High speed single pixel imaging using a MicroLED-on-CMOS light projector

Achieving high frame-rate operation in single pixel imaging schemes normally demands significant compromises in the flexibility of the imaging system, requiring either complex optical setups or a hardware-limited pattern mask set. Here, we demonstrate a single pixel imaging capability with pattern frame-rates approaching 400 kfps with a recently developed microLED light projector and an otherwise simple optical setup. The microLED array has individually addressable pixels and can operate significantly faster than Digital Micromirror Devices, allowing flexibility with regards to the pattern masks employed for imaging even at the fastest frame-rates. Using a full set of Hadamard or Noiselet patterns, we demonstrate 128 × 128 pixel images being generated at 7.3 fps. We generate a pattern set specifically for the light projector using deep learning tools and use these patterns to demonstrate single pixel imaging at almost 800 fps.