Infrared image pickup image

• US 4,608,599 A
• Filed: 07/27/1984
• Issued: 08/26/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kaneko, Akira, Nishida, Jun, Fumoto, Teruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Britton, Howard W.
• Application Number:
  US06/635,293
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 358/113, 358/96, 358/142, 358/146, 250/333, 250/334
• US Class Current: 348/164
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• 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

In an infrared image pickup device, an infrared image signal and a visible image signal are picked up from an object to be photographed, the infrared signal, the visible image signal and/or a visible profile image signal are transmitted in a time-division manner and are separated from each other, and an infrared image, a visible image, a visible profile image, an image obtained by superposing the visible image on the infrared image, and an image obtained by superposing the visible profile image on the infrared image are selectively displayed on different display monitors or a single display monitor in a synchronized manner or on said single display monitor in a separate manner.

Claims

1. An infrared image pickup device comprising:

means for photographing an object to obtain one of at least an infrared image signal, a visible image signal and a visible profile image signal from an image pickup section in a time-division manner,

means for separating the visible image signal and visible profile signal, and

means for simultaneously displaying at least one of the visible image and visible profile image on at least one display monitor in a superposed manner or in a separate manner with the infrared image signal.

2. A device according to claim 1, further including means for obtaining the infrared image signal and the visible image signal from said image pickup section and means for simultaneously displaying the same at least one display monitor in a separate manner.

3. A device according to claim 1, further including means for obtaining the infrared image signal, the visible image signal and the visible profile image signal from the object;

means for separating these signals from each other;

means for superposing the visible image on the infrared image signal and the visible profile image signal on the infrared image signal; and

means for selectively generating the infrared image signal, the visible image signal, the visible profile image signal, a signal obtained by superposing the visible image signal on the infrared image signal and a signal obtained by superposing the visible profile image signal on the infrared image signal.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein there is provided means for storing the infrared image signal, means for performing a calculation as follows:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(S.sub.I -S.sub.M)/M+S.sub.M (M is a positive integer)

where

S_M ;

an infrared image signal currently stored in said storing means

S_I ;

a next infrared image signal to be stored in said storing means

and means for storing a calculated infrared image signal as an infrared image signal for a next step in said storing means.

5. A device according to claim 1, further including a chopper for shielding passing the infrared image signal from the object to obtain positive and negative infrared image signal components, and means for obtaining a signal by subtracting the negative infrared image signal component from the positive infrared image signal component.

6. A device according to claim 1, further including means for providing a relative shift between a phase of a reference signal for producing a synchronizing pulse of said image pickup section and a phase of a chopper on/off signal to shift a phase of an output image signal with respect to that of the reference signal.

7. A device according to claim 1, further including means for dividing the infrared image signal in correspondence with a plurality of wavelength ranges.

8. An infrared image pickup device comprising:

means for obtaining an infrared image signal and a visible image signal from an image pickup section in a time-division manner and separated from each other, and

means for simultaneously displaying an infrared image and a visible image on at least one display monitor in a separate manner.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein there is provided means for storing the infrared image signal, means for performing a calculation as follows:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(S.sub.I -S.sub.M)/M+S.sub.M (M is a positive integer)

where

S_M ;

an infrared image signal currently stored in said storing means

S_I ;

a next infrared image signal to be stored in said storing means

and means for storing a calculated infrared image signal as an infrared image signal for a next step in said storing means.

10. A device according to claim 8, further including a chopper for shielding/passing the infrared image signal from the object to obtain positive and negative infrared image signal components, and means for obtaining a signal by subtracting the negative infrared image signal component from the positive infrared image signal component.

11. A device according to claim 8, further including means for providing a relative shift between a phase of a reference signal for producing a synchronizing pulse of said image pickup section and a phase of a chopper on/off signal to shift a phase of an output image signal with respect to that of the reference signal.

12. A device according to claim 8, further including means for dividing the infrared image signal in correspondence with a plurality of wavelength ranges.

13. An infrared image pickup device comprising means for producing an infrared image signal, a visible image signal and a visible profile image signal from an object to be photographed, means for separating the infrared image signal, the visible image signal and the visible profile image signal from each other, image signal storage sections for storing the infrared image signal, the visible image signal and the visible profile image signal, respectively, means for superposing the visible image signal on the infrared image signal, means for superposing the visible profile image signal on the infrared image signal, and means for selectively generating the infrared image signal, the visible image signal, the visible profile image signal, a signal obtained by superposing the visible image signal on the infrared image signal, and a signal obtained by superposing the visible profile image signal on the infrared image signal.

14. A device according to claim 13, wherein the infrared image signal from the object is shielded/passed by a chopper to obtain positive and negative infrared image signal components, and a signal is obtained by subtracting the negative infrared image signal component from the positive infrared image signal component.

15. A device according to claim 13, wherein a phase of a reference signal for producing a synchronizing pulse of said image pickup section and a phase of a chopper on/off signal are relatively shifted to shift a phase of an output image signal with respect to that of the reference signal.

16. A device according to claim 13, wherein there is provided means for storing the infrared image signal, and a calculation is performed as follows:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">(S.sub.I -S.sub.M)/M+S.sub.M (M is a positive integer)

where

S_M ;

an infrared image signal currently stored in said storing means

S_I ;

a next infrared image signal to be stored in said storing means

and a calculated infrared image signal is stored as an infrared image signal for a next step in said storing means.

17. A device according to claim 13, wherein the infrared image signal is divided in correspondence with a plurality of wavelength ranges.