Infrared correction system

• US 6,825,470 B1
• Filed: 07/30/1998
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Korta, Jean-Charles, Mack, Walter J., Tsai, Ping-Sing, Acharya, Tinku, Starr, Gregory W., Bawolek, Edward J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher, Constantine
• Application Number:
  US09/126,203
• Time in Patent Office: 2,315 Days
• Field of Search: 250/339.05, 250/208.1, 250/226, 250/214.1, 250/339.02, 250/339.01, 250/338.4, 250/338.1, 257/431, 257/432, 257/435, 348/272, 348/273, 348/274, 348/275, 348/277, 348/280
• US Class Current: 250/339.05
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/516 with several stacked filters or stacked filter-detector pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/201 in the form of arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/131 including elements passing infrared wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• 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 imaging system using a color shutter receives signals indicative of color information in a plurality of planes together with infrared information and a signal indicative of the infrared radiation alone. The infrared radiation signal may be subtracted from the signals associated with the color planes to develop signals free of infrared radiation effects for each of the desired color planes. In addition an infrared signal is available which may have useful applications in some situations. In this way, color information color bands may be obtained without the need an infrared filter and infrared information is retained for use in other applications if desired. In addition infrared and dark current information may be derived that can be used for dark current correction.

Claims

1. An imaging method comprising:

sequentially producing a first output indicative of incident infrared radiation and the absence of incident visible light and a second output indicative of incident radiation in both the visible and infrared spectra; and

subtracting said first and second outputs to produce an output corrected for infrared and dark current noise.

2. The method of claim 1 including forming a first output using a pair of filters with substantially non-overlapping transmittance of visible light.

3. The method of claim 2 including forming said first output using a liquid crystal color shutter.

4. The method of claim 1 including sensing color information in at least three color planes together with infrared information.

5. An imaging system comprising:

a device sequentially tunable in a first state to transmit infrared radiation and radiation in the visible spectrum and in a second state to substantially block light in the visible spectrum while transmitting infrared radiation; and

a subtracter to subtract signals indicative of the infrared radiation transmitted in said first and second sequential states.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said device includes a liquid crystal color shutter.

7. The system of claim 6 including an image sensor that receives light information from the shutter in a plurality of color planes, said system further including an image processor coupled to said sensor to process information received from the image sensor.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said image sensor provides signals indicative of at least three color planes and the infrared radiation to which the color shutter is exposed.

9. The system of claim 8 including a pair of filters with substantially non-overlapping transmittance of visible light to form an output substantially free of visible light.

10. A method comprising:

sequentially producing a first and second signal, said first signal to indicate the transmission of visible and infrared radiation and said second signal to indicate the transmission of infrared radiation; and

subtracting said second signal from said first signal.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein producing said second signal includes filtering light with a pair of filters that do not substantially overlap in their transmission of visible radiation.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein producing said second signal includes using a liquid crystal color shutter.

13. The method of claim 10 including sensing color information in at least three different color planes together with infrared radiation.

14. A method comprising:

sequentially providing a first and a second filter, said first filter transmitting infrared light with visible light and said second filter selectively transmitting infrared light;

detecting the transmittance of light through said first and second filters;

providing a first output indicative of light transmittance through said first filter;

providing a second output indicative of light transmittance through said second filter; and

subtracting said second output from said first output to correct for infrared and dark current interference.

15. The method of claim 14 including selectively transmitting visible light of specific wavelengths through said first filter.

16. The method of claim 14 including detecting the transmittance of light using a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor image sensor.

17. The method of claim 14 including detecting the transmittance of light using a charge coupled device.

18. The method of claim 14 including transmitting light through a liquid crystal color shutter.

19. The method of claim 14 including transmitting light through said second filter using a pair of filters that do not substantially overlap in their transmittance of visible light.

20. The method of claim 14 including sensing color information in at least three color planes together with infrared information.

21. A device comprising:

a first filter and a second filter, said first filter to selectively block visible radiation while allowing infrared radiation and said second filter to allow infrared radiation with visible radiation;

an image sensor to sense the radiation allowed by said first and second filters; and

a subtracter to subtract the radiation allowed by said first sensor from the radiation allowed by said second sensor.

22. The device of claim 21 including a color shutter to allow radiation.

23. The device of claim 22 including an image processor to separate color information obtained from said shutter into color signals in three different planes and an infrared signal.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein the subtracter is coupled to the image processor and subtracts the infrared signal from each color signal obtained from the processor.