Overlaying Mid-Wave Infrared Pulse Locations on Visible Imagery
Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for pulse detection and imaging, particularly in surveillance applications, face challenges in accurately locating and displaying mid-wave infrared light pulses in real-time imagery, which is crucial for situational awareness but often missed due to high frame rates and covert wavelengths.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an imaging device and a display device that captures and overlays the location of mid-wave infrared light pulses within a pulse sequence, ensuring the pulses are visually detectable by synchronizing image capture with predicted pulse arrival times and displaying graphical or textual overlays to indicate pulse locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the imaging device operates at high frame rates to capture real-time imagery, then the productivity is improved, but the measurement precision of light pulse location deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of light pulses using a dedicated pulse detection device before the imaging device captures the frame. This allows the system to predict where pulses will occur and synchronize the imaging capture to actually record them, resolving the contradiction between high frame rates and pulse location precision.
Solution Approach 2:
A pulse detection device acts as an intermediary between the light pulses and the imaging device. This intermediary detects pulses at the covert wavelengths and provides location data to the imaging device, enabling the imaging device to capture pulses accurately even at high frame rates without missing them.
2Reliability
If the imaging device uses covert wavelengths for light pulses, then the reliability of detection is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pulse detection device serves as an intermediary specialized in detecting covert wavelength pulses. It converts the difficult-to-detect covert wavelength signals into usable location information that can be overlaid on the visible imagery, maintaining detection reliability while reducing the difficulty of measurement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces direct visual/mechanical detection of covert wavelength pulses with an electronic detection system that can sense these wavelengths and translate them into location data for display overlay, overcoming the inherent difficulty of detecting covert wavelengths.
3Loss of information
If the system overlays pulse location data on the image, then the loss of information is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the pulse detection device with the imaging device and display device into an integrated system. The pulse location data from the detection device is combined with the image data and overlaid on the display, reducing information loss while managing complexity through integration rather than separate standalone components.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for display systems and methods associated with pulse detection and imaging. In one example, a system includes an imaging device configured to capture an image that includes a light pulse of a pulse sequence. The system further includes a display device. The display device is configured to receive data associated with the pulse sequence, where the data includes a location of the light pulse. The display device is further configured to display the image and an overlay on the image. The overlay is indicative of the location of the light pulse. Related devices and methods are also provided.