An apparatus for obtaining images for use in determining one or more properties of skin of a subject, the apparatus comprising an image sensor unit for generating an image of a skin sample, wherein the skin sample corresponds to an area of skin of the subject within a field of view, FOV, of the image sensor unit when the skin of the subject is spaced a predetermined working distance from the image sensor unit; a first light arrangement comprising one or more light sources for illuminating the skin of the subject; and a second light arrangement comprising one or more light sources for illuminating the skin of the subject. The one or more light sources in the first light arrangement are spaced from the image sensor unit and arranged such that light emitted by the light sources in the first light arrangement that is specularly reflected by a skin sample at the predetermined working distance is incident on the image sensor unit, and the one or more light sources in the second light arrangement are spaced from the image sensor unit and arranged such that light emitted by the light sources in the second light arrangement that is specularly reflected by a skin sample at the predetermined working distance is not incident on the image sensor unit.

This invention relates to a method of and system for facilitating detection of a particular predetermined gas in a scene under observation. The gas in the scene is typically associated with a gas leak in equipment. To this end, the system comprises an infrared camera arrangement; a strobing illuminator device having a strobing frequency matched to a frame rate of the camera; and a processing arrangement. The processing arrangement is configured to store a prior frame obtained via the infrared camera arrangement; and compare a current frame with the stored prior frame and generate an output signal in response to said comparison. The system also comprises a display device configured to display an output image based at least on the output signal generated by the processing arrangement so as to facilitate detection of the particular predetermined gas, in use.

A semiconductor material emitting device is positioned such that its output flux impinges on a substrate at a non-perpendicular angle, so as to grow a first epilayer which is linearly graded in the direction perpendicular to the growth direction. The linear grading can be arranged such that, for example, each row of pixels has a different cutoff wavelength, thereby making it possible to provide a spectroscopic FPA without the use of filters. The non-perpendicular angle and/or the flux intensity can be adjusted to achieve a desired compositional grading. A spectral ellipsometer may be used to monitor the composition of the epilayer during the fabrication process, and to control the intensity of the flux.

Intensity values of electromagnetic radiation from an object to be imaged are received from an array of detectors. The array of detectors includes one or more pairs of detectors arranged as antisymmetric pairs of detectors. A Fourier transform of an image of the object is determined by correlating fluctuations of the intensity values for each antisymmetric pair of detectors. An inverse of the Fourier transform is determined, and an image of the object is generated from the inverse Fourier transform. The Fourier transform of the mean intensity pattern across the array of detectors may also be used to determine when the array is properly oriented to separate the image and mirror image.

A semiconductor material emitting device is positioned such that its output flux impinges on a substrate at a non-perpendicular angle, so as to grow a first epilayer which is linearly graded in the direction perpendicular to the growth direction. The linear grading can be arranged such that, for example, each row of pixels has a different cutoff wavelength, thereby making it possible to provide a spectroscopic FPA without the use of filters. The non-perpendicular angle and/or the flux intensity can be adjusted to achieve a desired compositional grading. A spectral ellipsometer may be used to monitor the composition of the epilayer during the fabrication process, and to control the intensity of the flux.

A method includes attaching two or more beads to each unit of one or more units of a chemical component in a sample, to form, for each unit of the chemical component, a multi-bead complex including two or more beads and the unit of the chemical component; placing the sample on a surface of an image sensor; at the image sensor, receiving light originating at a light source, the received light including light reflected by, refracted by, or transmitted through the beads of the multi-bead complexes; at the image sensor, capturing one or more images of the sample from the received light; and identifying, in at least one of the images of the sample, separate multi-bead complexes, the identifying of the separate multi-bead complexes including associating the two or more beads of each of the multi-bead complexes based on proximity to one another.

A system for processing a sample includes a chamber for receiving a sample, at least one light source, and an imager array configured to generate a sample image of the sample in the chamber. The system can be used to process a sample in a multiplexed manner. For example, one variation of a method for processing a sample includes identifying one or more features of interest in the sample based at least in part on the forms and/or darkness shift of one or more marker particles depicted in the sample image. Another variation of a method includes illuminating the sample with light having a wavelength outside a wavelength detection window of the imager array, to thereby induce at least a portion of the sample to fluoresce light within the wavelength detection window.

A clogged filter detector is provided. In some embodiments, the clogged filter detector may comprise a transmitter, a sensor, and a transmitter resistor array configured to modify the output strength of the transmitter. In some embodiments, the clogged filter detector may comprise a transmitter, a sensor, and a sensor resistor array to configured to adjust the strength of the signal output by the sensor. The clogged filter detector may also include one or more processor configured to adjust the strength of a beam output by the transmitter based on a saturation level.

A method of obtaining a plurality of infrared images of a banknote that involves simultaneously illuminating the banknote with infrared light at a first wavelength and infrared light at a second wavelength, capturing an image of the banknote with an RGB camera, obtaining from both a first output channel signal and a second output channel signal of the RGB camera sensor where the intensity distribution of the infrared light at the first wavelength and the intensity distribution of the infrared light at the second wavelength uses a first calibration coefficient and a second calibration coefficient of the RGB camera sensor, producing separate infrared images of the banknote at the first wavelength and the second wavelength from the respective intensity distributions.

A method for observing a sample is placed between a light source and an image sensor, comprising at least 10000 pixels, the light source emits an illuminating beam, which propagates to the sample, the light beam is emitted in an illumination spectral band (.sub.11) lying above 800 nm, the method comprising the following steps: (a) illuminating the sample with the light source; (b) acquiring an image of the sample (I.sub.0) with the image sensor, no image-forming optics being placed between the sample and the image sensor; and (c) the image sensor being configured such that it has a detection spectral band (.sub.20), which blocks wavelengths in the visible spectral band, such that the image may be acquired in ambient light.