Abstract: Test procedures and equipment for the test and calibration of ultra-small thermal imaging cores, or micro-cores are disclosed. Test fixtures for calibration and adjustment that allow for operation and image acquisition of multiple cores at a time may also be provided. Test procedures and fixtures that allow for full temperature calibration of each individual core, as well as providing data useful for uniformity correction during operation, may also be provided as part of the test and manufacture of the core.

Abstract: Systems and methods to improve safety and more efficient Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle (AV) systems for vehicular operation through the application of multiple thermal sensors arranged in systems where the resolution, Field Of View (FOV), and aiming angle of individual sensors are varied. In particular two configurations are discussed in detail, a three-sensor arrangement for forward and forward off angle data acquisition, and a two or three sensor arrangement for blind spot and pinch point awareness for towing applications. In some forward-looking three-sensor embodiments, the center sensor may provide a high-quality narrow field of view of radiometric data for use with tracking algorithms to identify pedestrian and large animal targets for long range driver identification. The side sensors may provide radiometric data for peripheral vision on short/medium range approaching targets for situational awareness at crosswalks and turning corners.

Abstract: An ultra-small thermal imaging core, or micro-core. The design of the micro-core may include substrates for mounting optics and electronic connectors that are thermally matched to the imaging Focal Plane Array (FPA). Test fixtures for test and adjustment that allow for operation and image acquisition of multiple cores may also be provided. Tooling may be included to position the optics to set the core focus, either by moving the lens and lens holder as one or by pushing and/or pulling the lens against a lens positioning element within the lens holder, while observing a scene. Test procedures and fixtures that allow for full temperature calibration of each individual core, as well as providing data useful for uniformity correction during operation may also be included as part of the test and manufacture of the core.

Abstract: Systems and methods based on thermal imaging for rapid detection of fever conditions in humans that provide for extremely inexpensive, mass producible, field deployable devices accurate in specific, relatively low temperature ranges, and in particular temperatures near nominal human body temperature. The system may include a thermal imager tailored for the application and a corresponding mass producible controlled temperature calibration source configured to provide real time calibration near the human body temperature of interest. The imager and source are deployed in a way such that target people and the calibration source will be within the imager FOV for fever detection. The combination of real time near measurement temperature calibration, with suitable thermography approaches, yield fast, accurate measurements in the fever range using low cost, easy-to-produce components.

Abstract: An ultra-small thermal imaging core, or micro-core. The design of the micro-core may include substrates for mounting optics and electronic connectors that are thermally matched to the imaging Focal Plane Array (FPA). Test fixtures for test and adjustment that allow for operation and image acquisition of multiple cores may also be provided. Tooling may be included to position the optics to set the core focus, either by moving the lens and lens holder as one or by pushing and/or pulling the lens against a lens positioning element within the lens holder, while observing a scene. Test procedures and fixtures that allow for full temperature calibration of each individual core, as well as providing data useful for uniformity correction during operation may also be included as part of the test and manufacture of the core.

Abstract: Systems and methods may be provided that improve the application of Histogram Equalization (HE) transfer functions for converting image system source data to display compatible image frames. Histograms developed from source data may be measured and depending on their properties, the gain of the HE transfer function may be adaptively adjusted. In some embodiments the property measured is a histogram width.

Abstract: Systems and methods to improve safety and more efficient Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle (AV) systems for vehicular operation through the application of multiple thermal sensors arranged in systems where the resolution, Field Of View (FOV), and aiming angle of individual sensors are varied. In particular two configurations are discussed in detail, a three-sensor arrangement for forward and forward off angle data acquisition, and a two or three sensor arrangement for blind spot and pinch point awareness for towing applications. In some forward-looking three-sensor embodiments, the center sensor may provide a high-quality narrow field of view of radiometric data for use with tracking algorithms to identify pedestrian and large animal targets for long range driver identification. The side sensors may provide radiometric data for peripheral vision on short/medium range approaching targets for situational awareness at crosswalks and turning corners.

Abstract: Focal Plane Arrays (FPAs) or methods to produce FPAs may be provided for a microbolometer based thermal imaging sensor utilizing wafer level processing (WLP) techniques for manufacture. Batch processing techniques for sealing a cap wafer to an FPA wafer to produce vacuum sealed FPAs may be accomplished with suitable FPA design features in conjunction with a glass frit seal methodology utilizing appropriate frit glass compositions.

Abstract: A thermography process for thermal imaging systems produced in quantity, including an imaging sensor and an ambient temperature sensor, that includes operations at three different places in the manufacture and actual use of the system. A temperature calibration may be performed on all units of a given design at a small number of controlled scene temperatures at one ambient temperature to produce a function that relates sensor signal to scene temperature. The function is determined for each individual unit and may be unique for each unit. Selected calibrated units may be subjected to a qualification test where they are exposed to larger number of controlled scene temperatures at a plurality of controlled ambient temperatures and the errors between the calibration derived function and the observed results and/or the actual scene temperatures at the various scene/ambient temperature combinations may be derived and put into a table that is loaded into all production units.

Abstract: An imaging system whose Field of View FOV experiences occasional motion in relation to viewed scenes may be configured to reduce Fixed Pattern Noise (FPN) of acquired image data. FPN may be reduced by developing a pixel by pixel FPN correction term through a series of steps including blurring the image, identifying pixels to exclude from some calculations, a motion detector and an FPN updater for frames under motion and an FPN decay element for frames that are still.

Abstract: Systems and methods for allocating display colors to thermal image intensity data acquired by thermal band photodetectors. Intensity data from the photodetectors corresponding to scene temperature is converted to a digital value within an analog to digital conversion (ADC) range. The full ADC range may be divided into two or more sub-ranges. In one sub-range, intensity values within that sub-range are assigned display colors from a first color table utilizing one or more Histogram Equalization (HE) techniques. In another sub-range, specific display values from a color table different from the first may be are assigned to specific intensity values. Lower temperatures may be assigned colors using HE and higher temperatures are assigned specific colors corresponding to specific temperatures. Such an arrangement is particularly applicable to thermal imaging use by firefighters because the arrangement allows them to determine temperature directly from displayed color for potentially dangerous temperatures.

Abstract: A thermography process for thermal imaging systems produced in quantity, including an imaging sensor and an ambient temperature sensor, that includes operations at three different places in the manufacture and actual use of the system. A temperature calibration may be performed on all units of a given design at a small number of controlled scene temperatures at one ambient temperature to produce a function that relates sensor signal to scene temperature. The function is determined for each individual unit and may be unique for each unit. Selected calibrated units may be subjected to a qualification test where they are exposed to larger number of controlled scene temperatures at a plurality of controlled ambient temperatures and the errors between the calibration derived function and the observed results and/or the actual scene temperatures at the various scene/ambient temperature combinations may be derived and put into a table that is loaded into all production units.

Abstract: Imaging systems and methods are disclosed that use locally flat scenes to adjust image data. An imaging system includes an array of photodetectors configured to produce an array of intensity values corresponding to light intensity at the photodetectors. The imaging system can be configured to acquire a frame of intensity values, or an image frame, and analyze the image frame to determine if it is locally flat. If the image frame is locally flat, then that image data can be used to determine gradients present in the image frame. An offset mask can be determined from the image data and that offset mask can be used to adjust subsequently acquired image frames to reduce or remove gradients.

Abstract: An imaging system includes an array of photodetectors configured to produce an array of intensity values corresponding to light intensity at the photodetectors. The imaging system can include a display for display images acquired with the array of photodetectors, after some image and display processing. The image and display processing components of the imaging system produce an array of display-formatted pixels for display on the imaging system display. The display-formatted pixels include at least a first plurality of pixels formatted for display using a first lookup table and a second plurality of pixels formatted for display using a second lookup table. Threshold criteria for choosing which pixels belong to which plurality are determined from analysis of a scene indicated by a user as a background scene.

Abstract: Imaging systems and methods are disclosed that use locally flat scenes to adjust image data. An imaging system includes an array of photodetectors configured to produce an array of intensity values corresponding to light intensity at the photodetectors. The imaging system can be configured to acquire a frame of intensity values, or an image frame, and analyze the image frame to determine if it is locally flat. If the image frame is locally flat, then that image data can be used to determine gradients present in the image frame. An offset mask can be determined from the image data and that offset mask can be used to adjust subsequently acquired image frames to reduce or remove gradients.

Abstract: A thermal weapon sight which includes a thermal imaging sensor, associated control and image processing computational elements, and a display includes one or more of improved reticle centering, shot indication and time lapse image capture, digital zoom, contrast enhancement that acts on displayed data only, and device features such as an eyepiece viewing option and controls disposable on a weapon that allow for weapon sight control without moving hands from weapon operation position.

Abstract: A process for producing an optical element, which may be suitable for use in an infrared camera with sharp surface features and low emissivity surfaces, including the steps of casting the element in the desired shape in a zinc alloy, deburring the zinc alloy element with a thermal deburring operation, and coating the deburred zinc alloy element with an electrocoating operation.

Abstract: An imaging system includes an array of photodetectors that produce an array of intensity values. Image and display processing components of the imaging system produce an array of display-formatted pixels for display on an imaging system display. The display-formatted pixels include a first plurality of pixels associated with a color lookup table and a second plurality of pixels associated with a grey-scale lookup table. The image and display processing components compare pixel intensity values to temperature criteria and apply the color lookup table to pixels satisfying the temperature criteria and apply the grey-scale lookup table to pixels not satisfying the temperature criteria.