Patent ID: 8885073

Claim:
A system comprising: a light modulation unit configured to receive a first stream of light from an environment through a first optical input path and to modulate the first light stream with a series of spatial patterns in order to produce a modulated light stream, wherein the light modulation unit includes a plurality of light modulating elements configured to modulate corresponding portions of the first light stream, wherein each of the spatial patterns specifies an amount of modulation for each of the light modulating elements; a light sensing device configured to receive the modulated light stream and to generate a first sequence of samples representing intensity of the modulated light stream as a function of time; and a light power meter configured to receive a second stream of light from the environment via a second optical input path that is separate from the first optical input path, and to capture a sequence of measurements of power of the second light stream over time; wherein the light modulation unit and the light sensing unit are packaged in a first housing, wherein the light power meter is packaged in a second housing separate from the first housing.