An embedded smart agile pixel imager for lasers

The growing number of laser beam applications in the last few years has created a compelling case for efforts towards track and measure of the profile of laser beams. Laser beam imaging techniques can be embedded through the hardware and software co-design for developing embedded systems at a fraction of the cost, weight and volume and in less time than it would take to develop computer-based alternatives keeping the same accuracy. A smart agile pixel laser beam imager based on an embedded platform is presented in this paper. The design uses a Digital Micromirror Device along with a microcontroller and point photo-detectors to make a compact system having small sized components. This embedded imager is experimentally demonstrated for Gaussian laser beam profiling. The proposed design is suitable for industrial laser based applications requiring accurate two dimensional beam irradiance maps, without needing any attenuating components disrupting the beam.