US 12,470,840 B1
Electronically focusable digital adaptive optics encoder module
Kyle Drexler, San Diego, CA (US); Benjamin Laxton, San Diego, CA (US); Skylar Lilledahl, El Cajon, CA (US); Burton H Neuner, III, Escondido, CA (US); and Jesus Rodolfo Perez Cuarenta, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on May 13, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/626,414.
Int. Cl. H04N 23/95 (2023.01); G01D 5/347 (2006.01)
CPC H04N 23/95 (2023.01) [G01D 5/3473 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A digital adaptive optics encoder module, comprising:
a collection lens assembly, wherein the collection lens assembly includes a moveable sub-lens and an entrance lens;
input mounting flange, wherein the input mounting flange is a mount capable of attaching the collection lens assembly;
collimating lens, wherein the collimating lens is capable of expanding light from a target to fill a plurality of primary apertures;
bandpass filter, wherein has a bandwidth ranging from about 40 nm to about 100 nm;
digital adaptive optic elements, wherein the digital adaptive optic elements include:
i) the plurality of primary apertures for receiving light from the target;
ii) an optical spreader for spreading apart the light passing through the primary apertures by at least a factor of two times a baseline separation of the primary apertures;
iii) a focusing optic for focusing the light from the optical spreader at the detector; and
iv) the detector for detecting an image of the target with the light from the focusing optic;
refocusing lens, wherein the refocusing lens is capable of refocusing an output from the digital adaptive optic elements onto a sensor plane;
output mounting flange, wherein the output mounting flange is a mount capable of attaching to a focal plane array;
a housing, wherein the housing encloses the collimating lens, the bandpass filter, the digital adaptic optic encoder elements, and the refocusing lens;
the focal plane array, wherein the focal plane array measures, records, and transmits light data to a compute module;
the compute module, wherein the computer module is connected to the focal plane array to receive the light data and transmit instructions to autofocus the collection lens assembly based on the light data and a storage device capable of sending and receiving the light data and storing the instructions; and
a computing device, wherein the computing device is capable of receiving and recording light data and processing the light data produced by the digital adaptive optics encoder module into an image.