Institut National D'optique

Dentsply Canada Ltd.

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, As Represented by Institut National D'optique

Derma Laser Inc.

Michel Doucet

Alain Bergeron

Eric Samson

Sebastien Roy

Michel Robert

Yvan Mimeault

Naim Karazivan

Linda Marchese

Daniel Lefebvre

John Laurent

Emmanuel Montini

Pascal Bourqui

Donald Pr&eacute;vost

Marc Levesque

Yves Berube-Lauziere

Sophie Bernier

Nichola Desnoyers

Hassane Oulachgar

Marc Terroux

Michel Jacob

André Fougeres

Denis Boulanger

Deni Bonnier

Francis Genereux

Éric Samson

Philippe Gagnon

Donald Prevost

Jacques Godin

Marc-Andr&eacute; Boucher

Jean-Fran&ccedil;ois Cormier

Daniel Barolet

Keith Niall

Francis Picard

Maxime Savard

Sébastien Roy

Fabien Claveau

Emmanuel Neks Recherche & Dév Inc Montini

Naim Neks Recherche & Dév Inc Karazivan

An imaging system that includes an image sensor and imaging optics is provided. The image sensor has a sensing surface and it captures images of a scene. The imaging optics is optically coupled to the image sensor and is configured to form the images of the scene onto the sensing surface of the image sensor. The imaging optics includes a sensor-adjacent optical element having an exit surface located in close proximity to the sensing surface of the image sensor. The exit surface of the sensor-adjacent optical element and the sensing surface of the image sensor are spaced apart by a gap having a gap width enabling evanescent-wave coupling from the exit surface to the sensing surface for light having wavelengths within the sensor spectral range.

Terahertz imaging system with evanescent-wave coupling

There is described a terahertz illumination source for terahertz imaging. The terahertz illumination source generally has: a surface; a plurality of terahertz radiation emitting elements mounted to said surface; a plurality of individual beam shaping elements each being optically coupled to a respective one of said terahertz radiation emitting elements; a collective beam shaper optically coupled to at least some of said individual beam shaping elements; and a control signal generator communicatively coupled to said terahertz radiation emitting elements, said control signal generator supplying a plurality of control signals to said terahertz radiation emitting elements, said terahertz radiation emitting elements emitting a plurality of individual terahertz radiation beams being collected and redirected successively by said individual beam shaping elements and said collective beam shaper, said terahertz radiation emitting elements and/or said control signals being configured so that said individual terahertz radiation beams are incoherent with respect to one another.

Terahertz illumination source for terahertz imaging

An optical component for transforming an input light beam having a Gaussian irradiance distribution into an output light sheet is provided. The optical component includes a first reflective surface extending around the central optical axis of the optical component and across an input light path of the input light beam, and reflects input light rays into transitional light rays defining a transitional light cone. A second reflective surface extends around the central optical axis and across a light path of the transitional light cone, reflecting the transitional light rays outwardly into output light rays defining the output light sheet. The first and second reflective surfaces are configured to distribute optical power within the output light sheet according to a Gaussian irradiance distribution transversally to the output light sheet. The output light sheet may be planar or conical.

Optical component for transforming a Gaussian light beam into a light sheet

A beam conditioning device includes a coherence-breaking module and a beam transforming module. The coherence-breaking module is configured to break a spatial coherence between beam components of the light beam and may include coherence-breaking mirrors having a structured pattern on their reflective surfaces. The beam transforming module may include a primary optical element and a secondary optical element and is configured to transform the spatial energy distribution and the footprint of the light beam. The beam conditioning device may be used to transform a Gaussian light beam into a flat-top light beam suitable for terahertz imaging applications, although other initial and/or final energy distributions may be considered.

Optical beam conditioning device with coherence-breaking and beam transforming modules

There is described an optical system for sensing the surface of an object. The system comprises: a light source for emitting at least one light beam centered on the optical axis of the system; a light reflector for reflecting the at least one incident light beam to generate at least two hollow conical light beams centered on the optical axis and having different opening angles, the at least two reflected hollow conical light beams for illuminating the surface; and an image capture device for imaging the illuminated surface.

Device for optical profilometry with conical light beams

There is provided a System and method of wavefront compensation in a synthetic aperture imaging system. A return signal data representative of a signal reflected by a target area to be imaged is received. A compensation phase figure corresponding to a wavefront compensation to be applied is provided. The compensation phase figure is added or otherwise applied to the phase pattern of the return signal data in order to obtain a compensated phase pattern. An optical beam is spatially modulated according to the compensated phase pattern to produce a modulated optical beam such that the compensation phase figure produces a wavefront compensation on the optical beam. An image of the target area is optically generated using the modulated optical beam.

Wavefront compensation in optical synthetic aperture imaging processors

A method for determining a centerline for a triangulation-based optical profilometry system, compensating for the spatial variations of the reflectance of an object's surface. The method comprises providing a luminous line on the object, the luminous line being a triangulation line superposed with a compensation line; capturing an image of the triangulation line and of the compensation line; for each position along the imaged triangulation line, determining a transverse triangulation profile from the imaged triangulation line and a transverse compensation profile from the imaged compensation line; determining a transverse correction profile given by the reciprocal of the transverse compensation profile; multiplying the transverse triangulation profile with the transverse correction profile to obtain a corrected transverse triangulation profile; computing a center of the corrected transverse triangulation profile. The centers determined at positions along the triangulation line form the centerline. Embodiments of a triangulation-based optical profilometry system integrating the method are disclosed.

Method and apparatus for triangulation-based 3D optical profilometry

A dental tartar detection system (), especially for detection of subgingival tartar (S), comprises a probe () adapted to be displaced along a tooth (T) an illumination system () for illuminating with an incident light a region on the tooth (T), a detection system () for collecting the light reflected thereat, and an analysis system () for providing a signal to an operator of the probe () when measurements on the reflected light in one or more predetermined range of wavelengths fall within any predetermined range of values that are characteristic of tartar (S). Typically, the detection of tartar (S) is achieved on the basis of the possible colors that tartar (S) can have such that the aforementioned one or more predetermined range of values cover wavelengths associated with colors of tartar (S).

System for the detection of dental artefacts

A dental tartar detection system (), especially for detection of subgingival tartar (S), comprises a probe () adapted to be displaced along a tooth (T), an illumination system () for illuminating with an incident light a region on the tooth (T), a detection system () for collecting the light reflected thereat, and an analysis system () for providing a signal to an operator of the probe () when measurements on the reflected light in one or more predetermined range of wavelengths fall within any predetermined range of values that are characteristic of tartar (S). Typically, the detection of tartar (S) is achieved on the basis of the possible colors that tartar (S) can have such that the aforementioned one or more predetermined range of values cover wavelengths associated with colors of tartar (S).

System and method for detection of dental tartar

An image projector comprises a plurality of flexible reflective analog modulators (FRAMs), an illumination optics for focusing at least one light source thereon, a conversion optics for converting the variations in divergence of the beams reflected therefrom into variations in intensity, and a scanning mechanism coupled to a projection optics for displaying an image, constructed of intensity modulated light dots or pixels, on a screen. FRAM curvatures, responsible for determining the divergence of the reflected beams, and ultimately the intensity of each pixel, are varied by an actuation voltage that can be modulated using waveforms that minimize the FRAM response times. For multicolor images, three laser light sources operating at different wavelengths are used in conjunction with three linear FRAM arrays.

Image projector with flexible reflective analog modulator

There is provided a vision system and a method for scanning a traveling surface such a road to detect surface defects thereof such as cracks. The vision system, which is mountable on a vehicle, is provided with a linear imaging system for imaging successive adjacent transversal linear portions of the traveling surface as the vehicle advances. The vision system is also provided with laser line projecting means angularly projecting a laser line onto the transversal linear portion of the traveling surface to be imaged in a substantially coplanar relationship with the linear imaging system. The present vision system is particularly devised to be immune to surrounding light conditions variations to provide optimum cracks image contrast for both transverse and longitudinal cracks.

Vision system and a method for scanning a traveling surface to detect surface defects thereof

A self-supported optical correlator has a first holder having two opposite ends, one of the opposite ends being provided with anchor points, the other end being provided with a light source. The correlator also has a second holder having two opposite ends, one of which is provided with anchor points, the other being provided with a light receiving element, and a plurality of intermediary holders, each having two opposite ends provided with anchor points, at least one of the intermediary holders being provided with a spatial light modulator for projecting an image and another of the intermediary holders being provided with another spatial light modulator for projecting a filter. Each of the intermediary holders is provided with optical components secured within the holders. The said anchor points are adapted to secure the first, second and intermediary holders together linearly end to end; so that when the intermediary holders are assembled end to end, and the first holder is assembled at one extremity and the other holder is assembled at another extremity, the resulting assembly forms said optical correlator. The optical components are toleranced, and the anchor point serve to assemble a structure which does not require additional adjustments.

Self-supported optical correlator

A wide angle display system, comprising a scanner having at least one reflective surface and an axis of rotation, a dome having a reflective inner surface, the inner surface having an axis of revolution which is coincident with the axis of rotation of the scanner, at least one linear arrangement of light sources producing beams of light. The reflective surface of the scanner reflects the beams of light towards the reflective inner surface of the dome which in turn collimates the beams of light and reflects them towards an observer positioned within the wide angle display system.

Wide angle immersive display system

An apparatus for sensing position data of a light pattern created by a known light source on an object, comprising an optical system for collecting an incident light beam of the light pattern and transmitting the incident light beam to a beam splitter. The beam splitter has a known reflection/transmission ratio, such that the incident light beam from the light pattern received on the surface of the beam splitter results in a transmission channel, transmitted through the beam splitter, and a reflective channel, reflected from the beam splitter, with intensities of the transmission channel and the reflective channel varying as a function of a position of the incident light beam on the surface of the beam splitter. Detectors detect the intensities of the reflective channel and of the transmission channels. Dimensions of points of the light pattern on the object are calculable as a function of the intensity of the reflective channel and of the intensity of the transmission channel.

Position-sensing device for 3-D profilometers

A laser apparatus provided with an aiming beam using a method for the injection of both laser light and aiming beam forming light in an optic fiber will be described herein. More specifically, the present disclosure describes a method, an injection module and a laser apparatus designed to inject laser light into the core and aiming beam forming light into the cladding of the optic fiber.

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Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Canada

Michel Doucet