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

• US 8,153,972 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2010
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sofradir EC, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sofradir EC, Inc.
• Inventors: DeMarco, Robert, Vallese, Frank, DiTaranto, Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hannaher, Constantine
• Application Number:
  US12/912,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20110068269A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 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 from a target;

a visible light imager for receiving visible energy from a target;

a processing sub-system in communication with said infrared imager and said visible light imager, said processing sub-system processing the outputs of said infrared imager and said visible light imager;

a display in communication with said processing sub-system for displaying an infrared image corresponding to the target; and

at least one visible light source projecting a visible line segment on the target, said visible line segment oriented parallel to a row or a column of pixels of the infrared imager;

wherein said processing sub-system processes outputs of said visible light imager and said infrared imager to identify a pixel corresponding to said visible line segment and said display displays said visible line segment to locate a target.

2. The camera of claim 1, wherein said display displays a visible image of said target acquired by said visible light imager.

3. The camera of claim 2, wherein said processing sub-system processes output from said row or said column of pixels of the infrared imager to identify said pixel corresponding to said visible line segment.

4. The camera of claim 3, wherein said row or said column of pixels corresponds to a virtual beam that intersects said visible line segment.

5. The camera of claim 1, wherein said processing sub-system registers said visible image to said infrared image using said visible line segment.

6. The camera of claim 1, wherein said visible line segment is applied only for a single imaging frame.

7. 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 displaying 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 shape having a first long axis 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 shape intersecting said target plane, said second shape having a second long axis intersecting said first long axis of said first shape at a point on said target plane;

wherein said point on said target plane produced by the intersection of said first long axis and said second long axis 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.

8. The camera of claim 7, further comprising a splitting optic between said first visible light source and the target for producing two beams emanating from different points on the camera.

9. The camera of claim 7, further comprising 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.

10. The camera of claim 7, further comprising 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.

11. The camera of claim 7, further comprising 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.

12. The camera of claim 11, wherein said electronics module locates said point on said target plane in said infrared image and said visible image and utilizes 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.

13. The camera of claim 11, wherein said infrared image and said visible image are superimposed upon each other on said display.

14. The camera of claim 11, 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 of claim 7, further comprising 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 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 shape having a first long axis 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 shape having a second long axis when said second plane intersects the target plane, said first long axis and said second long axis 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.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of receiving a visible image of the target to be displayed along with said infrared image in the camera.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a visible image of the target using a visible imager; and

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

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of determining a distance between the camera and the target.