June 15, 2012—Rice University spinoff InView Technology (Austin, Tex., U.S.A.) has received a U.S. patent that will significantly reduce the cost of short-wave infrared (SWIR) cameras. The United States Patent and Trademark Office patent 8,199,244 will allow InView to apply compressive sensing imaging technology to high-resolution cameras.
The compressive sensing camera architecture combines a spacial light modular, a measurement basis, a single or small number of detector diodes, an analog-to-digital convertor and a reconstruction algorithm. The cost-effective, high-resolution cameras use a smaller number of photodiode detectors than conventional cameras.
While InView has an exclusive license from Rice University to apply the patent to imaging and hyperspectral imaging at ultraviolet, visual, infrared and terahertz wavelengths, the first family of products will be in the SWIR region of the spectrum.
Richard Baraniuk and Kevin Kelly of Rice University built the novel camera using basic mathematical concepts, and were the first to apply compressive sampling theory to imagers and cameras. SWIR cameras are used in security, surveillance and maritime navigation applications to image through fog, haze, smoke and dust.