SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING THERMAL ANOMALIES

• US 20090136093A1
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptina Imaging Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aptina Imaging Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: HARTLOVE, JASON
• Granted Patent: US 7,787,663 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/110
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0025 Living bodies ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A system and method for detecting a thermal anomaly in humans and/or livestock. In one embodiment, the system includes an image capturing component that captures a visual image of incident light in a screening area, the image capturing component further operable to determine a first coordinate in the captured image, such as the location of a person'"'"'s eyes. The system further includes a radiation capturing component operable to capture a thermal image of incident radiation in the screening area, the radiation capturing component further operable to determine an analysis area in the captured thermal image based upon the first coordinate in the captured light image. Finally, the system includes a processing component for determining thermal characteristics about the analysis area. As a result, if the thermal characteristics correspond to an alarm event, then an alarm may be triggered and the person or animal may be isolated for further health screening.

Claims

1. A system for detecting a thermal anomaly in a desired location on an animal, comprising:

a first imager for capturing a visual image of the animal that includes a feature;

a second imager for capturing a thermal image of the animal; and

a processor coupled to the first and second imagers that determines from the visual image a region encompassing the feature in the thermal image, that identifies based on the determined region, a second region, in the thermal image, and that analyzes the second region for the thermal anomaly.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second region does not include the feature.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the animal is one of a human or a live stock.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor analyzes an area surrounding an eye of the animal, as the second region.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor generates a signal if thermal characteristics of the second region exceed a predetermined threshold.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the predetermined threshold corresponds to an upper limit of a nominal range of temperature of the animal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second imagers simultaneously capture visual and thermal images, respectively.

8. A method for detecting a thermal anomaly on an animal, the method comprising:

passing the animal through a screening area;

capturing, by one or more imagers, a visual image and a thermal image of the animal, as the animal passes through the screening area;

identifying a region of interest in the visual image;

determining, based on the region of interest in the visual image, a corresponding region of interest in the thermal image;

identifying, based on the determined region of interest, a second region of interest in the thermal image;

analyzing the second region of interest for the thermal anomaly; and

outputting the analysis.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the capturing of the visual image includes capturing a plurality of the visual images to generate a differential visual image, as the visual image.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the capturing of the visual image includes;

capturing a first visual image from a first perspective with respect to the animal, and

capturing a second visual image from a different perspective than the first perspective; and

the identifying of the region of interest in the visual image includes;

generating the visual image as a differential image of the first and second visual images, and

detecting a dominant feature in the visual image as the region of interest.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the analyzing of the second region of interest does not include analysis of the determined region of interest.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

automatically blocking entry of the animal responsive to the analyzed second region of interest showing the thermal anomaly.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the analyzing of the second region of interest is completed in real-time to allow opening of an access point for entry of the animal.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the outputting includes indicating when the second region of interest associated with the animal has a temperature exceeding a first threshold temperature.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising actuating an alarm responsive to the temperature of the second region of interest exceeding the first threshold temperature or a second threshold temperature above the first threshold temperature.

16. A thermal anomaly detection system for detecting whether a temperature of an animal exceeds a threshold level, comprising:

a combination visual and thermal imager configured to capture a visual image and an infrared image of an animal; and

a processor coupled to the imager and configured to analyze a region of less than the entire thermal image for a thermal anomaly, the analyzed region being identified based on a feature in the visual image.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a monitor for displaying the visible and thermal images.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising an access point configured to open responsive to the analyzed region of the thermal image not showing any thermal anomaly and to be closed responsive to the analyzed region of the thermal image showing the thermal anomaly.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the combination imager includes at least one CMOS image array.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising an identification unit configured to identify the animal prior to initiating the capturing of the images by the imager.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the identification unit identifies an identification card or a radio frequency identification tag.