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Proposed and experimentally demonstrated is the CAOS-CMOS camera design that combines the coded access optical sensor (CAOS) imager platform with the CMOS multi-pixel optical sensor. The unique CAOS-CMOS camera engages the classic CMOS sensor light staring mode with the time-frequency-space agile pixel CAOS imager mode within one programmable optical unit to realize a high dynamic range imager for extreme light contrast conditions. The experimentally demonstrated CAOS-CMOS camera is built using a digital micromirror device, a silicon point-photo-detector with a variable gain amplifier, and a silicon CMOS sensor with a maximum rated 51.3 dB dynamic range. White light imaging of three different brightness simultaneously viewed targets, that is not possible by the CMOS sensor, is achieved by the CAOS-CMOS camera demonstrating an 82.06 dB dynamic range. Applications for the camera include industrial machine vision, welding, laser analysis, automotive, night vision, surveillance and multispectral military systems. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, proposed is the first embedded optics and electronics-based agile pixel broadband optical imager and spectrum analyzer using a single digital micromirror device (DMD) for laser beam hotspot detection. Specifically, the novel design engages both the wavelength-dependent grating structure of the DMD optical chip and its three-tilt-state micromirror programmability to form both an optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) and an agile pixel imager within one basic instrument. Also, to our knowledge, presented for the first time for a DMD chip is a complete mathematical analysis for incident laser beam operations via diffraction theory. Using off-the-shelf components and the Texas Instruments (TI) Lightcrafter DLP chip and drive electronics, embedded engineering of the proposed instrument is implemented for the visible laser wavelength band. Experimental OSA operation of the instrument is demonstrated using classic laser wavelengths of 633 and 532 nm with beam power levels of 20 and 180 mW, respectively. Experimental imaging operation of the instrument compared with a commercial scanning slit-based laser beam profiler is successfully conducted for a 633 nm test laser beam having a hotspot with ∼68% peak-to-null power drop near its center. Applications for the proposed imager-OSA instrument include laser beam testing during laser assembly and manufacturing operations.

A smart laser scanning sampling head design is presented using an electronically controlled variable focal length lens to achieve the smallest sampling laser spot possible at target plane distances reaching 8 m. A proof-of-concept experiment is conducted using a 10 mW red 633 nm laser coupled with beam conditioning optics that includes an electromagnetically actuated deformable membrane liquid lens to demonstrate sampling laser spot radii under 1 mm over a target range of 20-800 cm. Applications for the proposed sampling head are diverse and include laser machining and component inspection.