thousand Oaks, CA (US); Kevin Ray Paxton, North Tustin, CA (US); and Friedrich W. Kunzler, Hacienda Heights, CA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Apr. 24, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/306,151.
Application 18/306,151 is a continuation of application No. 17/554,781, filed on Dec. 17, 2021, granted, now 11,635,328.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/128,004, filed on Dec. 19, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0266165 A1, Aug. 24, 2023
Int. Cl. G01J 3/02 (2006.01); G01J 3/28 (2006.01); G01J 4/04 (2006.01); G02B 5/30 (2006.01); H04N 23/11 (2023.01)
CPC G01J 3/0224 (2013.01) [G01J 3/2803 (2013.01); G01J 4/04 (2013.01); G02B 5/30 (2013.01); H04N 23/11 (2023.01); G01J 2003/2826 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A combined multi-spectral and polarization (CMSP) sensor comprising:
a Focal Plane Array (FPA) comprising a plurality of detectors positioned along an FPA surface;
a multi-spectral and polarization (MSP) filter overlaying the detectors and the FPA surface, the MSP filter comprising a plurality of constituent filters each of which is a bandpass filter or a polarization filter, wherein at least two of the constituent filters are bandpass filters having respective different frequency ranges, and at least two other of the constituent filters are polarization filters having respective different polarization values;
a controller configured to cause the detectors to capture a plurality of images of scenes sharing a scene portion whose image is captured in two or more of the images through respective two or more of the constituent filters, the two or more of the constituent filters being different from each other with respect to frequency range and/or polarization value; and
an alignment measuring device configured to determine whether the scene portion is aligned with one of the detectors while one of the constituent filters is positioned between the scene portion and the one of the detectors aligned with the scene portion;
wherein the controller is configured to:
use the alignment measuring device to determine that the scene portion is aligned with one of the detectors while one of the constituent filters is positioned between the scene portion and the one of the detectors aligned with the scene portion; and
in response to determining that the scene portion is aligned, cause the plurality of the detectors to capture one of the plurality of images such that the one of the detectors aligned with the scene portion captures the image of the scene portion through the one of the constituent filters positioned between the scene portion and the one of the detectors aligned with the scene portion;
wherein each point of the FPA surface is overlaid by at most one of the constituent filters.