Camera system for three-dimensional thermal imaging

• US 9,241,151 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2011
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hoon Joo
• Original Assignee: Hoon Joo
• Inventors: Joo, Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): KOSTAK, VICTOR R
• Application Number:
  US13/808,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20130235163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,694 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 35/08 by simultaneous recording
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/183 On-screen display [OSD] information, e.g. subtitles or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for displaying a 3D thermal image by using two thermal imaging cameras and extracting distance/depth data in the thermal images. The system includes two thermal imaging cameras where one thermal imaging camera is used as a master camera serving as a reference and the other is used as a slave camera to correct gain and offset of the thermal images and ensure uniformity. In addition, provided is an apparatus and method for correcting gain and offset of the thermal images to be identical to each other and ensuring uniformity by using a process module separately from two thermal imaging cameras.

Claims

1. A 3-dimensional (3D) stereo image camera system for generating a 3D stereo image, the system comprising:

first and second thermal imaging cameras horizontally spaced apart by a predetermined distance to photograph a subject; and

a stereo &

disparity engine for providing a control signal and a clock signal to the first and second thermal imaging cameras, receiving thermal imaging data from each of said thermal imaging cameras, and calculating disparity data, distance/depth data, and temperature data of the subject from the thermal imaging data,

wherein the stereo &

disparity engine includes a function of matching and synchronizing lens focuses of the first and second thermal imaging cameras according to the control signal, a function of synchronizing shutter motions of the first and second thermal imaging cameras, and a function of providing a reference value relating to the performance of at least one property of a dynamic range, histogram, brightness and contrast of the thermal imaging cameras to the first and second thermal imaging cameras, respectively, and setting the first and second thermal imaging cameras to be identical in terms of the performance of at least one property.

2. The 3D stereo image camera system according to claim 1,

wherein the first thermal imaging camera is a master camera, the second thermal imaging camera is a slave camera, and the reference value relating to the performance of at least one property is a reference value relating to the master camera.

3. The 3D stereo image camera system according to claim 2,

wherein the reference value relating to the performance of at least one property of histogram, brightness, and contrast is a value of histogram, brightness, and/or contrast in a thermal image of the master camera, which is obtained by photographing a single reference black body by the master camera and the slave camera.

4. The 3D stereo image camera system according to claim 2,

wherein the stereo &

disparity engine includes a disparity/isothermal processing unit for generating disparity data and temperature-related data from a thermal image of the master camera and the slave camera,

wherein the disparity/isothermal processing unit includes;

an edge detector for detecting an edge (contour) of the subject from thermal images of the master camera and the slave camera respectively;

a disparity calculator for calculating disparity data from output data of the edge detector;

a distance/depth calculator for calculating distance/depth data of each subject from the output data of the disparity calculator;

a temperature information extractor for extracting temperature-related data of the subject from the thermal image of the master camera; and

an overlay processor for overlaying the temperature-related data and at least one of the disparity data and the distance/depth data on an image.

5. The 3D stereo image camera system according to claim 4, wherein the overlay processor overlays black-and-white disparity data representing distance/depth from the thermal imaging camera to the subject and temperature-related data including at least one of color temperature distribution data and a temperature value of a predetermined pixel on a 2D or 3D image.

6. The 3D stereo image camera system according to claim 4, wherein the overlay processor overlays color disparity data representing distance/depth from the thermal imaging camera to the subject and temperature-related data including at least one of black-and-white temperature distribution data and a temperature value of a predetermined pixel on a 2D or 3D image.

7. A 3D thermal imaging microscope, which includes the 3D stereo image camera system defined in claim 1.

8. A 3D body heat diagnosing device, which includes the 3D stereo image camera system defined in claim 1.

9. A measuring and metering device, which includes the 3D stereo image camera system defined in claim 1.

10. A method for generating a thermal image by using a 3D stereo image camera system which generates a 3D stereo image,

wherein the 3D stereo image camera system includes;

first and second thermal imaging cameras horizontally spaced apart by a predetermined distance; and

a stereo &

disparity engine for providing a control signal and a clock signal to the first and second thermal imaging cameras, receiving thermal imaging data from each thermal imaging camera, and calculating disparity data, distance/depth data, and temperature data of the subject from the thermal imaging data, wherein the method comprising;

synchronizing clocks of the first and second thermal imaging camera according to a master clock;

synchronizing lens focuses and shutter motions of the first and second thermal imaging cameras; and

providing a reference value relating to the performance of at least one property of a dynamic range, histogram, brightness and contrast of the thermal imaging cameras to the first and second thermal imaging cameras, respectively, and setting the first and second thermal imaging cameras to be identical in terms of the performance of at least one property.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

detecting an edge (contour) of the subject in thermal images respectively received from the first and second thermal imaging cameras;

calculating disparity data from the detected edge data; and

calculating distance/depth data from the disparity data.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

extracting temperature data of the subject from the thermal image of the first thermal imaging camera; and

overlaying the temperature data and at least one of the disparity data and the distance/depth data on a 2D or 3D image.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said overlaying includes:

displaying the disparity data or the distance/depth data in black and white and the temperature data in color, or displaying the disparity data or the distance/depth data in color and the temperature data in black and white.

14. The method according to claim 11, before said detecting of an edge (contour) of the subject in thermal images respectively received from the first and second thermal imaging cameras, further comprising:

selecting predetermined thermal image areas in the thermal images of the first and second thermal imaging cameras, respectively; and

setting each selected thermal image area as a thermal image for image processing at a following stage and transferring the selected thermal image to the following stage, for the purpose of high-speed frame processing.