Focal plane array dual processing system and technique

• US 5,317,395 A
• Filed: 03/31/1993
• Issued: 05/31/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Kowalewski, Brian J., Carr, Todd R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lenchak, Emil
• Application Number:
  US08/040,193
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 358/113, 382/9, 382/17, 382/19, 382/27, 382/38, 359/117
• US Class Current: 348/164
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/7864 T.V. type tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• 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

A focal plane array dual processing system and technique utilizes a singleocal plane array to provide scene imagery and temporal processing of a sub-region of the scene. Resultant data from a row by column focal plane array detector elements is processed for imaging and image processing by an image processor. A smaller data subset from a row by column subset of the focal plane array with resultant spatial data subset is temporally processed by a temporal processor. The data and data subset which is multiplexed, digitized and formatted as raster-formatted raw data vector format is addressed for image and temporal processing by a data buffer integrator.

Claims

1. A focal plane array dual processing system in a staring FLIR device wherein infrared energy is collected by afocal optics and focused onto a cryogenically cooled detector array wherein said focal plane array dual processing system is comprised of:

a focal plane array with row by column detector elements for which resultant sampled data is utilized for imaging and image processing and a smaller row by column subset of said larger row by column detector element which resultant spatial subset is utilized for temporal processing;

conditioning electronics which accepts said resultant sampled data to multiplex, amplify, digitize and lexicographically order in a raster format an output raster-formatted raw data vector;

a data buffer integrator which double buffers said raw data vector for processing in an output means, and addresses the spatial subset of the raw data vector for temporal processing;

a temporal processor which processes the spatial subset of the raw data vector to provide a power spectrum estimation of a time series of pixels represented by the spatial subset;

an image processor which processes the doubled buffered raw data vector at a predetermined frame rate;

output means which processes the output of the temporal and image processor for simultaneously generating imagery of the overall scene as well as the power spectrum estimation of a sub-region of interest of the scene.

2. A focal plane array dual processing technique for dual image and temporal processing comprising the steps of:

collecting sampled data from a row by column detector elements of a focal plane array utilized for imaging and image processing and a subset of the sampled data corresponding to a smaller row by column detector element as a spatial subset for temporal processing;

conditioning said sampled data to multiplex, amplify, digitize and lexicographically order in a raster format to output a raster-formatted raw data vector format;

data buffer integrating said raw data vector which is subsequently processed in an output means, and simultaneously addressing the spatial subset of the raw data vector for temporal processing;

temporal processing the spatial subset of the raw data vector to provide a power spectrum estimation of a time series of pixels represented by the spatial subset;

image processing the buffered raw data vector at a frame rate for output processing; and

displaying the output of the temporal and image processing for generating imagery of the scene and the power spectrum estimation of a sub-region of interest of the scene.