Patents by Inventor Patrick R. Gill

Patrick R. Gill has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9876043
    Abstract: An array of diffraction-pattern generators employ phase anti-symmetric gratings to projects near-field spatial modulations onto a closely spaced array of photoelements. Each generator in the array of generators produces point-spread functions with spatial frequencies and orientations of interest. The generators are arranged in an irregular mosaic with little or no short-range repetition. Diverse generators are shaped and placed with some irregularity to reduce or eliminate spatially periodic replication of ambiguities to facilitate imaging of nearby scenes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2018
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork
  • Publication number: 20180020157
    Abstract: Image-sensing devices include odd-symmetry gratings that cast interference patterns over a photodetector array. Grating features offer considerable insensitivity to the wavelength of incident light, and also to the manufactured distance between the grating and the photodetector array. Photographs and other image information can be extracted from interference patterns captured by the photodetector array. Efficient extraction algorithms based on Fourier deconvolution introduce barrel distortion, which can be removed by resampling using correction functions. The sensing devices can be made to minimize distortion that results from efficient extraction algorithms based on Fourier deconvolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventor: Patrick R. Gill
  • Publication number: 20170300011
    Abstract: An optical phase grating produces an interference pattern rich in intensity and spatial-frequency information from the external scene. The grating includes an odd number of repeated sets of adjacent horizontal portions, separated by steps, that fill an area that radiates outward from a central region. At a given distance from the central region and within the area of the phase grating, each of the first horizontal portions is of a first width that differs from a second width of the adjacent second horizontal portions. The interference patterns produced by the grating can be processed to extract images and other information of interest about an imaged scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2017
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork, Mehjabin Sultana Monjur, Luke A. Pfister
  • Patent number: 9772432
    Abstract: A sensing device with an odd-symmetry grating projects near-field spatial modulations onto a closely spaced photodetector array. Due to physical properties of the grating, the spatial modulations are in focus for a range of wavelengths and spacings. The spatial modulations are captured by the array, and photographs and other image information can be extracted from the resultant data. Used in conjunction with a converging optical element, versions of these gratings provide depth information about objects in an imaged scene. This depth information can be computationally extracted to obtain a depth map of the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork
  • Patent number: 9746593
    Abstract: Described are imaging devices that employ patchworks of diffractive structures as focusing optics. Each diffractive structure best focuses light over a relatively narrow cone of incident angles, and provides suboptimal focusing for incident angles outside that cone. Different diffractive structures best focus different angular ranges, with the patchwork thus providing an overall focusable response for the relatively broad range of angles required to image a scene. Images can be captured without a lens, and cameras can be made smaller than those that are reliant on lenses and ray-optical focusing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork, Jay A. Endsley
  • Publication number: 20170153599
    Abstract: An infrared imaging system includes a phase grating overlying a two-dimensional array of thermally sensitive pixels. The phase grating comprises a two-dimensional array of identical subgratings that define a system of Cartesian coordinates. The subgrating and pixel arrays are sized and oriented such that the pixels are evenly distributed with respect to the row and column intersections of the subgratings. The location of each pixel thus maps to a unique location beneath a virtual archetypical subgrating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork, John Eric Linstadt
  • Publication number: 20170112376
    Abstract: A sensing device with an odd-symmetry grating projects near-field spatial modulations onto an array of closely spaced pixels. Due to physical properties of the grating, the spatial modulations are in focus for a range of wavelengths and spacings. The spatial modulations are captured by the array, and photographs and other image information can be extracted from the resultant data. Pixels responsive to infrared light can be used to make thermal imaging devices and other types of thermal sensors. Some sensors are well adapted for tracking eye movements, and others for imaging barcodes and like binary images. In the latter case, the known binary property of the expected images can be used to simplify the process of extracting image data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Publication date: April 27, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork
  • Publication number: 20170090533
    Abstract: The embodiments herein describe technologies of cryogenic digital systems with a power supply located in an ambient temperature domain and logic located in a cryogenic temperature domain. A pair of conductors is operable to carry current with a voltage difference between the power supply and the logic. The pair of conductors includes a first portion thermally coupled to a temperature-regulated or temperature-controlled intermediate temperature domain. The intermediate temperature domain is less than the ambient temperature domain and greater than the cryogenic temperature domain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Publication date: March 30, 2017
    Inventors: Frederick A. Ware, John Eric Linstadt, Patrick R. Gill
  • Publication number: 20170084046
    Abstract: Computational diffractive imagers employ special optical phase gratings integrated with photodetector matrices. Such imagers do not require a lens, and so can be extremely small and inexpensive. Captured interference patterns are unintelligible to a human observer, but the captured data includes sufficient information to allow the image or aspects of the image to be computed. Computational diffractive imagers can be tailored to extract application-specific information or compute decisions (rather than compute an image) based on the optical signal. Both the phase grating and the signal processing can be optimized for the information in the visual field and the task at hand. For example, sequences of interference patterns can be compared to measure changes in angular position, and this information can be used to sense and measure motion. Such interference patterns can also be used for pattern recognition, such as to perform automated face detection and recognition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork, Patrick R. Johnstone
  • Publication number: 20170069675
    Abstract: An array of diffraction-pattern generators employ phase anti-symmetric gratings to projects near-field spatial modulations onto a closely spaced array of photoelements. Each generator in the array of generators produces point-spread functions with spatial frequencies and orientations of interest. The generators are arranged in an irregular mosaic with little or no short-range repetition. Diverse generators are shaped and placed with some irregularity to reduce or eliminate spatially periodic replication of ambiguities to facilitate imaging of nearby scenes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Publication date: March 9, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork
  • Publication number: 20170060242
    Abstract: A user interface includes both a touchscreen for tactile input and one or more lensless optical sensors for sensing additional, remote gestures. Users can interact with the user interface in a volume of space near the display, and are thus not constrained to the relatively small area of the touchscreen. Remote hand or face gestures can be used to turn on or otherwise alter the tactile user interface. Shared user interfaces can operate without touch, and thus avoid cross-contamination of e.g. viruses and bacteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork, Thomas Vogelsang
  • Publication number: 20160363702
    Abstract: A sensing device with an odd-symmetry grating projects near-field spatial modulations onto a closely spaced photodetector array. Due to physical properties of the grating, the spatial modulations are in focus for a range of wavelengths and spacings. The spatial modulations are captured by the array, and photographs and other image information can be extracted from the resultant data. Used in conjunction with a converging optical element, versions of these gratings provide depth information about objects in an imaged scene. This depth information can be computationally extracted to obtain a depth map of the scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork
  • Patent number: 9515113
    Abstract: An array of diffraction-pattern generators employ phase anti-symmetric gratings to projects near-field spatial modulations onto a closely spaced array of photoelements. Each generator in the array of generators produces point-spread functions with spatial frequencies and orientations of interest. The generators are arranged in an irregular mosaic with little or no short-range repetition. Diverse generators are shaped and placed with some irregularity to reduce or eliminate spatially periodic replication of ambiguities to facilitate imaging of nearby scenes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2016
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David Geoffrey Stork
  • Patent number: 9470823
    Abstract: A sensing device with an odd-symmetry grating projects near-field spatial modulations onto a closely spaced photodetector array. Due to physical properties of the grating, the spatial modulations are in focus for a range of wavelengths and spacings. The spatial modulations are captured by the array, and photographs and other image information can be extracted from the resultant data. Used in conjunction with a converging optical element, versions of these gratings provide depth information about objects in an imaged scene. This depth information can be computationally extracted to obtain a depth map of the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork
  • Patent number: 9442228
    Abstract: A sensing device with an odd-symmetry grating projects near-field spatial modulations onto a closely spaced photodetector array. Due to physical properties of the grating, the spatial modulations are in focus for a range of wavelengths and spacings. The spatial modulations are captured by the array, and photographs and other image information can be extracted from the resultant data. Used in conjunction with a converging optical element, versions of these gratings provide depth information about objects in an imaged scene. This depth information can be computationally extracted to obtain a depth map of the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Rambus Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork
  • Publication number: 20160241799
    Abstract: Image-sensing devices include odd-symmetry gratings that cast interference patterns over a photodetector array. Grating features offer considerable insensitivity to the wavelength of incident light, and also to the manufactured distance between the grating and the photodetector array. Photographs and other image information can be extracted from interference patterns captured by the photodetector array. Efficient extraction algorithms based on Fourier deconvolution introduce barrel distortion, which can be removed by resampling using correction functions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2016
    Publication date: August 18, 2016
    Inventor: Patrick R. Gill
  • Patent number: 9373159
    Abstract: A Compressed Sensing (CS) based image reconstruction method and system is described herein which may be used to reduce the X-ray dose radiation in Computed Tomography (CT) or to decrease the scan duration in MR imaging (MRI). Methods and systems described herein may address problems that have hindered the clinical usage of CS, i.e. computation complexity and modeling problems. Using the described algorithm, high quality images may be recovered from undersampled data which may help to reduce the scan time and the exposed invasive radiations. Using the same set of data in conventional image reconstruction algorithms (e.g. Filtered Back Projection (FBP) in CT) may cause severe streak artifacts and may take significantly more time using Graphics Processing Units (GPU) and parallel clusters with the conventional CS-based methods. This method can be used other imaging modalities using Radon transform (such as C-Arm and electron tomography, for example).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2016
    Assignee: UNIVERSITY HEALTH NETWORK
    Inventors: Sayed Masoud Hashemi Amroabadi, Patrick R. Gill, Narinder S. Paul
  • Publication number: 20160170103
    Abstract: A sensing device with an odd-symmetry grating projects near-field spatial modulations onto a closely spaced photodetector array. Due to physical properties of the grating, the spatial modulations are in focus for a range of wavelengths and spacings. The spatial modulations are captured by the array, and photographs and other image information can be extracted from the resultant data. Used in conjunction with a converging optical element, versions of these gratings provide depth information about objects in an imaged scene. This depth information can be computationally extracted to obtain a depth map of the scene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2016
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: Patrick R. Gill, David G. Stork
  • Publication number: 20160169667
    Abstract: Described are imaging systems that employ diffractive structures as focusing optics optimized to detect visual edges (e.g., slits or bars). The diffractive structures produce edge responses that are relatively insensitive to wavelength, and can thus be used to precisely measure edge position for panchromatic sources over a wide angle of view. Simple image processing can improve measurement precision. Field-angle measurements can be made without the aid of lenses, or the concomitant cost, bulk, and complexity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Publication date: June 16, 2016
    Inventors: David Geoffrey Stork, Mehjabin Sultana Monjur, Leonidas Spinoulas, Patrick R. Gill
  • Publication number: 20160073043
    Abstract: An infrared imaging system combines a low-resolution infrared camera with a high-resolution visible-light camera. Information extracted from images taken using the visible-light camera is combined with the low-resolution infrared images to produce an infrared image with enhanced spatial details. The process of extracting the information from the visible image adjusts the quantization level of the visible-light image to scale visible objects to match objects identified in the infrared image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: David G. Stork, Patrick R. Gill