An infrared spectrometer for operation in the mid-infrared spectral range is presented, where the spectrometer includes a Bragg-mirror-based spectral filter that is operative for providing an interrogation signal whose spectral content is dispersed along a first direction at a filter aperture. The filter aperture is imaged through a sample by a thermal-imaging camera to create a focused image that is based on the interrogation signal and the absorption characteristics of the sample. As a result, embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure can be smaller, less complex, and less expensive than infrared spectrometers known in the prior art.

An imaging optical system including a plurality of imaging optical sub-systems, each having at least one optical element and receiving light from a source, and a plurality of spectrometer optical sub-systems, each spectrometer optical sub-system receiving light from at least one of the imaging optical sub-systems, each imaging optical sub-system and spectrometer optical sub-system combination having a spatial distortion characteristic, each spatial distortion characteristic having a predetermined relationship to the other spatial distortion characteristics.

One embodiment provides an optical spectrometer. The optical spectrometer can include a lens-and-filter system configured to collect light scattered from a sample, a spot converter configured to convert a substantially circular beam outputted from the lens-and-filter system into a substantially rectangular beam, and a slit comprising a rectangular aperture to allow a predetermined portion of the substantially rectangular beam to enter the rectangular aperture while blocking noise. The slit can further include at least one microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based movable structure configured to adjust a width of the rectangular aperture.

A reflectometry instrument includes a light source for emitting an illumination beam that illuminates the macula. A portion of the illumination beam is reflected from the macula and forms a detection beam. The detection beam is indicative of macular pigment in the macula. The instrument also includes a first mirror for reflecting the illumination beam toward the macula and for reflecting the detection beam from the macula. The instrument is configured so that the illumination beam and the detection beam remain separated between the macula and the first mirror.

One embodiment of a method for restricting laser beams entering an aperture to a chosen dyad and measuring their separation. The method works with frequency-modulated coherent light, and one embodiment uses a moveable, variable-aperture apparatus (FIG. 1) in conjunction with a converging lens (6) and a detector (7). Key elements of other embodiments are described.

Disclosed herein is an electronic apparatus and method capable of identifying a state of an object. The electronic apparatus includes a light-emitting diode array configured to transmit light beams having different wavelengths, a photodiode array configured to receive the light beams, a display, and a processor configured to control the light-emitting diode array to transmit the light beams having the different wavelengths toward an object, identify a state of the object based on intensities reflected on the object according to the light beams having the different wavelengths that are received by the photodiode array, and display information about the state of the object on the display.

A spectrometer comprises a plurality of isolated optical channels comprising a plurality of isolated optical paths. The isolated optical paths decrease cross-talk among the optical paths and allow the spectrometer to have a decreased length with increased resolution. In many embodiments, the isolated optical paths comprise isolated parallel optical paths that allow the length of the device to be decreased substantially. In many embodiments, each isolated optical path extends from a filter of a filter array, through a lens of a lens array, through a channel of a support array, to a region of a sensor array. Each region of the sensor array comprises a plurality of sensor elements in which a location of the sensor element corresponds to the wavelength of light received based on an angle of light received at the location, the focal length of the lens and the central wavelength of the filter.

An infrared (IR) imaging system for determining a concentration of a target species in an object is disclosed. The imaging system can include an optical system including a focal plane array (FPA) unit behind an optical window. The optical system can have components defining at least two optical channels thereof, said at least two optical channels being spatially and spectrally different from one another. Each of the at least two optical channels can be positioned to transfer IR radiation incident on the optical system towards the optical FPA. The system can include a processing unit containing a processor that can be configured to acquire multispectral optical data representing said target species from the IR radiation received at the optical FPA. One or more of the optical channels may be used in detecting objects on or near the optical window, to avoid false detections of said target species.

Provided are a hyperspectral sensor and a hyperspectral camera in which influence of external information such as a reflecting material is reduced such that the spectral data accuracy of a subject to be acquired can be improved. In the hyperspectral sensor in which light from a subject is split into light components in a plurality of wavelength ranges by a spectral optical element and each of the light components in the wavelength ranges is received by a sensor array consisting of a plurality of photodetection elements to acquire spectral data in which spectral information of the subject is associated with each of the photodetection elements, a polarization diffraction element that emits polarized light is used as the spectral optical element.

A hyperspectral imager (HSI) includes a first thin film filter, the first thin film filter including a first quarter wave mirror, a second quarter wave mirror, and a low-refractive-index wedge between the first quarter wave mirror and the second quarter wave mirror. The low-refractive-index wedge has a height dimension such that a distance between the first quarter wave mirror and the second quarter wave mirror increases linearly along a length of the low-refractive-index wedge.