Visible light and IR combined image camera

• US 7,994,480 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2006
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Pratreu, John W., McManus, Thomas, Johnson, Kirk R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Porta; David P
• Assistant Examiner(s): BOOSALIS, FANI POLYZOS
• Application Number:
  US11/458,600
• Publication Number:
  US 20060249679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 250/370.08, 250/330, 250/332, 250/311, 250/358.1, 250/359.1, 250/339.11, 250/339.12, 600/476
• US Class Current: 250/370.08
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors
• 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 5/0295 Nulling devices or absolute detection
• 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 5/0859 Sighting arrangements, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0896 using a light source, e.g. for illuminating a surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14618 Containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14625 Optical elements or arrangements associated with the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/67 Focus control based on electronic image sensor signals
• 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 (IR) light camera or sensor that provides temperature alarms. The temperature alarms may be audible, vibrational, and visual to indicate when a portion of the IR image meets user-defined alarm criteria. Visual alarms may be provided by displaying on a camera display unit the portions of the IR image that meet the alarm criteria.

Claims

1. A camera for producing visible-light (VL) images and infrared (IR) images, comprising:

an array of VL sensors for sensing VL images of a target scene;

an array of IR sensors for sensing IR images of the target scene; and

a display for concurrently displaying portions of the sensed IR images and the sensed VL images of the target scene registered to form a composite image, the display displaying only the portions of the sensed IR images meeting at least one alarm criterion, the portions of the sensed IR images meeting the at least one alarm criterion are flashed on and off the display.

2. The camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm criterion is user-definable.

3. The camera of claim 1, wherein the sensed VL images are displayed in gray scale.

4. The camera of claim 3, wherein the sensed IR images are displayed in color.

5. The camera of claim 1, wherein the sensed IR images and VL images are alpha-blended to form the composite image.

6. The camera of claim 1, wherein the sensed IR images meeting the at least one alarm criterion are displayed in place of corresponding sensed VL image portions of the target scene.

7. The camera of claim 1, wherein the display displays only the portions of the sensed VL images of the target scene not meeting the at least one alarm criterion.

8. The camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm criterion includes a hot threshold, whereby the portions of the sensed IR images exceeding the hot threshold will be displayed.

9. The camera of claim 8, wherein the at least one alarm criterion is the only alarm criterion and is a hot threshold, whereby only the sensed IR images exceeding the hot threshold will be displayed.

10. The camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm criterion includes a cold threshold temperature, whereby the portions of the sensed IR images below the cold threshold temperature will be displayed.

11. The camera of claim 1, wherein the at least one alarm criterion includes an absolute temperature range defined as a specific range of temperatures, whereby the portions of the sensed IR images within the absolute temperature range are displayed.

12. The camera of claim 11, wherein the absolute temperature range is user-definable.

13. The camera of claim 1, wherein the portions of the sensed IR images meeting the at least one alarm criterion are flashed on the display between a display of only corresponding sensed VL image portions of the target scene and only the portions of the sensed IR images meeting the at least one criterion.

14. The camera of claim 1, wherein portions of the sensed IR images meeting the at least one alarm criterion are flashed on the display between a display of only corresponding sensed VL image portions of the target scene and blended sensed IR images and VL images.

15. The camera of claim 1, further including an alarm module for providing an audible or vibrational alarm when a portion of the sensed IR images meets the at least one alarm criterion.

16. A hand-held camera for producing infrared (IR) images, comprising:

an IR camera module supported by a camera housing and having IR sensors and IR optics, the IR sensors including an array of IR sensors for sensing IR images of a target scene; and

a display supported by the camera housing for displaying portions of the sensed IR images of the target scene, the display displaying only the portions of the sensed IR images meeting at least one user-defined alarm criterion, the at least one user-defined alarm criterion including a relative threshold defined as a range of temperatures within a pre-defined number of degrees of a reference temperature, whereby the portions of the sensed IR images within the range are displayed.

17. The camera of claim 16, further comprising an alarm module for providing an audible or vibrational alarm when a portion of the sensed IR images meets the at least one user-defined alarm criterion.

18. The camera of claim 17, further including an array of visible light (VL) sensors for sensing VL images of the target scene.

19. The camera of claim 18, wherein the display concurrently displays portions of the sensed IR images and the sensed VL images of the target scene.

20. The camera of claim 17, further including a graphical user interface for setting the at least one user-defined alarm criterion.

21. The camera of claim 16, wherein the relative threshold is one of a hot relative threshold and a cold relative threshold.

22. The camera of claim 16, further including a graphical user interface for setting the at least one user-defined alarm criterion.

23. The camera of claim 16, wherein the relative threshold is a hot relative threshold defined as temperatures greater than a user-defined amount below the reference temperature.

24. The camera of claim 16, wherein the reference temperature is one of the current hottest sensed IR image portion, the average of several current hottest sensed IR portions, the hottest sensed IR image portion in a previous target scene, and the hottest sensed IR image portion in a reference target scene.

25. The camera of claim 16, wherein the reference temperature is one of the current coldest sensed IR image portion, the average of the current coldest sensed IR portions, the coldest sensed IR image portion in a previous target scene, and the coldest sensed IR image portion in a reference target scene.

26. The camera of claim 16, further including an array of visible light (VL) sensors for sensing VL images of the target scene, the display concurrently displaying portions of the sensed VL images and the portions of the sensed IR images registered to form a composite image.

27. The camera of claim 26, wherein the display displays the sensed VL images of the target scene surrounding the portions of the sensed IR images meeting the at least one user-defined alarm criterion.

28. The camera of claim 26, wherein the portions of the sensed IR images meeting the at least one user-defined alarm criterion are displayed generally centrally on the display within the portions of the sensed VL images.

29. The camera of claim 26, wherein the portions of the sensed IR images meeting the at least one user-defined alarm criterion are displayed without corresponding sensed VL images of the target scene.

30. The camera of claim 16, wherein the range of temperatures are user-defined.

31. The camera of claim 16, wherein the range of temperatures is predetermined.

32. The camera of claim 16, wherein the reference temperature is calculated by the camera.

33. The camera of claim 16, wherein the reference temperature is calculated based on infrared pixels in the current infrared scene.

34. The camera of claim 16, wherein the reference temperature is calculated based on infrared pixels in a previous infrared scene.

35. The camera of claim 16, wherein the reference temperature is calculated based on infrared pixels in a reference infrared scene.