Stereo Thermal Imaging Camera System with Gain Offset Compensation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal imaging camera systems cannot accurately produce 3D stereo thermal images due to non-uniformity in temperature sensor element performance between two cameras, leading to mismatched thermal imaging data.
Innovation Solution
A 3D stereo thermal imaging camera system is developed, where one camera acts as a master and the other as a slave, with a stereo & disparity engine ensuring synchronized performance by providing control signals and compensating for differences in gain and offset, allowing for accurate 3D stereo thermal image and depth data generation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If two thermal imaging cameras are used to capture 3D stereo thermal images, then depth perception and thermal information are improved, but detector non-uniformity causes mismatched thermal imaging data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the gain and offset parameters of the slave camera's detector based on reference values from the master camera. This allows the slave camera's thermal imaging characteristics to match the master camera, ensuring consistent and reliable thermal data from both cameras despite detector non-uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the master camera serves as a reference and the slave camera adjusts its detector parameters based on feedback from comparing its thermal imaging data with the master camera's data. This closed-loop control ensures that both cameras produce matched thermal images for accurate 3D stereo reconstruction.
2Measurement precision
If full thermal imaging data from two cameras is processed, then complete 3D thermal reconstruction is achieved, but processing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the disparity data (depth information) from the thermal imaging data rather than processing complete thermal images. By taking out only the essential depth information needed for 3D reconstruction and processing that selectively, the system achieves real-time performance while maintaining accurate 3D thermal reconstruction.
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
The system ensures matched performance between thermal imaging cameras, enabling the creation of accurate 3D stereo thermal images and depth data, overcoming the non-uniformity issue and allowing for high-speed frame processing by focusing on areas of interest.
Implementation Method 1
A 3D stereo image camera system for generating a 3-dimensional (3D) stereo image, which includes: first and second thermal imaging cameras 100a, 100b horizontally spaced apart by a predetermined distance to photograph a subject
Data Source
AI summary
A system for displaying a 3D thermal image by using two thermal imaging cameras and extracting distance/depth data in the thermal images. The system includes two thermal imaging cameras where one thermal imaging camera is used as a master camera serving as a reference and the other is used as a slave camera to correct gain and offset of the thermal images and ensure uniformity. In addition, provided is an apparatus and method for correcting gain and offset of the thermal images to be identical to each other and ensuring uniformity by using a process module separately from two thermal imaging cameras.