Abstract: Thermal cameras exist at price points and volume manufacturing suitable for practical consideration of integration of thermal camera modules into host electronic devices, including automobiles, PED's—smartphones, tablets, etc. However, individual thermal cameras require extensive unit-specific data to provision and operate each individual camera with acceptable performance. This along with non-standard electrical interfaces, are adoption barriers to host device manufacturers, for example, where some devices, including some PED's, have become bus-based platforms allowing for functional modules to be packaged into common PED's and operated by way of apps. Some modern PED's, for example, include standard high-speed data busses and low-speed control busses. Devices and methods are disclosed for delivering compatibility with standard internal interfaces and storing the camera module's unit-specific data in a memory element on the camera module.

Abstract: Systems and methods that integrate thermal sensors into PED's, where those sensors may include single, or small number, of pixel temperature sensors up to full image capable built-in thermal cameras acting as an additional camera for a PED user. These sensors may be associated with dedicated thermal applications for expert users. For less expert consumers, a capability to pass thermal data through the native visible camera application (app), whose use is already familiar to the PED user, will be provided. This integration of thermal image data with the visible image and familiar visible camera app controls is intended to provide any user with useful thermal information regardless of degree of familiarity with thermal information.

Abstract: Various techniques are disclosed to detect and mitigate the effects of burn-in events occurring in thermal imaging systems. Such events may be attributable to the sun (e.g., solar burn-in) and/or other high thermal energy sources. In one example, a method includes detecting a burn-in event that causes thermal images captured by a focal plane array (FPA) to exhibit a blemish; and mitigating the blemish in the thermal images. In another example, a thermal imaging system includes a focal plane array (FPA) adapted to capture thermal images; and a processor adapted to: detect a burn-in event that causes the thermal images to exhibit a blemish, and mitigate the blemish in the thermal images.