Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2021 - 22

Imaging
Plenoptic Camera
This camera enables multi-spectral imaging for metrology.
Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia

ASA's Langley Research Center has
developed a plenoptic camera that
can image two-dimensional (or in some
cases, three-dimensional) spatial information as well as color, where in the
final image, each pixel contains a spectrum of the imaged scene.
Plenoptic technology measures image
brightness as well as the direction of the
light rays. This enables new imaging capabilities such as refocusing the acquired
image to different depths and viewing
the same scene from slightly different
perspectives. As an imaging pyrometer,
the camera can measure 2D temperature
(and possibly emissivity) distributions.
The camera incorporates an array of
470 × 360 microlenses, with each microlens producing an image onto a 14 × 14pixel array. Specific colors or spectra can
be continuous or arbitrarily determined
and can be easily and inexpensively modified. Modifications of the collected spectra can be useful for different applications
where the emitted light needs to be analyzed to determine qualitative or quantita-

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Plenoptic camera diagram showing positions of microlenses and image sensor. (Image: NASA)

tive information about a flow, object, or
scene. The sensor can measure fluid,
mechanical, thermodynamic, or structural properties of gases, liquids, and solids.
NASA is actively seeking licensees to commercialize this technology. Please contact

NASA's Licensing Concierge at AgencyPatent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov or call us
at 202-358-7432 to initiate licensing discussions. Follow this link for more information:
https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/LARTOPS-318.

Using Solar Panel Technology to Create UltrahighResolution OLED Display
The micro-display could enable smartphones and televisions with resolutions of more than
10,000 pixels per inch.
Stanford University, Palo Alto, California

y expanding on existing designs for
electrodes of ultra-thin solar panels,
researchers have developed a new architecture for organic light-emitting diode
(OLED) displays that could enable televisions, smartphones, and virtual or augmented reality devices with resolutions
of up to 10,000 pixels per inch (PPI).
(For comparison, the resolutions of new
smartphones are around 400 to 500
PPI.) The " metaphotonic " OLED displays would also be brighter and have
better color accuracy than existing versions and would be much easier and
cost-effective to produce.

At the heart of an OLED are organic
light-emitting materials sandwiched between highly reflective and semi-transparent electrodes that enable current
injection into the device. When electricity flows through an OLED, the emitters
give off red, green, or blue light. Each
pixel in an OLED display is composed of
smaller sub-pixels that produce these
primary colors. When the resolution is
sufficiently high, the pixels are perceived as one color by the human eye.
OLEDs are thin, light, and flexible and
produce brighter and more colorful
images than other kinds of displays.

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This research aims to offer an alternative to the two types of OLED displays currently commercially available. One type
- a red-green-blue OLED - has individual sub-pixels that each contain only one
color of emitter. These OLEDs are fabricated by spraying each layer of materials
through a fine metal mesh to control the
composition of each pixel. They can only
be produced on a small scale, however,
like what would be used for a smartphone.
Larger devices like TVs employ white
OLED displays. Each of these sub-pixels
contains a stack of all three emitters and
then relies on filters to determine the
Tech Briefs, April 2021

https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/LAR-TOPS-318 http://www.techbriefs.com http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?202104TBNAV

Tech Briefs Magazine - April 2021

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