IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,259,320
Granted Patent B2
US 12,259,320 · App. 17/940,372 · Granted Mar 25, 2025

Imaging device

Inventors: Yosuke Asai (Osaka, JP); Kazuhiro Yamada (Osaka, JP); Hiroshi Yamaguchi (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
G01N21/3581G01B11/303
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,259,320
App. No.
17/940,372
Filed
Sep 8, 2022
Granted
Mar 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2884
USPC
250/341.8
Abstract

An imaging device includes: an area light source including an emission surface from which a sub-terahertz wave is emitted to a measurement target; and a detector including an image sensor that receives a reflected wave generated by the measurement target reflecting the sub-terahertz wave emitted from the emission surface. The area light source includes: at least one point light source that emits a sub-terahertz wave; and a reflector that reflects the sub-terahertz wave emitted from the at least one point light source, to generate a sub-terahertz wave to be emitted from the emission surface. The reflector has a reflection surface that is a bumpy surface which includes two or more frequency components in a spatial frequency range and whose roughness curve element mean length RSm is at least 0.3 mm.

Claims (107)

1. An imaging device comprising:

an area light source including an emission surface from which a sub-terahertz wave is emitted to a measurement target; and

a detector including an image sensor that receives a reflected wave generated by the measurement target reflecting the sub-terahertz wave emitted from the emission surface,

wherein the area light source includes:

at least one point light source that emits a sub-terahertz wave; and

a reflector that diffusely reflects the sub-terahertz wave emitted from the at least one point light source, to generate a sub-terahertz wave to be emitted from the emission surface, the reflector including a reflection surface that is a bumpy surface which is of a shape in which a plurality of protruding portions having mutually different shapes and a plurality of recessed portions having mutually different shapes are randomly arranged, includes two or more frequency components in a spatial frequency range and whose roughness curve element mean length RSm is at least 0.3 mm.

2. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein

the detector includes an optical system that forms an image on the image sensor by an optical focus of the reflected wave, and

when Φ denotes an entrance pupil diameter of the optical system, b denotes a distance between the emission surface and the measurement target, c denotes a distance between the measurement target and the optical system, and λ denotes a wavelength of the sub-terahertz wave emitted from the at least one point light source:

the reflection surface includes one or more unit areas each of which has a bumpy surface including at least two frequency components in a frequency range of at most (Φ×b/c)/Ξ in a spatial frequency range;

a width of each of the one or more unit areas is at least Φ×b/c; and

the roughness curve element mean length RSm is less than 2×Φ×b/c.

3. The imaging device according to claim 2 , wherein:

the one or more unit areas include a first unit area and a second unit area;

the first unit area and the second unit area are in contact with each other at a side shared between the first unit area and the second unit area; and

a geometry of a bumpy surface of the first unit area and a geometry of a bumpy surface of the second unit area are line symmetric about the side serving as an axis of symmetry.

4. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein

an angle θ 1 that is a half width at half maximum of a strength of the sub-terahertz wave in the diffuse reflection by the reflector is at least a value obtained using the following formula:

[

Math

.

1

]

tan

-

1

(

a

2

⁢

b

)

where a denotes a width of an imaging range of the measurement target and b denotes a distance between the emission surface and the measurement target.

5. The imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein

an angle θ 2 that is a half width at half maximum in a distribution of inclination angles of bumps on the reflection surface is at least a value obtained using the following formula:

[

Math

.

2

]

1

2

×

tan

-

1

(

a

2

⁢

b

)

where a denotes a width of an imaging range of the measurement target and b denotes a distance between the emission surface and the measurement target.

6. An imaging device comprising:

an area light source including an emission surface from which a sub-terahertz wave is emitted to a measurement target; and

a detector including an image sensor that receives a reflected wave generated by the measurement target reflecting the sub-terahertz wave emitted from the emission surface, and an optical system that forms an image on the image sensor by an optical focus of the reflected wave,

wherein the area light source includes:

at least one point light source that emits a sub-terahertz wave; and

a reflector that diffusely reflects the sub-terahertz wave emitted from the at least one point light source, to generate a sub-terahertz wave to be emitted from the emission surface, the reflector including a reflection surface that is a bumpy surface whose roughness curve element mean length RSm is at least 0.3 mm, wherein

when Φ denotes an entrance pupil diameter of the optical system, b denotes a distance between the emission surface and the measurement target, c denotes a distance between the measurement target and the optical system, and λ denotes a wavelength of the sub-terahertz wave emitted from the at least one point light source:

the reflection surface includes one or more unit areas each of which has a bumpy surface including at least two frequency components in a frequency range of at most (Φ×b/c)/Ξ in a spatial frequency range.

7. The imaging device according to claim 6 , wherein

a width of each of the one or more unit areas is at least Φ×b/c; and

the roughness curve element mean length RSm is less than 2×Φ×b/c.

8. The imaging device according to claim 6 , wherein:

the one or more unit areas include a first unit area and a second unit area;

the first unit area and the second unit area are in contact with each other at a side shared between the first unit area and the second unit area; and

a geometry of a bumpy surface of the first unit area and a geometry of a bumpy surface of the second unit area are line symmetric about the side serving as an axis of symmetry.

9. The imaging device according to claim 6 , wherein

an angle θ 1 that is a half width at half maximum of a strength of the sub-terahertz wave in the diffuse reflection by the reflector is at least a value obtained using the following formula:

tan

-

1

(

a

2

⁢

b

)

[

Math

.

3

]

where a denotes a width of an imaging range of the measurement target.

10. The imaging device according to claim 6 , wherein

an angle θ 2 that is a half width at half maximum in a distribution of inclination angles of bumps on the reflection surface is at least a value obtained using the following formula:

1

2

×

tan

-

1

(

a

2

⁢

b

)

[

Math

.

4

]

where a denotes a width of an imaging range of the measurement target.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 21, 2022
From: ASAI, YOSUKE; YAMADA, KAZUHIRO; YAMAGUCHI, HIROSHI
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 062177/0773 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-048096 · Mar 18, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2020047117 · Dec 17, 2020
Related Publication 20230003643A1 · Jan 5, 2023
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