Bolometer Thermometric Imaging for Accurate Moving Object Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thermometric cameras struggle to accurately determine the temperature of moving objects due to motion blur and the need for sufficient thermal radiation exposure, which typically requires the object to slow down or stop for accurate measurements.
Innovation Solution
A method and system using a thermometric camera with a bolometer sensor that captures a sequence of image frames, identifies the object in each frame, combines these frames to create a stacked image, and determines temperature from the summed pixel values, compensating for motion by adjusting exposure time and selecting frames based on object position in the field of view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a thermometric camera is used to measure the temperature of a moving object, then temperature measurement capability is provided, but measurement accuracy deteriorates due to motion blur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the continuous thermal measurement process into discrete time segments by capturing multiple image frames at different time points. Each frame captures thermal radiation for a short integration time, and by segmenting the measurement into multiple frames, the system can later combine them to achieve both temporal resolution and motion robustness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from spatial stacking to temporal stacking by collecting thermal data across the time dimension rather than combining spatial information from multiple angles or positions. This temporal dimension approach allows the system to accumulate thermal statistics while accounting for object motion through proper time-based integration of pixel values across frames
2Measurement precision
If the integration time is increased to improve thermal resolution, then temperature measurement accuracy is improved, but the ability to track moving objects deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains continuous thermal measurement by capturing image frames in rapid succession without interruption. The useful action of thermal radiation detection continues across multiple frames with minimal gaps, allowing the system to accumulate sufficient thermal statistics while keeping each individual frame's integration time short enough to track moving objects effectively
3Reliability
If multiple image frames are captured and combined, then temperature measurement reliability is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential thermal information from each image frame by directly combining pixel values that correspond to the same spatial location across frames. This extraction approach focuses on the core thermal signal while discarding unnecessary computational steps, achieving reliable temperature determination without excessive processing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges thermal data from multiple image frames by summing pixel values at corresponding locations to accumulate thermal statistics. This combining operation is computationally efficient compared to more complex fusion methods, as it directly integrates the thermal signals while maintaining the temporal accumulation benefit
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables reliable temperature determination of moving objects without the need for them to slow down, ensuring sufficient thermal radiation exposure and reducing motion blur effects.
Implementation Method 1
capturing a sequence of image frames of the object while the object is moving using a bolometer sensor of the thermometric camera
Data Source
AI summary
A thermometric camera for determining a temperature of an object in motion comprises a bolometer sensor and circuitry. The bolometer sensor captures a sequence of image frames of the object while the object is moving. The circuitry executes: an object identifying function configured to identify an area corresponding to the object in each image frame of a series of image frames among the sequence of image frames; a combining function configured to combine the identified areas from each image frame in the series of image frames into a stacked image of the object, wherein pixel values in the stacked image of the object are estimated as a sum of pixel values of the corresponding pixels in the image frames in the series of image frames; and a temperature determining function configured to determine the temperature of the object in motion from pixel values in the stacked image of the object.