Optical measuring apparatus includes: a light source irradiating an object to be measured; a splitter splitting transmitted light or reflected light from the object to be measured; a phase changer changing a phase of a first light which is one of the lights split; a phase fixer maintaining a phase of a second light which is the other light split; a multiplexer multiplexing lights output from the phase changer and the phase fixer; a detector detecting the light (interference image) output from the multiplexer; and a controller that extracts a reference point from the interference image, when a displacement of the reference point is detected, corrects a luminance value for each pixel of the interference images in accordance with a displacement of the object to be measured indicated by a displacement of the reference point, constructs an interferogram based on the luminance value for each pixel of the interference images after the correction.

Systems and methods for improved interferometric imaging are presented. One embodiment is a partial field frequency-domain interferometric imaging system in which a light beam is scanned in two directions across a sample and the light scattered from the object is collected using a spatially resolved detector. The light beam could illuminate a spot, a line or a two-dimensional area on the sample. Additional embodiments with applicability to partial field as well as other types of interferometric systems are also presented.

A holographic interferometer, comprising: at least one imaging device capturing an interference pattern created by at least two light beams; and at least one aperture located in an optical path of at least one light beam of the at least two light beams; wherein the at least one aperture is located away from an axis of the at least one light beam, thus transmitting a subset of the at least one light beam collected at an angle range.

A method for measuring a spatial distortion of a target surface (110) of a workpiece (110A). Light is transmitted twice through a reference pattern-generator (104) and impinged upon a workpiece pattern-generator (108). Then, with an optical detector (116), first and second beams formed by the light as a result of interaction with two pattern-generators (104) (106) is acquired to produce a signal characterizing geometry of interference fringes formed at the detector (116) by the first and second beams. Indicia representing at least one of a type and a value of spatial distortion of the target surface (110) is generated and recorded. A system embodying the implementation of the method.

A three-dimensional interferometer for measuring a light field produced by an object, comprising a first interferometer arm, a second interferometer arm, a beam splitter arranged between an object point of the object and the first interferometer arm and the second interferometer arm, and is set up to split a beam coming from the object point at the beam splitter into the first beam and the second beam, a detection plane or a detection surface which is arranged downstream of the first interferometer arm and the second interferometer arm and is set up in such a manner that the first beam and the second beam are made to interfere in an interference region on said plane or surface, and an overlapping device which is arranged between the detection plane and the first interferometer arm and the second interferometer arm.

The present invention relates to an arrangement for the generation of images of optical sections of a three-dimensional (3D) volume in space such as an object, scene, or target, comprising: an illumination unit, an optical arrangement for the imaging of the object onto at least one spatially resolving detector, a scanning mechanism for scanning the entire object and a signal processing unit for the implementation of a method for digital reconstruction of a three-dimensional representation of the object from images of said object as obtained by said detector (which may be in a form of a hologram), wherein the optical arrangement includes a diffractive optical element (herein a phase pinhole), realized using a Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) configured to mimic an actual physical pinhole, while allowing the formation of a three-dimensional representation for a specific point of interest in said object, such that for each scanning position a single hologram or an image is recorded.

A system may include one or more finger devices that gather input from a user's fingers. A finger device may include one or more self-mixing interferometric proximity sensors that measure a distance to the user's finger. The proximity sensor may measure changes in distance between the proximity sensor and a flexible membrane that rests against a side portion of the user's finger. The self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor may include a laser and a photodiode. In some arrangements, a single laser driver may drive the lasers of multiple self-mixing proximity sensors using time-multiplexing. The self-mixing proximity sensor may operate according to a duty cycle. Interpolation and stitching may be used to determine the total displacement of the user's finger including both the on periods and off periods of the self-mixing proximity sensor.

A system may include one or more finger devices that gather input from a user's fingers. A finger device may include one or more self-mixing interferometric proximity sensors that measure a distance to the user's finger. The proximity sensor may measure changes in distance between the proximity sensor and a flexible membrane that rests against a side portion of the user's finger. The self-mixing interferometric proximity sensor may include a laser and a photodiode. In some arrangements, a single laser driver may drive the lasers of multiple self-mixing proximity sensors using time-multiplexing. The self-mixing proximity sensor may operate according to a duty cycle. Interpolation and stitching may be used to determine the total displacement of the user's finger including both the on periods and off periods of the self-mixing proximity sensor.

A self-mixing interferometry sensor module, comprising a light emitter (LE), a detector unit (DU) and an optical element (OE), wherein the light emitter (LE) is operable to emit coherent electromagnetic radiation towards an external object (ET) to be placed outside the sensor module and undergo self-mixing interference, SMI, caused by reflections of the emitted electromagnetic radiation from the external object back inside the sensor module. The detector unit (DU) is operable to generate output signals indicative of an optical power output of the light emitter (LE) due to the SMI. The optical element (OE) is aligned with respect to the light emitter (LE) such that a first fraction of electromagnetic radiation is directed towards the external target (ET) or the light emitter (LE) and a second fraction of electromagnetic radiation is directed towards the detector unit (DU). An optical power ratio determined by the first and second fractions meets a pre-determined value.

A self-mixing interferometry sensor module, comprising a light emitter (LE), a detector unit (DU) and an optical element (OE), wherein the light emitter (LE) is operable to emit coherent electromagnetic radiation towards an external object (ET) to be placed outside the sensor module and undergo self-mixing interference, SMI, caused by reflections of the emitted electromagnetic radiation from the external object back inside the sensor module. The detector unit (DU) is operable to generate output signals indicative of an optical power output of the light emitter (LE) due to the SMI. The optical element (OE) is aligned with respect to the light emitter (LE) such that a first fraction of electromagnetic radiation is directed towards the external target (ET) or the light emitter (LE) and a second fraction of electromagnetic radiation is directed towards the detector unit (DU). An optical power ratio determined by the first and second fractions meets a pre-determined value.