INFRARED SENSOR CONTROL ARCHITECTURE
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for operating an infrared imaging system with an array of pixels comprising:
- developing correction tables for the array of pixels including;
correction factors with offset and gain values for each pixel; and
an index of unique values for each correction table with;
an integration time value;
a bucket fill value; and
a temperature value;
acquiring at least one calibrating scene image with a selected integration time;
determining bucket fill level of the at least one calibrating scene image;
determining a scene temperature of the at least one calibrating scene image;
selecting a correction table by indexing the selected integration time, determined temperature and determined bucket fill level to correction table index values;
applying the correction factors of the selected correction table to the array of pixels; and
capturing a second image.
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Abstract
A system and method for optimizing fixed and temporal noise in an infrared imaging system. The system may use correction tables with correction factors, each correction factor indexed to a plurality of system parameters.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method for operating an infrared imaging system with an array of pixels comprising:
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developing correction tables for the array of pixels including; correction factors with offset and gain values for each pixel; and an index of unique values for each correction table with; an integration time value; a bucket fill value; and a temperature value; acquiring at least one calibrating scene image with a selected integration time; determining bucket fill level of the at least one calibrating scene image; determining a scene temperature of the at least one calibrating scene image; selecting a correction table by indexing the selected integration time, determined temperature and determined bucket fill level to correction table index values; applying the correction factors of the selected correction table to the array of pixels; and capturing a second image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for minimizing a noise equivalent temperature difference value of a focal plane array with pixels in an infrared imaging system comprising:
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defining a group of bucket fill levels; defining a group of integration times; defining a group of temperatures; creating pixel data by creating an index by selecting one value for each of bucket fill level, integration time and temperature from each defined group; setting a substantially blackbody to the selected temperature value of the index; setting the integration time of the imaging system to the selected integration time value of the index; setting the bucket fill level of the imaging system to the selected bucket fill level value of the index; with the blackbody image focused on the focal plane array, capturing one or more data images; and saving to memory the pixel data of the data image indexed to the selected index values; repeating the creating step for each unique set of index values; for each pixel calculating correction factors by solving; a first linear equation of pixel data of a first index; and a second linear equation of pixel data of a second index; storing the calculated correction factor in memory with the first index as a correction factor index; acquiring an image of a scene at a selected integration time; determining scene temperature; calculating a bucket fill level from one or more pixels selected from the acquired image; selecting correction factors from memory by correlating correction factor index values to calculated bucket fill level, integration time and scene temperature; and applying the selected correction factors to pixels of the focal plane array. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification