Device attachment with infrared imaging sensor

• US 9,900,478 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2014
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teledyne FLIR LLC (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fox, Michael, Nussmeier, Mark, Kurth, Eric A., Hgasten, Nicholas, Hoelter, Theodore R., Strandemar, Katrin, Boulanger, Pierre, Sharp, Barbara, Frank, Jeffrey D., Teich, Andrew C., Dumpert, Dwight, Blakeley, Gerald W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jagan, Mirellys
• Application Number:
  US14/281,883
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 374121, 374124, 374208
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0254 comprising one or a plurality of mechanically detachable modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/67 applied to fixed-pattern noise, e.g. non-uniformity of response
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/671 for non-uniformity detection or correction
• 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

Various techniques are disclosed for providing a device attachment configured to releasably attach to and provide infrared imaging functionality to mobile phones or other portable electronic devices. For example, a device attachment may include a housing with a tub on a rear surface thereof shaped to at least partially receive a user device, an infrared sensor assembly disposed within the housing and configured to capture thermal infrared image data, and a processing module communicatively coupled to the infrared sensor assembly and configured to transmit the thermal infrared image data to the user device. Thermal infrared image data may be captured by the infrared sensor assembly and transmitted to the user device by the processing module in response to a request transmitted by an application program or other software/hardware routines running on the user device.

Claims

1. A device attachment comprising:

a housing configured to releasably attach to a mobile user device to support mobile operation of the device attachment in conjunction with the mobile user device;

an infrared sensor assembly within the housing, the infrared sensor assembly configured to capture thermal infrared image data of a scene;

a supplementary component at least partially disposed within the housing, the supplementary component configured to generate sensor data associated with at least a portion of the scene; and

a processing module communicatively coupled to the infrared sensor assembly and the supplementary component, the processing module configured to provide information associated with the thermal infrared image data and/or the sensor data to the user device for display by the mobile user device.

2. The device attachment of claim 1, further comprising a lens configured to pass infrared radiation through to the infrared sensor assembly.

3. The device attachment of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a rear wall and at least one sidewall that form a recess configured to receive the mobile user device, wherein the mobile user device is a mobile personal electronic device, and wherein the supplementary component is selected from the group consisting of a moisture sensor configured to generate moisture level data associated with the portion of the scene and an electrical parameter sensor configured to generate electrical parameter data associated with the portion of the scene.

4. The device attachment of claim 1, wherein the processing module is configured to transmit the thermal infrared image data to the mobile user device in response to a request sent from the mobile user device.

5. The device attachment of claim 1, wherein:

the thermal infrared image data comprises an intentionally blurred image frame and an unblurred image frame; and

the processing module is configured to determine a plurality of non-uniformity correction (NUC) terms based on the intentionally blurred image frame and apply the NUC terms to the unblurred image frame to remove noise from the unblurred image frame.

6. The device attachment of claim 1, wherein:

the infrared sensor assembly comprises a focal plane array (FPA) configured to capture the thermal infrared image data; and

the FPA comprises an array of microbolometers adapted to receive a bias voltage selected from a range of approximately 0.2 volts to approximately 0.7 volts.

7. The device attachment of claim 1, further comprising a device connector configured to pass the thermal infrared image data from the processing module to the mobile user device.

8. The device attachment of claim 7, wherein the device connector is further configured to pass electrical power to the mobile user device for use by the mobile user device.

9. The device attachment of claim 1, further comprising a non-thermal camera module within the housing, the non-thermal camera module configured to capture non-thermal image data.

10. The device attachment of claim 9, wherein the non-thermal camera module comprises a visible-light camera module.

11. The device attachment of claim 9, wherein:

the non-thermal camera module is configured to capture the non-thermal image data from the scene at a first time;

the infrared sensor assembly is configured to capture the thermal infrared image data from the scene at a second time, wherein the thermal infrared image data comprises a radiometric component; and

the processing module is configured to process the thermal infrared image data and the non-thermal image data to generate a combined image comprising visible spectrum characteristics of the scene derived from the non-thermal image data and infrared characteristics of the scene derived from the radiometric component of the thermal infrared image data.

12. A method of providing infrared imaging functionality for a mobile user device, the method comprising:

releasably attaching to the mobile user device a device attachment to support mobile operation of the device attachment in conjunction with the mobile user device, the device attachment comprising an infrared sensor assembly, a supplementary component, and a processing module;

capturing thermal infrared image data of a scene at the infrared sensor assembly;

generating sensor data associated with at least a portion of the scene using the supplementary component; and

providing information associated with the thermal infrared image data and/or the sensor data to the mobile user device using the processing module for display by the mobile user device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the device attachment comprises a housing comprising a rear wall and at least one sidewall that form a recess configured to receive the mobile user device, wherein the mobile user device is a mobile personal electronic device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the device attachment comprises a device connector, the method further comprising:

passing the thermal infrared image data from the processing module to the mobile user device through the device connector.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

generating, using the mobile user device, a request for capturing and transmitting the thermal infrared image data; and

transmitting the request to the device attachment, wherein the thermal infrared image data is captured and transmitted in response to the request.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a depression of a button provided on the device attachment; and

transmitting a signal to the mobile user device in response to the detected depression of the button.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the infrared sensor assembly comprises a focal plane array (FPA) configured to capture the thermal infrared image data; and

the FPA comprises an array of microbolometers; and

the method further comprises providing a bias voltage to the microbolometers selected from a range of approximately 0.2 volts to approximately 0.7 volts.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the thermal infrared image data comprises an unblurred image frame, the method further comprising:

capturing an intentionally blurred image frame;

determining a plurality of non-uniform correction (NUC) terms based on the intentionally blurred image frame; and

applying the NUC terms to the unblurred image frame to remove noise from the unblurred image frame.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the determining and the applying is by a processor of the mobile user device, the device attachment comprises a geo-spatial location sensor, and the method further comprises linking the thermal infrared image data and the sensor data to a location using the geo-spatial location sensor.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

capturing non-thermal image data using a non-thermal camera module.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the non-thermal camera module and/or the supplementary component is in the device attachment.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the non-thermal camera module is in the mobile user device.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

combining the thermal infrared image data and the non-thermal image data.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein:

the non-thermal camera module is configured to capture the non-thermal image data from the scene at a first time;

the infrared sensor assembly is configured to capture the thermal infrared image data from the scene at a second time, wherein the thermal infrared image data comprises a radiometric component; and

the method further comprises processing the thermal infrared image data and the non-thermal image data to generate a combined image comprising visible spectrum characteristics of the scene derived from the non-thermal image data and infrared characteristics of the scene derived from the radiometric component of the thermal infrared image data.