Patents Assigned to Metalenz, Inc.
  • Patent number: 12639983
    Abstract: Disclosed herein systems and methods of performing spoof resistant object recognition. In certain embodiments, a system for object recognition includes: an illumination device configured to illuminate an object; a sensor device, wherein the sensor device receives illumination light reflected off the object which includes polarization information; a processor; memory including programming executable by the processor to: calculate the polarization information from the illumination light; use the polarization information to determine whether the object is a real 3D object. It has been discovered that polarization information may be utilized to determine whether an object is a 3D object or a flat (2D) object. Thus, the polarization information may be utilized to differentiate from an image of a 3D object and a photograph of an object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2026
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, Xiangdong Wang
  • Patent number: 12641900
    Abstract: Hybrid imaging systems incorporating conventional optical elements and metasurface elements with light sources and/or detectors, and methods of the manufacture and operation of such optical arrangements are provided. Systems and methods describe the integration of apertures with metasurface elements and refractive optics with metasurface elements in illumination sources and sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2024
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2026
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, John Graff
  • Publication number: 20260135350
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are single element dot pattern projectors with a meta-optics. The projectors include a laser light source and a metasurface chip integrated onto the laser light source. The metasurface chip includes metasurface elements spaced apart from the laser light source by a distance equal to the collimating function focal length of the metasurface chip. the laser light source produces light which is diffracted through the metasurface elements to produce a dot pattern. Projectors enabled by meta-optics lead to unique methods of integrating the meta-optic and unique functionality that can be added to the dot pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2026
    Publication date: May 14, 2026
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, Pawel Latawiec, John Graff
  • Patent number: 12548980
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are single element dot pattern projectors with a meta-optics. The projectors include a laser light source and a metasurface chip integrated onto the laser light source. The metasurface chip includes metasurface elements spaced apart from the laser light source by a distance equal to the collimating function focal length of the metasurface chip. the laser light source produces light which is diffracted through the metasurface elements to produce a dot pattern. Projectors enabled by meta-optics lead to unique methods of integrating the meta-optic and unique functionality that can be added to the dot pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2026
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, Pawel Latawiec, John Graff
  • Publication number: 20250355265
    Abstract: Metasurface elements, integrated systems incorporating such metasurface elements with light sources and/or detectors, and methods of the manufacture and operation of such optical arrangements and integrated systems are provided. Systems and methods for integrating transmissive metasurfaces with other semiconductor devices or additional metasurface elements, and more particularly to the integration of such metasurfaces with substrates, illumination sources and sensors are also provided. The metasurface elements provided may be used to shape output light from an illumination source or collect light reflected from a scene to form two unique patterns using the polarization of light. In such embodiments, shaped-emission and collection may be combined into a single co-designed probing and sensing optical system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2025
    Publication date: November 20, 2025
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilbert N. Riley, Jr., Robert Devlin, Adam Erlich, Pawel Latawiec, John Graff
  • Publication number: 20250356690
    Abstract: Systems and methods for performing multi-frame imaging are illustrated. One embodiment includes a method of performing biometric identification. The method captures an “off” and “on” set of frames. The “off” set of frames depicts an object when illuminated by externally-sourced illumination. The “on” set of frames depicts the object when illuminated by the externally-sourced illumination and an illuminator. The “off” and “on” set of frames are each polarized in a set of near-infrared wavelengths. The method performs an image enhancing technique to produce a denoised image. The image enhancing technique includes a multi-frame noise reduction technique based on a plurality of spatial aspects of image signals in both of: the “off” set of frames; and the “on” set of frames. The image enhancing technique removes the externally-sourced illumination from the “on” set of frames in producing the denoised image. The method performs an authentication based on the denoised image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2025
    Publication date: November 20, 2025
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, Pawel Latawiec, Gaurav Aggarwal
  • Patent number: 12411348
    Abstract: Metasurface elements, integrated systems incorporating such metasurface elements with light sources and/or detectors, and methods of the manufacture and operation of such optical arrangements and integrated systems are provided. Systems and methods for integrating transmissive metasurfaces with other semiconductor devices or additional metasurface elements, and more particularly to the integration of such metasurfaces with substrates, illumination sources and sensors are also provided. The metasurface elements provided may be used to shape output light from an illumination source or collect light reflected from a scene to form two unique patterns using the polarization of light. In such embodiments, shaped-emission and collection may be combined into a single co-designed probing and sensing optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2025
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilbert N. Riley, Jr., Robert Devlin, Adam Erlich, Pawel Latawiec, John Graff
  • Patent number: 12389700
    Abstract: Hybrid imaging systems incorporating conventional optical elements and metasurface elements with light sources and/or detectors, and methods of the manufacture and operation of such optical arrangements are provided. Systems and methods describe the integration of apertures with metasurface elements and refractive optics with metasurface elements in illumination sources and sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2025
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, John Graff
  • Publication number: 20250244599
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods including polarization sorting metasurface microlens array devices. In certain embodiments, a polarization imaging device is provided. The polarization imaging device includes: a source of image light; a metasurface lenslet array comprising a plurality of repeating metasurface lenslets, where the plurality of repeating metasurface lenslets comprise a plurality of first metasurface lenslets configured to diffract the image light into a first polarization light in a first direction and a second polarization light in a second direction; an image sensor positioned in the optical path of the first polarization light and the second polarization light, and where the image sensor includes a plurality of image sensing units including a first image sensing unit positioned to sense the first polarization light and a second image sensing unit positioned to sense the second polarization light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2025
    Publication date: July 31, 2025
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, Pawel Latawiec, John W. Graff, Anne Janet Milliez, Seyedali Forouzmand, Dalia P. Ornelas Huerta, Hao Zhou, Harris Miller
  • Patent number: 12276807
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods including polarization sorting metasurface microlens array devices. In certain embodiments, a polarization imaging device is provided. The polarization imaging device includes: a source of image light; a metasurface lenslet array comprising a plurality of repeating metasurface lenslets, where the plurality of repeating metasurface lenslets comprise a plurality of first metasurface lenslets configured to diffract the image light into a first polarization light in a first direction and a second polarization light in a second direction; an image sensor positioned in the optical path of the first polarization light and the second polarization light, and where the image sensor includes a plurality of image sensing units including a first image sensing unit positioned to sense the first polarization light and a second image sensing unit positioned to sense the second polarization light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, Pawel Latawiec, John W. Graff, Anne Janet Milliez, Seyedali Forouzmand, Dalia P. Ornelas Huerta, Hao Zhou, Harris Miller
  • Patent number: 12140778
    Abstract: An apparatus that relies on patterned metasurfaces to reduce speckle when illuminating an object with coherent light. The metasurfaces serve to increase one or more of angle diversity and wavelength diversity resulting from illumination by a coherent source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2024
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventor: Pawel Latawiec
  • Publication number: 20240295672
    Abstract: A metasurface device may include a metasurface including multiple metasurface elements configured to receive light including at least one of a first polarization or a second polarization with a diverging wavefront from a light source. The first polarization and the second polarization may be orthogonal. The metasurface elements may include an interior metasurface element which is substantially aligned to an axis and exterior metasurface elements which are rotated with respect to the axis. The exterior metasurface elements positioned farther away from the interior metasurface element may be more rotated than the exterior metasurface elements positioned closer to the interior metasurface element. The metasurface may be configured to diffract light with the first polarization into a first output light beam and/or light with the second polarization into a second output light beam.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2024
    Publication date: September 5, 2024
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Pawel Latawiec, Mohammad Salary
  • Publication number: 20240296575
    Abstract: Systems and methods for sensing depth may utilize a baseline matrix for correlating different baselines with their corresponding centers of diffraction. In one particular example, a depth sensing system includes: a projector including: a light source and a metasurface, where the light source illuminates the metasurface at different transverse locations such that the metasurface projects light in different transverse locations onto an object; a receiver including an image sensor configured to receive light that is reflected from off the object, where the projector and the receiver are a fixed distance apart such that the light in different transverse locations has a plurality of centers of diffraction which correspond to different baselines which are the distance between the centers of diffraction and a fixed point of the receiver, and where the light received by the image sensor corresponds to different disparities based upon the depth of the object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2024
    Publication date: September 5, 2024
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventor: Mohammad Salary
  • Publication number: 20240234461
    Abstract: Hybrid imaging systems incorporating conventional optical elements and metasurface elements with light sources and/or detectors, and methods of the manufacture and operation of such optical arrangements are provided. Systems and methods describe the integration of apertures with metasurface elements and refractive optics with metasurface elements in illumination sources and sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2024
    Publication date: July 11, 2024
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, John Graff
  • Publication number: 20240210715
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods including polarization sorting metasurface microlens array devices. In certain embodiments, a polarization imaging device is provided. The polarization imaging device includes: a source of image light; a metasurface lenslet array comprising a plurality of repeating metasurface lenslets, where the plurality of repeating metasurface lenslets comprise a plurality of first metasurface lenslets configured to diffract the image light into a first polarization light in a first direction and a second polarization light in a second direction; an image sensor positioned in the optical path of the first polarization light and the second polarization light, and where the image sensor includes a plurality of image sensing units including a first image sensing unit positioned to sense the first polarization light and a second image sensing unit positioned to sense the second polarization light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2024
    Publication date: June 27, 2024
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, Pawel Latawiec, John W. Graff, Anne Janet Milliez, Seyedali Forouzmand, Dalia P. Ornelas Huerta, Hao Zhou, Harris Miller
  • Patent number: 11988844
    Abstract: Metasurface elements, integrated systems incorporating such metasurface elements with light sources and/or detectors, and methods of the manufacture and operation of such optical arrangements and integrated systems are provided. Systems and methods for integrating transmissive metasurfaces with other semiconductor devices or additional metasurface elements, and more particularly to the integration of such metasurfaces with substrates, illumination sources and sensors are also provided. The metasurface elements provided may be used to shape output light from an illumination source or collect light reflected from a scene to form two unique patterns using the polarization of light. In such embodiments, shaped-emission and collection may be combined into a single co-designed probing and sensing optical system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2024
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Gilbert N. Riley, Jr., Robert Devlin, Adam Erlich, Pawel Latawiec, John Graff
  • Patent number: 11978752
    Abstract: Hybrid imaging systems incorporating conventional optical elements and metasurface elements with light sources and/or detectors, and methods of the manufacture and operation of such optical arrangements are provided. Systems and methods describe the integration of apertures with metasurface elements and refractive optics with metasurface elements in illumination sources and sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, John Graff
  • Publication number: 20240118456
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is various shared-aperture camera systems and calibration methods. One particular shared-aperture camera system includes a polarization imaging device including: an aperture; a first metasurface configured to diffract incident light going through the aperture such that a first polarization of incident light diffracts in a first direction and a second polarization of the incident light diffracts in a second direction; an image sensor; and a planar diffractive lens including a second metasurface configured to focus the first polarization of incident light diffracted in the first direction onto a first portion of the image sensor and focus the second polarization of incident light diffracted in the second direction onto a second portion of the image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2023
    Publication date: April 11, 2024
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Pawel Latawiec, Seyedali Forouzmand, Meng Lu, Mohammad Salary, Anne Janet Milliez, John W. Graff
  • Patent number: 11927769
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods including polarization sorting metasurface microlens array devices. In certain embodiments, a polarization imaging device is provided. The polarization imaging device includes: a source of image light; a metasurface lenslet array comprising a plurality of repeating metasurface lenslets, where the plurality of repeating metasurface lenslets comprise a plurality of first metasurface lenslets configured to diffract the image light into a first polarization light in a first direction and a second polarization light in a second direction; an image sensor positioned in the optical path of the first polarization light and the second polarization light, and where the image sensor includes a plurality of image sensing units including a first image sensing unit positioned to sense the first polarization light and a second image sensing unit positioned to sense the second polarization light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert C. Devlin, Pawel Latawiec, John W. Graff, Anne Janet Milliez, Seyedali Forouzmand, Dalia P. Ornelas Huerta, Hao Zhou, Harris Miller
  • Publication number: 20240012177
    Abstract: Meta-surface devices may be advantageously used for miniaturization, planar and thin film, high spatial resolution, and dense integration into optical devices. They have the potential to be used for steering a beam propagation direction, shaping wave-front light, and imparting information for application such as sensing, imaging, light detection, and ranging. However, meta-surface devices may have poor overall efficiency when compared with traditional optical devices. Embodiments of this disclosure relate to meta-surface devices including a pattern of high-index pillars with a low-index coating. Advantageously, the low-index coating may improve optical efficiency of the meta-surface devices which may make these meta-surface devices suitable for a variety of applications.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2022
    Publication date: January 11, 2024
    Applicant: Metalenz, Inc.
    Inventors: Seyedali Forouzmand, Pawel Latawiec