Infrared Camera for Locating a Target Using at Least One Shaped Light Source

• US 20110068269A1
• Filed: 10/26/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sofradir EC, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sofradir EC, Inc.
• Inventors: DiTaranto, Gerard, Vallese, Frank, DeMarco, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 8,153,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/330
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/02 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0215 Compact construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/025 Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0265 Handheld, portable ear thermometers G01J5/049
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0275 Control or determination of height or distance or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/07 Arrangements for adjusting the solid angle of collected radiation, e.g. adjusting or orienting field of view, tracking position or encoding angular position optical collimating elements G01J5/0806
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/08 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0846 having multiple detectors for performing different types of detection, e.g. using radiometry and reflectometry channels
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0896 using a light source, e.g. for illuminating a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

An infrared camera including optics and a detector sensitive to infrared radiation is used in conjunction with at least one light source, such as a laser, to locate a reference point on a target. Two intersecting line segments are produced by the one light source or a combination of two light sources to locate the reference point on the target. The infrared camera would display both an infrared image as well as a visible image which can be merged onto a single display. The teaching of the present invention could also be used to determine the distance to the target as well as the area of the target.

Claims

1. A camera for producing an infrared image of a target having a target plane, comprising:

a first infrared imager for receiving infrared energy from the target, said imager including a first plurality of sensors;

an electronics module in communication with said first infrared imager for processing the output of the sensors including storing, annotating, analyzing or transferring at least a portion of an image received by the camera image or any computations about the image to an external device;

a display in communication with said electronics module for providing an image display of the target;

an indication on said display noting a specific point of interest on the target; and

a targeting aid comprising;

a first visible light source;

a first shaping optic in communication with said first light source producing a first shaped light beam that when projected on the target plane has an axis that extends through said point of interest on the target;

a second visible light source;

a second shaping optic in communication with said second light source producing a second shaped light beam that when projected on the target plane has an axis that extends through said point of interest on the target, and is at a sufficient angle in the projected target plane to the projection of the first shaped light beam to allow said first and second beams to be discerned from one another;

wherein

shaped light beams intersect in the target plane at said point of interest on the target, regardless of the distance between the camera and the target;

whereby said point of interest indicated on said display and the specific point of interest is identifiable to the camera operator by viewing either said display or the visible projected light beam intersection of said first and second beams on the target.

2. The camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein the output of each shaping optic is a line segment when projected on the target plane.

3. The camera in accordance with claim 2, wherein said light sources are lasers.

4. The camera in accordance with claim 1, further providing a splitting optic between said first light source and the target.

5. The camera in accordance with claim 1, further including position sense and control elements to set the angle of said first and second shaped light beams, whereby the intersection point of said beams may be selectively set to any specific point in the target plane.

6. The camera in accordance with claim 5, further including user controls to the location of said point of interest.

7. The camera in accordance with claim 5, further including user controls to instruct said electronics module to set the location of said point of interest to the hottest, or the coldest, or a specific temperature spot in the image.

8. The camera in accordance with claim 1, further including a second imager including a second plurality of sensors for receiving energy from the target, said second imager also sensitive to the reflected light of said shaped light beams.

9. The camera in accordance with claim 8, wherein said infrared imager output and said second imager output are superimposed upon each other on said display.

10. The camera in accordance with claim 9, further comprising infrared analysis tools to allow an operator to view infrared data and characteristics of the target in the context of a visible image.

11. The camera in accordance with claim 8, further including a means for utilizing said light beams and said imagers are used to make computations about the target, including distance to the target, area of the target, and perimeter of the target.

13. The camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein infrared analysis, infrared imager output and said second imager output are superimposed upon each other on said display, and further including infrared analysis tools to allow an operator to view infrared data and characteristics of the target in the context of a visible image.

17. The camera in accordance with claim 10 wherein said targeting aid is a laser.

12. A camera for producing an infrared image of a target having a target plane, comprising:

a first infrared imager for receiving infrared energy from the target, said first infrared imager including a first plurality of sensors;

a second imager for receiving energy from the target, said second imager and said first infrared imager having an axis of separation that projects as a virtual line onto the target plane, an intersecting a point of interest on the target, said second image provided with a plurality of second sensors;

an electronics module in communication with said first and second sensors for processing the output of the sensors, including storing, annotating, analyzing or transferring at least a portion of an image received by the camera image or any computations about the image to an external device;

a display in communication with said electronics module for providing an image display of the target;

a targeting aid for producing a shaped beam directed at the target, said targeting aid comprising;

a light source visible to the second said imager;

a shaping optic in communication with said light source producing a shaped light beam that when projected on the target plane has an axis that extends through said point of interest on the target, and is at a sufficient angle in the projected target plane to said virtual line to allow the light beam and the virtual beam to be discerned from one another; and

said virtual line and said shaped light beam projection intersect in the target plane at the specific point of interest on the target, regardless of the distance between the camera and the target;

wherein the correspondence of said specific point of interest in both said infrared and second images is known, whereby both said images can be superimposed on said display.

14. The camera in accordance with claim 12, further including a means for utilizing said light beams and said imagers are used to make computations about the target, including distance to the target, area of the target, and perimeter of the target.

15. The camera in accordance with claim 12, wherein said second imager is sensitive to the visible light spectrum.

16. The camera in accordance with claim 12, wherein said targeting aid produces a shaped beam that is a line segment when projected on the target plane.

18. A method of targeting a specific point on a target producing an infrared image and display the specific point and the infrared output on a display of a camera, comprising the steps of:

producing two collimated beams from at least one light source;

providing a device for producing two shaped beams, each having an axis, said two shaped beams angled from one another and directed toward the target, said two shaped beams intersecting at a single point on the target regardless of the distance between the camera and the target; and

displaying the infrared image of the target as well as said single point on a display included in the camera.

19. The method in accordance with claim 18, further including the step of shaping each of said beams to produce first and second lines directed toward the target, said first and second lines intersecting the target at a single point.

20. The method in accordance with claim 18, wherein said two collimated beams are produced by two light sources.

21. The method in accordance with claim 18, including the step of receiving a visible image of the target to be displayed along with said infrared image in the camera.

22. The method in accordance with claim 21, further including the steps of:

utilizing a color and intensity of said light source in contrast with a visible target, directed at the target;

receiving said visible image on a sensor including a plurality of pixels located in the camera;

scanning said pixels to locate the presence of said color of said light source;

producing a filtered array determined by said scanning step;

searching for the intersection of said shaped beam, in said filtered array; and

displaying said intersection of said shaped beam with the target.

23. The method in accordance with claim 22, further including the step of scaling said infrared image and said visible image prior to displaying both of said images.

24. The method in accordance with claim 23, including the step of displaying a superimposed combination of said infrared image and said visible image.

25. The method in accordance with claim 22, comprising the steps of

aligning a visible light imager provided in the camera with an infrared imager provided in the camera on a common axis;

projecting a line segment from said light source toward the target, intersecting a known point on the infrared image; and

searching only the columns or only the rows of said filtered array for a high intensity column or row signal, thereby identifying an offset for registered the specific point in said infrared image on said visible image; and

displaying both said visible image and said infrared image simultaneously on a single display.

26. The method in accordance with claim 25, further including the step of scaling said infrared image and said visible image prior to displaying both of said images.

27. A method for calculating the distance between a camera and a target, the camera provided with a visible image provided with a plurality of first pixels and an infrared image provided with a plurality of second pixels comprising the steps of providing the visible image and the infrared image on a common axis;

determining the distance d_s between the visible imager and the infrared imager;

determining the number of pixels NP_v in the visible to infrared separation axis;

determining the number of pixels of separation NP_s between the center of the visible imager and the infrared imager calculating the distance d_t using the equation;

28. The method of claim 27, further including the step of determining the area of target;

determining the number of pixels NP_ih in the infrared imager horizontal field of view;

determining the number of pixels NP_iv in the infrared imager vertical field of view;

determining the infrared imager horizontal field of view fov_ih;

determining the infrared imager vertical field of view fov_iv;

determining the number of pixels on the target NP_target, calculating the target area A_target using the equation;