Infrared camera for locating a target using at least one shaped light source

• US 7,820,967 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sofradir EC, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Electrophysics Corp.
• Inventors: DiTaranto, Gerard, Vallese, Frank, DeMarco, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher; Constantine
• Application Number:
  US11/898,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20090065695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,141 Days
• Field of Search: 332/80, 250/330
• US Class Current: 250/330
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/02 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0215 Compact construction
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/025 Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0265 Handheld, portable ear thermometers G01J5/049
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0275 Control or determination of height or distance or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/07 Arrangements for adjusting the solid angle of collected radiation, e.g. adjusting or orienting field of view, tracking position or encoding angular position optical collimating elements G01J5/0806
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/08 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0846 having multiple detectors for performing different types of detection, e.g. using radiometry and reflectometry channels
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0896 using a light source, e.g. for illuminating a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/46 Indirect determination of position data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• 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 infrared camera including optics and a detector sensitive to infrared radiation is used in conjunction with at least one light source, such as a laser, to locate a reference point on a target. Two intersecting line segments are produced by the one light source or a combination of two light sources to locate the reference point on the target. The infrared camera would display both an infrared image as well as a visible image which can be merged onto a single display. The teaching of the present invention could also be used to determine the distance to the target as well as the area of the target.

Claims

1. A camera for displaying a target, comprising:

an infrared imager for receiving infrared energy along the infrared imager axis generated from the target plane of the target, said imager including a plurality of sensors;

an electronics module in communication with said infrared imager for processing the output of said plurality of sensors;

a display in connection with said electronics module for providing an infrared image of said target;

a first visible light source producing a first beam directed at said target plane emanating from a point on the camera different than said infrared imager, said first beam producing a first line segment when said first beam intersects said target plane;

a second visible light source producing a second beam directed at said target plane, said second beam emanating from a point on the camera different than the point on the camera from which said first beam emanates and the point on the camera of said infrared imager, said second beam producing a second line segment intersecting said target plane, said second line segment intersecting said first line segment at a point on said target plane;

wherein said point on said target plane produced by the intersection of said first and second line segments is provided at a fixed point in said infrared image display regardless of the distance between the camera and the target plane, thereby providing a parallax correction, and further wherein the angle between a path from each of said first and second light sources to said point on said target plane with respect to said infrared imager axis is non-zero.

2. The camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first and second light sources are lasers.

3. The camera in accordance with claim 1, further providing a splitting optic between said first visible light source and the target, for the purpose of producing two beams emanating from different points on the camera.

4. The camera in accordance with claim 1, further including position sense and control elements to set the angle of said first and second light beams, whereby the intersection point of said beams may be selectively set to any specific point in the target plane.

5. The camera in accordance with claim 4, further including user controls to allow said electronics module to set the location of said specific point to the hottest, or the coldest, or a specific temperature spot in the image.

6. The camera in accordance with claim 1, wherein said first and second visible light sources are each projected shapes directed toward the target plane and wherein the projected shape axes intersects at said point on said target plane.

7. A method of targeting a specific point on a target plane, using a camera having an infrared imager receiving infrared energy along the infrared imager axis comprising the steps of:

generating from a first visible light source, a first beam;

directing said first beam to the target plane emanating from a point on the camera different than said infrared imager, producing a first line segment when said first beam intersects the target plane;

generating from a second visible light source, a second beam, said second visible light source emanating from a point on the camera different than the point on the camera from which said first beam emanates and the point on the camera of said infrared imager;

directing said second beam to the target plane, producing a second line segment when said second plane intersects the target plane, said first and second line segments intersecting the target plane at a specific point;

receiving an infrared image of the target plane in the infrared imager including said specific point; and

providing a display of said infrared image wherein said specific point is provided at a fixed point of said infrared image regardless of the distance between the camera and the target plane, thereby providing a parallax correction, and further wherein the angle between a path from each of said first and second light sources to said point on said target plane with respect to said infrared imager axis is non-zero.

8. The method in accordance with claim 7, including the step of receiving a visible image of the target to be displayed along with said infrared image in the camera.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8, further including the steps of:

utilizing the color and intensity of said first and second light sources in contrast with a visible target, directed at the target;

receiving a visible image of the target on a sensor including a plurality of pixels located in the camera;

scanning said pixels to locate the presence of said color of said first and second light sources;

producing a filtered array determined by said scanning step;

searching for the intersection of said first and second line segments, in said filtered array; and

displaying said intersection of said first and second line segments with the target with one or both of said visible image and said infrared image.

10. The method in accordance with claim 9, further including the step of scaling said infrared image and said visible image prior to displaying both of said images.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10, including the step of displaying a superimposed combination of said infrared image and said visible image.

12. A camera for displaying a target, comprising:

an infrared imager for receiving infrared energy generated from the target plane of the target, said imager including a plurality of sensors;

an electronics module in communication with said infrared imager for processing the output of said plurality of sensors;

a display in connection with said electronics module for providing an infrared image of said target;

a first visible light source producing a first beam directed at said target plane, said first beam producing a first line segment when said first beam intersects said target plane;

a second visible light source producing a second beam directed at said target plane, said second beam emanating from a point on the camera different than the point on the camera from which said first beam emanates, said second beam producing a second line segment intersecting said target plane, said second line segment intersecting said first line segment at a point on said target plane;

a visible imager for receiving visible energy from the target plane, said visible imager in communication with said electronics module for processing the visible image received from the target plane for inclusion on said display, said electronics module locating said point on said target plane in said infrared image and said visible image, said electronics module utilizing the optical properties of said visible imager and said infrared imager to normalize the pixel sizes of said infrared imager and said visible imager allowing the attributes of said visible image and said infrared image to be displayed;

wherein said point on said target plane produced by the intersection of said first and second line segments is provided at a fixed point in said infrared image display regardless of the distance between the camera and the target plane, thereby providing a parallax correction.

13. The camera in accordance with claim 12, wherein said infrared image and said visible image are superimposed upon each other on said display on a pixel to pixel registration.

14. The camera in accordance with claim 13, further comprising infrared analysis tools to allow an operator to view infrared data and characteristics of the target in the context of said visible image.

15. The camera in accordance with claim 12, further including a device in said electronics module for determining the distance between the camera and the target.

16. A method of targeting a specific point on a target plane, using a camera having an infrared imager comprising the steps of:

generating from a first visible light source, a first beam;

directing said first beam to the target plane, producing a first line segment when said first beam intersects the target plane;

generating from a second visible light source, a second beam, said second visible light source emanating from a point on the camera different than the point on the camera from which said first beam emanates;

directing said second beam to the target plane, producing a second line segment when said second plane intersects the target plane, said first and second line segments intersecting the target plane at a specific point;

receiving an infrared image of the target plane in the infrared imager including said specific point;

receiving in the camera by a visible imager, a visible image of the target;

superimposing both said infrared image and said visible image onto a plane array of pixels;

using the separation distance of said visible imager and said infrared imager; and

providing a display of said infrared image wherein said specific point is provided at a fixed point of said infrared image regardless of the distance between the camera and the target plane, thereby providing a parallax correction.

17. The method in accordance with claim 16, further including the step of determining the distance between the camera and target.