299 results about "Low light level" patented technology

A hybrid image sensor includes an infrared detector array and a CMOS readout integrated circuit (ROIC). The CMOS ROIC is coupled to at least one detector of the IR detector array, e.g., via indium bump bonding. Each pixel of the CMOS ROIC includes a first, relatively lower gain, wide dynamic range amplifier circuit which is optimized for a linear response to high light level input signals from the IR detector. Each pixel also includes a second, relatively higher gain, lower dynamic range amplifier circuit which is optimized to provide a high signal to noise ratio for low light level input signals from the IR detector (or from a second IR detector). A first output select circuit is provided for directing the output of the first circuit to a first output multiplexer. A second output select circuit is provided for directing the output of the second circuit to a second output multiplexer. Thus, separate outputs of the first and second circuits are provided for each of the individual pixel sensors of the CMOS imaging array.

An electronic imaging sensor. The sensor includes an array of photo-sensing pixel elements for producing image frames. Each pixel element defines a photo-sensing region and includes a charge collecting element for collecting electrical charges produced in the photo-sensing region, and a charge storage element for the storage of the collected charges. The sensor also includes charge sensing elements for sensing the collected charges, and charge-to-signal conversion elements. The sensor also includes timing elements for controlling the pixel circuits to produce image frames at a predetermined normal frame rate based on a master clock signal (such as 12 MHz or 10 MHz). This predetermined normal frame rate which may be a video rate (such as about 30 frames per second or 25 frames per second) establishes a normal maximum per frame exposure time. The sensor includes circuits (based on prior art techniques) for adjusting the per frame exposure time (normally based on ambient light levels) and novel frame rate adjusting features for reducing the frame rate below the predetermined normal frame rate, without changing the master clock signal, to permit per frame exposure times above the normal maximum exposure time. This permits good exposures even in very low light levels. (There is an obvious compromise of lowering of the frame rate in conditions of very low light levels, but in most cases this is preferable to inadequate exposure.) These adjustments can be automatic or manual.

This invention is a non-ferrous lighting fixture and non-ferrous lighting system that can be used in areas with high magnetic fields or that require low EMI emissions, such as MRI operating rooms. This invention uses LED's to provide a high-intensity, quality white or other color light that is softened by reflectors and diffusers, and can be dimmed to provide flexible lighting levels. The flexible lighting levels can range from the maximum light used for patient procedures and equipment servicing/maintenance to the lowest light level used to keep a patient comfortable while facing upward on the MRI scanning table. Moreover, by using an aluminum substrate printed circuit board, this invention resolves the thermal issues associated with high-intensity lighting. Not only does this invention resolve glare and hot spot issues, it protects the user and installer from electrical hazards associated with potentially high voltages, as well. Finally, because this invention is completely non-ferrous, it does not interfere with the integrity of the MRI equipment's readings.

A light source apparatus including light spectrum-converting materials that emit light primarily over large portions of the 360 nm-480 nm and the 590-860 nm spectral range is provided. This apparatus provides a cooled, high-luminance, high-efficiency light source that can provide a broader spectrum of light within these spectral ranges than has been cost-practical by using many different dominant peak emission LEDs. Up to 15% of the output radiant power may be in the spectral range 350-480 nm in one embodiment of this device, unless a specific separate source and lamp operating mode is provided for the violet and UV. Control methods for light exposure dose based on monitoring and controlling reflected or backscattered light from the illuminated surface and new heat management methods are also provided. This flexible or rigid light source may be designed into a wide range of sizes or shapes that can be adjusted to fit over or around portions of the bodies of humans or animals being treated, or mounted in such a way as to provide the special spectrum light to other materials or biological processes. This new light source can be designed to provide a cost-effective therapeutic light source for photodynamic therapy, intense pulsed light, for low light level therapy, diagnostics, medical and other biological applications as well as certain non-organic applications.

A CMOS imaging array includes a plurality of individual pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each pixel is constructed the same and includes a photodetector (e.g., photodiode) receiving incident light and generating an output. A first, relatively lower gain, wide dynamic range amplifier circuit is provided responsive to the output of the photodetector. The first circuit is optimized for a linear response to high light level input signals. A second, relatively higher gain, lower dynamic range amplifier circuit is also provided which is responsive to the output of the photodetector. The second circuit is optimized to provide a high signal to noise ratio for low light level input signals. A first output select circuit is provided for directing the output of the first circuit to a first output multiplexer. A second output select circuit is provided for directing the output of the second circuit to a second output multiplexer. Thus, separate outputs of the first and second circuits are provided for each of the individual pixel sensors of the CMOS imaging array. Alternative embodiments incorporate two ore more photodetectors and two or more amplifier circuits and output select circuits. Three photodetectors and three amplifier circuits are useful for an embodiment where the sensor includes a three-color filter matrix.

The cell phone personal safety alarm is a cell phone having a panic alarm button on the back of the phone that activates the alarm when pressed. An alarm shield prevents accidental push of the button and is flipped open to expose the button. Activating the alarm causes a loud alarm tone or siren to sound and red and blue lights or other visual alarm displays to flash. Front and rear cameras transmit live video to an online secure database, where it is recorded to preserve evidence. Front and rear lights may be included for night or low-light level video. An e-911 call is made to notify law enforcement and provide the location of the emergency via the phone's integral global positing system (GPS). In another embodiment, the device is a retrofitting case for existing cell phones that would be able to achieve the same results.

The present invention discloses a processing method and device for improving a colorful image quality under a condition of a low-light level. The method includes: periodically switching an infrared filtering sheet and a full transparent spectrum filtering sheet deployed before an image sensor, and collecting a corresponding infrared filtering image and full transparent image in time; obtaining image color information of the infrared filtering, and obtaining image luminance information of the full transparent image; and performing data fusion process on the image luminance information and the image color information, to output a colorful image. By periodically switching the infrared filtering sheet and the full transparent spectrum filtering sheet deployed before the image sensor, respectively obtaining the luminance information and the color information of the image under the condition of the low-light level via the successively collected image, and combining characteristics of the two images under the condition of the low-light level for synthesis of a new colorful image, the method can reduce noises of the image under the condition of the low-light level, while increasing the luminance of the image, thereby obtaining a colorful image with a better quality in a low-light level environment.

Provided are an apparatus and method of obtaining a high-quality image by efficiently processing an image obtained at low-light levels. The image obtaining apparatus comprises a sensor which detects a pixel array value by using a color filter including color pixels for obtaining a color image and a reference pixel for obtaining a reference image used for hand-trembling function estimation; an exposure controller which controls exposure times of the color pixels and the reference pixel; and an image generator which generates a long-exposure color image signal and a short-exposure reference image signal from the detected pixel array value, the long-exposure color image signal and the short-exposure reference image signal being aligned with each other. Accordingly, accurate estimation of the hand-trembling function is possible, thereby enabling the high-quality color image restoration.

An integrated micro-photomultiplier is disclosed which employs sub-micron-wide channels for electron amplification. These channels are created with standard lithographic and planar-fabrication techniques, and sealed with a vacuum-deposition process. A photocathode, continuous dynode, anode and signal-collector are fabricated along the channels. This photomultiplier design obviates the needs for through-substrate etching, and mechanical assembly of separate layers. Because large-scale-integration techniques can be used to fabricate multiple micro-photomultipliers, significant reductions in device cost and size are expected. The integrated micro-photomultiplier is useful for high-speed, low-light-level optical detection, and may find applications in optical communications, visible or infrared imaging, and chemical or biological sensing.

The present invention provides a hull detection underwater robot that comprises an underwater robot body which is equipped with an environment sensing device, a movement sensing device and a movement executing device. The environment sensing device comprises an ultrasonic thickness gauge, image sonar and an underwater low light level camera. The movement sensing device comprises an optical fiber compass and a depth gauge. The movement executing device comprises a conduit propeller and a three degree of freedom tripod head. All devices are connected with a PC/104 computer in a hyperbaric chamber of the underwater robot body. A control program is embedded in the PC/104 computer. The PC/104 computer collects the information of the environment sending device and the movement sensing device, then communicated with a water surface main control computer for the large data volume network communication of mixed data and outputs a control instruction of the water surface main control computer to the propeller.

The invention provides a method and apparatus for reducing image lag in CMOS active pixel sensors at low light levels by controlling the reset level. By ensuring that the reset level is independent of the preceding signal level, the problem of image lag can be avoided. Always resetting a photodiode to a fixed voltage is a hard reset. The maximum signal swing is limited by the reset level and the column readout amplifier. If the column circuits are not modified, using hard reset can reduce the maximum signal swing. However in dark images only a portion of the full scale is used. Therefore the amplifier gain setting can be used to determine whether to use a hard reset or soft reset. This method and apparatus for using hard or soft reset dependent on signal level improves image quality at low light levels without compromising performance at high illumination.

A transmissive display system is calibrated by applying DAC values for a target color and noting the color displayed on the screen. The displayed color is compared to the target color in high and low ambient light levels to determine if it is within a specified tolerance of the target color. Should the displayed color not be within the tolerance range, a calibration procedure is launched for both the high and low light levels which establishes new DAC values and backlight levels for accurate target color presentation on the screen over a wide dynamic range of input signal levels.

The invention discloses a self-adaptive low-light level image intensification method for reducing color cast, relates to low-light level image intensification methods, and aims to solve the problems that the image color cast is intensified when a conventional low-light level image intensification method is used, and a relatively bright area of an image is over-inhibited or over-intensified when being not well processed. The self-adaptive low-light level image intensification method comprises the following steps: firstly, converting a low-light level image into a RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color space, performing inverted S-shaped conversion, performing inversion, calculating minimum values of different pixel points of reversed images at three RGB channels so as to obtain initial dark channel images, and performing median filtering so as to obtain atmosphere light intensity estimation values; converting the inversion images into an HSV color space, and calculating self-adaptive intensification parameters by taking average gray level values of a V channel as average brightness; calculating transmissivity images according to atmosphere imaging equations, modifying so as to obtain transmissivity smooth images, with the atmosphere imaging equations, performing demisting operation on the three RGB channels of the inversion images, performing inversion, and performing S-shaped conversion, thereby obtaining finally intensified images. The self-adaptive low-light level image intensification method is applicable to intensification processing on images.

The CMOS image sensor comprises a pixel matrix, a row decoder correspondingly connected to the rows in the pixel matrix, and a column decode correspondingly connected to the columns in the pixel matrix through a correlated double sampling circuit. The pixel matrix is composed of a group of pixel element circuits, which are logarithm type response pixel element circuits. The logarithm type response pixel element circuits includes a transistor connected to power supply and working at sub-threshold area for use in implementing the logarithm type response of the pixel element circuit. In the invention, an A/D conversion by a multi resolution quantization A/D converter can be adopted to make A/D conversion, amplify the signal at low light level and compress the signal at high light level in order to get a dynamical range over 80 db.

An apparatus for generating depth image is provided, the apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure being configured to perform an accurate stereo matching even in a low light level by obtaining RGB images and/or IR images, and using the obtained RGB images and/or IR images to extraction of a depth image.

The invention relates to an absolute radiometric calibration method for a satellite staring planar array CCD camera. The absolute radiometric calibration method comprises the steps of firstly establishing a linear quantitative relationship between digital DN value information after relative radiometric calibration for remote sensing image data of the satellite staring planar array CCD camera and radiation energy information at entrance pupil of the satellite staring planar array CCD camera, and a radiation energy model at the entrance pupil of the satellite staring planar array CCD camera in sea imaging; then calculating to obtain radiation energy L at the entrance pupil of the satellite staring planar array CCD camera in low light level imaging of the sea area at morning or nightfall and acquire a sample average value of all probing digital DN values of the satellite staring planar array CCD camera after the relative radiometric calibration to be used as an average digital DN value DNR of the satellite staring planar array CCD camera probing units; and finally performing linear fitting on the above L and DNR and calculating to obtain an absolute radiometric calibration coefficient. The absolute radiometric calibration method overcomes the technical problem of no absolute radiometric calibration method for in-orbit operation of the satellite staring planar array CCD camera.

The invention discloses a method for adopting an LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp for supplementing cucumber seedlings with light. The method comprises the following steps: adopting red and blue light combination for supplementing the cucumber seedlings with light under the condition of natural low light level (light intensity less than or equal to 35micromol.m2.s1), wherein the wavelength of the red light is 630-650nm, the wavelength of the blue light is 430-450nm and the density ratio of effective photosynthetic light quantum of the red light and the blue light is 2 to 1(2R1B) or 1 to 2(1R2B); adjusting the current of LED lamp power supply, for achieving the supplementary light intensity of 50-100 micromol.m2.s1; supplementing light at regular time by adopting a timing controller, wherein the light supplementing time is from 6 am to 6 pm in each day. According to the method provided by the invention, the LED lamp combined with different red and blue light ratios is adopted for supplementing the generally cultured cucumber seedlings with light; the method has the obvious boosting effect on the cucumber seedlings; the stem diameter, complete stool weight, strong seedling index, single plant leave area, root activity, net photosynthetic rate, SOD activity and POD activity of the cucumber seedlings can be effectively increased; the culturing for strong seedlings is realized.