Thermal imager utilizing improved radiometric calibration technique
First Claim
1. A thermal imaging apparatus capable of measuring temperature comprising:
- a thermal image camera having a lens and a display;
said camera further including a focal plane array located behind said lens for converting imaging radiation to produce an image signal for further processing;
a shutter mechanism operative to selectively inhibit exposure of said focal plane array to said imaging radiation such that said focal plane array produces a reference signal;
processing circuitry operative to receive said image signal and produce a corresponding thermal image on said display; and
said processing circuitry further operative to utilize said image signal and said reference signal to derive a temperature and indicate same on said display.
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Abstract
A thermal imaging apparatus comprises a thermal image camera having a lens and a display. The camera further includes a focal plane array located behind the lens for converting imaging radiation to produce an image signal for further processing. A shutter mechanism is operative to selectively inhibit exposure of the focal plane array to the imaging radiation such that the focal plane array produces a reference signal. Processing circuitry is operative to receive the image signal and produce a corresponding thermal image on the display. The processing circuitry is further operative to utilize the image signal and the reference signal to derive temperature information.
57 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A thermal imaging apparatus capable of measuring temperature comprising:
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a thermal image camera having a lens and a display; said camera further including a focal plane array located behind said lens for converting imaging radiation to produce an image signal for further processing; a shutter mechanism operative to selectively inhibit exposure of said focal plane array to said imaging radiation such that said focal plane array produces a reference signal; processing circuitry operative to receive said image signal and produce a corresponding thermal image on said display; and said processing circuitry further operative to utilize said image signal and said reference signal to derive a temperature and indicate same on said display. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of deriving temperature information in a focal plane array imager having a shutter mechanism, comprising steps of:
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(a) obtaining a reference signal from said focal plane array representing a uniform temperature reference scene; (b) obtaining an image signal from said focal plane array representing an image scene; (c) determining a difference between said image signal and said reference signal; (d) providing a temperature measure indicative of an ambient temperature of said shutter mechanism; and (e) utilizing said difference and said temperature measure to derive temperature information in the form of a numeric temperature for at least one location of said image signal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. Apparatus comprising:
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a focal plane array for converting imaging radiation to produce an image signal for further processing; a shutter mechanism operative to provide a uniform temperature reference scene such that said focal plane array produces a reference signal; a temperature sensor operative to provide a temperature measure indicative of an ambient temperature of said shutter mechanism; and processing circuitry operative to utilize said image signal, said reference signal and said temperature measure to derive target temperature information. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification