Spectroscopic camera and spectroscopic image processing method

• US 9,826,172 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2014
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Funamoto, Tatsuaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, Mohammad J
• Application Number:
  US14/185,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20140240513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/26 using multiple reflection, e.g. Fabry-Perot interferometer, variable interference filters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2803 using photoelectric array detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/81 for suppressing or minimising disturbance in the image signal generation
• 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

A spectroscopic analysis apparatus includes a light source section having a first light source and second light source that radiate light fluxes, a wavelength tunable interference filter, an imaging section that captures light having passed through the wavelength tunable interference filter to acquire a first spectroscopic image when the object being imaged is irradiated with the light from the first light source and a second spectroscopic image when the object being imaged is irradiated with the light from the second light source, a pixel detector that detects an abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image, and a light amount corrector that replaces the amount of light at the abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image with the amount of light at a pixel in the second spectroscopic image that is located in the same position as the abnormal pixel.

Claims

1. A spectroscopic camera comprising:

a light source section that radiates first light and second light that travel in radiation directions different from each other toward an object being imaged;

a spectroscopic device that separates light reflected off the object being imaged to select light of a predetermined wavelength;

an imaging section that captures the light of the predetermined wavelength selected by the spectroscopic device to acquire a first spectroscopic image when the object being imaged is irradiated with the first light and a second spectroscopic image when the object being imaged is irradiated with the second light; and

a processor programmed to;

detect an abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image that is a pixel at a pixel location in the first spectroscopic image where a ratio of an amount of light at the pixel location to a reference amount of light obtained when a reference object is irradiated with the first or second light is greater than or equal to a predetermined value; and

replace the amount of light at the pixel location of the abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image with the amount of light at the same pixel location of a pixel at the same pixel location of the detected abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image in the second spectroscopic image.

2. The spectroscopic camera according to claim 1, wherein the spectroscopic device is capable of changing the wavelength to be selected.

3. The spectroscopic camera according to claim 1, wherein the light source section includes a first light source that radiates the first light and a second light source that radiates the second light.

4. The spectroscopic camera according to claim 1, wherein the light source section includes a light emitter and a direction changer that changes the direction in which light emitted from the light emitter travels.

7. The spectroscopic camera according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further programmed to:

detect an abnormal pixel in the second spectroscopic image that is a pixel at a pixel location where a ratio of an amount of light at the pixel location in the second spectroscopic image to the reference amount of light is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, and

when the pixel location of the detected abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image and the pixel location of the detected abnormal pixel in the second spectroscopic image are not the same, replace the amount of light of the pixel at the pixel location of the detected abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image with an average of the amounts of light of the pixels at the same pixel location of the detected abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image in the first and second spectroscopic images.

8. The spectroscopic camera according to claim 1, wherein the spectroscopic device is a wavelength tunable Fabry-Perot etalon.

5. A spectroscopic camera comprising:

a light source section that radiates light toward an object being imaged;

a first spectroscopic device that separates light reflected off the object being imaged and traveling in a first direction to select light of a predetermined wavelength;

a second spectroscopic device that separates light reflected off the object being imaged and traveling in a second direction that is different from the first direction to select light of the predetermined wavelength;

a first imaging section that captures the light of the predetermined wavelength selected by the first spectroscopic device to acquire a first spectroscopic image;

a second imaging section that captures the light of the predetermined wavelength selected by the second spectroscopic device to acquire a second spectroscopic image; and

a processor programmed to;

detect an abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image that is a pixel at a pixel location where the ratio of the amount of light at the pixel location to a reference amount of light obtained when a reference object is irradiated with light is greater than or equal to a predetermined value; and

replace the amount of light at the pixel location of the abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image with the amount of light at the same pixel location of a pixel at the same pixel location in the second spectroscopic image.

6. The spectroscopic camera according to claim 5, wherein each of the first and second spectroscopic devices is capable of changing the wavelength to be selected.

9. A spectroscopic apparatus comprising:

a camera that captures a first spectroscopic image produced when an object being imaged is irradiated with first light and a second spectroscopic image produced when the object being imaged is irradiated with second light that is different from the first light in terms of radiation direction, and

a processor connected to the camera and programmed to;

determine whether or not an amount of light received at each pixel in the first spectroscopic image is an abnormal value, and

when the amount of light received at a pixel is the abnormal value, replace the amount of light received at the pixel location of the abnormal pixel with an amount of light received at the same pixel location of a pixel at the same pixel location of the detected abnormal pixel in the first spectroscopic image in the second spectroscopic image.