阅读说明：本技术 使用多波段传感器阵列系统和方法动态确定辐射值
(Dynamically determining radiation values using multi-band sensor array systems and methods
) 是由 H·维克伦德
J·桑德斯滕 于 2018-12-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了一种用于定量检测到的气体的改进技术。在一个示例中,一种方法包括在传感器阵列处从场景接收红外辐射,该传感器阵列包括分别与红外辐射的第一波长范围和第二波长范围相关联的第一组红外传感器和第二组红外传感器。该方法还包括分别由该第一组红外传感器和第二组红外传感器捕获第一图像和第二图像。该方法还包括检测第一图像中的背景对象。该方法还包括跟踪该背景对象以识别第二图像中的背景对象。该方法还包括利用第一辐射值和第二辐射值更新辐射场景图,该第一辐射值和第二辐射值与该第一图像和第二图像相关联,并且与该场景中的背景对象的位置相关。该方法还包括使用该辐射场景图执行气体定量。还提供了其他系统和方法。(An improved technique for quantifying a detected gas is provided. In one example, a method includes receiving infrared radiation from a scene at a sensor array including first and second sets of infrared sensors associated with first and second wavelength ranges of infrared radiation, respectively. The method also includes capturing first and second images by the first and second sets of infrared sensors, respectively. The method also includes detecting a background object in the first image. The method also includes tracking the background object to identify a background object in the second image. The method also includes updating a radiance scene map with first and second radiance values associated with the first and second images and related to a location of a background object in the scene. The method also includes performing gas quantification using the radiation scene map. Other systems and methods are also provided.)
1. A method, comprising:
receiving infrared radiation from a scene at a sensor array, the sensor array including first and second sets of infrared sensors associated with first and second wavelength ranges of infrared radiation, respectively;
capturing first and second images by the first and second sets of infrared sensors, respectively;
detecting a background object in the first image;
tracking the background object to identify the background object in the second image;
updating a radiance scene map with first and second radiance values associated with the first and second images and related to a location of the background object in the scene; and
performing gas quantification using the radiation scene map.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a force at the sensor array between capturing the first image and the second image to move a position of the background object in the second image relative to the first image.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein:
the method is performed by a handheld thermal imager; and is
The force is caused by a user while holding the thermal imager.
4. The method of claim 2, further comprising operating an actuator to provide a force to the sensor array.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the movement corresponds to an odd number of pixel movements of the second image relative to the pixels of the first image.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the receiving by an update to a plurality of background objects to update the radiation scene map with radiation values associated with a plurality of locations of the background objects in the scene prior to performing the gas quantification.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the first wavelength range is associated with a gas band of a gas of interest; and is
The second wavelength range is associated with a gas-free band.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of infrared sensors and the second set of infrared sensors are arranged in an alternating checkerboard pattern or an alternating column pattern.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
performing object detection to detect a gas plume in at least one of the images; and
refraining from updating the radiation scene map for the location of the gas plume in the scene.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
capturing a third image and a fourth image by the first set of infrared sensors and the second set of infrared sensors, respectively; and
processing the third image and the fourth image to detect gas in the scene prior to performing the gas quantification.
11. A system, comprising:
a sensor array configured to receive infrared radiation from a scene, the sensor array comprising:
a first set of infrared sensors configured to capture a first image associated with a first wavelength range of the infrared radiation, an
A second set of infrared sensors configured to capture a second image associated with a second wavelength range of the infrared radiation; and
a processor configured to:
detecting a background object in the first image;
tracking the background object to identify the background object in the second image;
updating a radiance scene map with first and second radiance values associated with the first and second images and related to a location of the background object in the scene; and
performing gas quantification using the radiation scene map.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor array is configured to: receiving a force between capturing the first image and the second image to move a position of the background object in the second image relative to the first image.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein:
the system is a handheld thermal imager; and is
The force is caused by a user while holding the thermal imager.
14. The system of claim 12, further comprising an actuator configured to provide a force to the sensor array.
15. The system of claim 12, wherein the movement corresponds to an odd number of pixel movements of the second image relative to the pixels of the first image.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to: updating the radiation scene map with radiation values associated with a plurality of locations of the background object in the scene prior to performing the gas quantification.
17. The system of claim 11, wherein:
the first wavelength range is associated with a gas band of a gas of interest; and is
The second wavelength range is associated with a gas-free band.
18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first set of infrared sensors and the second set of infrared sensors are arranged in an alternating checkerboard pattern or an alternating column pattern.
19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:
performing object detection to detect a gas plume in at least one of the images; and
refraining from updating the radiation scene map for the location of the gas plume in the scene.
20. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to: processing third and fourth images captured by the first and second sets of infrared sensors, respectively, to detect gas in the scene prior to performing the gas quantification.
Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to infrared imaging and, more particularly, to gas detection and quantification using thermal images.
Background
In the field of Optical Gas Imaging (OGI), various techniques are employed to detect the presence of gases, for example, a particular gas may emit and/or absorb infrared (e.g., thermal) radiation of a particular wavelength in a particular manner. An image of the scene may be captured and analyzed to determine if radiation of certain wavelengths is present. By comparing these wavelengths to wavelengths associated with known gases, the presence of a particular gas of interest can be determined.
However, even if the presence of gas is detected, many existing OGI systems are unable to quantify the amount of gas present in a scene to the required accuracy. Thus, conventional gas quantification techniques can be problematic.
For example, gas quantification calculations may be complicated by certain time-varying factors (e.g., scattering, emissivity, and reflectivity related to infrared radiation associated with background objects and/or passing through the atmosphere). These factors can be problematic when attempting to measure minute gas concentration lengths and mass flow rates in real life by using passive gas visualization.
Although some atmospheric factors may be reduced by shortening the distance of the infrared imager to the imaged scene, even at short distances, reflectivity variations associated with background objects in the scene can still present problems. In particular, such reflectivity may vary significantly as a function of wavelength, based on the surface characteristics of the background object.
For example, background objects may include various types of materials, such as concrete, grass, wood, steel, paint, and many other materials. These materials may exhibit different radiation characteristics. For example, these materials may have different reflective properties in different infrared wavelength ranges.
Gases present in the scene may also have different radiation characteristics in different infrared wavelength ranges (e.g., may or may not overlap with wavelengths associated with background materials). Thus, conventional OGI systems may have difficulty successfully quantifying the amount of gas in a detected scene without also providing sufficient information to the conventional OGI systems regarding the radiation values associated with background portions of the scene at different infrared wavelength ranges. In particular, many conventional OGI systems are typically limited to detection in a single band and therefore cannot support sufficiently accurate quantitative determination of gases.
Disclosure of Invention
An improved technique for quantifying a detected gas is provided. In various embodiments, two or more types of infrared sensors may be used to detect different infrared (e.g., thermal) wavelength ranges of a background portion of a scene. By tracking the motion of background objects with infrared sensors associated with different wavelength ranges (e.g., bands) and imaging them, a radiation scene map of a plurality of radiation values corresponding to the different wavelength ranges for a background portion of the scene may be determined. The radiation scene map can be used to better distinguish between detected gas and background portions of the scene, thereby improving the ability of the system to quantify gas with greater accuracy than conventional single band techniques.
In one embodiment, a method is provided, comprising: receiving infrared radiation from a scene at a sensor array, the sensor array including first and second sets of infrared sensors associated with first and second wavelength ranges of infrared radiation, respectively; capturing a first image and a second image by the first set of infrared sensors and the second set of infrared sensors, respectively; detecting a background object in the first image; tracking the background object to identify the background object in the second image; updating a radiance scene map with first and second radiance values associated with the first and second images and related to a location of the background object in the scene; and performing gas quantification using the radiation scene map.
In another embodiment, a system is provided that includes a sensor array configured to receive infrared radiation from a scene, the sensor array comprising: a first set of infrared sensors configured to capture a first image associated with a first wavelength range of the infrared radiation, and a second set of infrared sensors configured to capture a second image associated with a second wavelength range of the infrared radiation; and a processor configured to: detecting a background object in the first image; tracking the background object to identify the background object in the second image; updating a radiance scene map with first and second radiance values associated with the first and second images and related to a location of the background object in the scene; and performing gas quantification using the radiation scene map.
The scope of the invention is defined by the claims, which are incorporated into this section by reference. A more complete understanding of embodiments of the present invention will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of one or more embodiments. Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, which will first be described briefly.
Drawings
Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of an imaging system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an image capture component according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 3 illustrates an array of sensors in relation to various locations of an imaged scene in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of an infrared sensor and one or more associated filters according to an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 5 shows several positions of a scene relative to a sensor array to prepare a radiation scene map in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.
Fig. 6 illustrates a process of constructing a radiation scene map according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 7 illustrates a process of determining radiance values for scene locations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 8 illustrates a process of performing gas detection and quantification according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures.
Detailed Description
According to various embodiments provided herein, radiance values of a background portion of a scene may be determined using an infrared sensor array that provides pixel values associated with two or more infrared bands (e.g., a "dual band" or "dual color" infrared sensor). In this regard, the sensor array may include two or more sets of infrared sensors responsive to different infrared bands. For example, in some embodiments, one set of infrared sensors may be responsive to a gas transparent band (e.g., a gas-free band not associated with absorption of a gas of interest), while another set of infrared sensors may be responsive to a gas absorption band (e.g., a gas band).
In some embodiments, a motion detection process (e.g., including object detection, position tracking, image stabilization, and/or other techniques) may be performed on infrared images captured by different sets of infrared sensors to determine whether the same object at a given location in the scene was captured by different types of infrared sensors. For example, it may be detected whether an object is captured in an infrared image by one type of infrared sensor, and it may be further detected whether an object is captured by a different type of infrared sensor corresponding to a different wavelength range in a subsequent image. In some embodiments, physical forces applied to the sensor array due to, for example, user movement of the sensor array (e.g., vibration or shaking of the user's hand when using a handheld thermal imager), intentional motion of the sensor array and/or optical elements associated therewith, and/or other motion, may result in movement of an object across the field of view of the sensor array.
Since infrared images of all background locations of the scene are captured (e.g., by translation or other types of motion of the sensor array), the radiation values captured by the two types of infrared sensors may be gradually acquired and added to the radiation scene map (e.g., also referred to as a balance map). Over time, a complete radiation scene map of the entire background of the scene may be compiled having two or more radiation values associated with each background location in the scene.
In various embodiments, radiation patterns may be used to provide improved quantitative determination of gas for detected gas within a scene. In particular, multiple radiation values may be used to provide improved gas concentration x length measurements to support quantitative gas flow estimation calculations. By determining radiation values associated with different wavelength ranges of a background portion of a scene, an imaging system may be able to more accurately distinguish between the background portion and the gas between the background portion and the infrared detector, thereby reducing problems associated with different background emissivities, and thus improving gas quantitative calculations.
In some cases, there may be a gas plume in the scene that is located between the infrared sensor array and the background portion of the scene. Thus, in some embodiments, an object detection process may be performed on the captured image to determine which pixels are associated with the gas plume and which pixels are not associated with the gas plume. In this regard, if a gas plume is detected, the radiation values of those pixels captured may be ignored in order to determine the background radiation value of the radiation scene map.
In various embodiments, different images responsive to different wavelengths (e.g., different wavelength ranges corresponding to different wavelength bands) may be captured. In addition, the signals may be balanced (e.g., normalized) with respect to each other, for example, by providing different physical configurations of various structures in the infrared sensors and/or by performing additional processing on the signals provided by different sets of infrared sensors.
In some embodiments, different sets of infrared sensors may be staggered with respect to each other and distributed throughout the sensor array. Thus, adjacent infrared sensors may capture different images that are spatially and temporally aligned with each other. For example, the infrared sensors may be responsive to different spectral bands to capture different features in the images (e.g., a gas of interest in one image and a background portion of the scene in another image). Such images may be advantageously used to detect the presence of gas with greater accuracy and confidence.
Thus, the sensor array may effectively capture at least two different images of the scene simultaneously. For example, the first image may correspond to a first wavelength range of infrared radiation, and the second image may correspond to a second wavelength range of infrared radiation.
In some embodiments, successive images may be captured over time, with various movements of the sensor array occurring between such captures. For example, different groups of infrared sensors may simultaneously capture images at a first time and then perform a motion, after which different groups of infrared sensors may simultaneously capture additional images at a second time. Background objects may be detected and tracked on the respective images to determine a plurality of radiation values corresponding to different wavelength ranges of objects associated with particular locations in the imaged scene.
By implementing at least two types of infrared sensors associated with at least two different spectral bands (e.g., wavelength ranges), the captured images can be used to detect and quantify a gas of interest. For example, a set of infrared sensors may provide an image of pixels corresponding to the response of the sensor array at the gas wavelengths (e.g., a "gas image" consisting of corresponding "gas pixels") in response to the wavelengths associated with the gas. Another set of infrared sensors may provide another image (e.g., a "gas-free image" consisting of corresponding "gas-free pixels") whose pixels correspond to the response of the sensor array at background wavelengths in response to wavelengths associated with background radiation of the scene. In some examples, the wavelengths of the images may overlap (e.g., both images may be responsive to background wavelengths while only one image is further responsive to gas wavelengths). The different response characteristics of the infrared sensor group may be used to provide an image that is effectively filtered according to the response characteristics of the infrared sensors.
In various embodiments, the particular wavelength ranges may be selected such that all sensors (e.g., receiving gaseous or non-gaseous filtered infrared radiation) exhibit a response (e.g., providing a signal) corresponding to a desired range of pixel values of the captured image. Thus, the captured images may be more efficiently processed, calibrated, and compared to one another.
In some cases, the gas image may exhibit a low Noise Equivalent Concentration Length (NECL) and a high gas contrast. In addition, the gas-free image may only exhibit a minimal contribution to absorption or emission associated with the gas of interest. Thus, the resulting gas image and gas-free image may exhibit high image quality and may be used for accurate quantification and gas visualization. Thus, in some embodiments, various wavelength ranges may be optimized to achieve low NECL and high gas contrast. Also, in some embodiments, the various wavelength ranges and locations of filter-related components may be selected to minimize reflectivity (e.g., to avoid a rapidly changing response due to reflectivity, which may result in the infrared sensor exhibiting a time-varying, inconsistent signal).
Such an arrangement is in contrast to conventional single filter approaches that filter only a portion of the sensor array. In this single filter approach, only a subset of the sensors are filtered to generate an image that identifies background radiation, while the remaining unfiltered sensors are used to generate an image that identifies the gas of interest. Thus, the unfiltered sensor receives infrared radiation over a wide range of wavelengths, while the filtered sensor receives only a filtered portion of the infrared radiation. This can result in a significant difference in the response of the filtered and unfiltered sensors of the array. In this case, various calibrations must be performed for both unfiltered and filtered sensors. Thus, images from both filtered and unfiltered images may not be fully captured at the same time.
Furthermore, in conventional single filter approaches, there is typically a significant overlap in the wavelengths of the infrared radiation received by the filtered and unfiltered sensors. For example, the background radiation filter may still pass at least a subset of the wavelengths associated with the gas of interest. Thus, the presence of gas in the imaged scene may cause both the filtered and unfiltered sensors to respond. Using filtered and unfiltered images may significantly complicate the gas visualization and quantification process and reduce accuracy. For example, an unfiltered image may correspond to a wider range of wavelengths, resulting in a lower gas contrast. In addition, the filtered image may exhibit high Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) values due to its narrow band, thereby degrading the accuracy of the quantification.
In contrast, as discussed herein, the use of at least two sets of infrared sensors whose responses correspond to different wavelength bands and are located adjacently allows two different filtered images to be reliably captured and efficiently processed. For example, because different infrared sensors are distributed throughout the sensor array, different images captured by different infrared sensors are physically aligned (e.g., to remove parallax between the images) and temporally aligned (e.g., captured simultaneously).
Likewise, in the case where all of the sensors of the array are pre-filtered (e.g., pre-filtered through a full array filter), the excess out-of-band infrared radiation is removed, and thus, the resulting pixels correspond only to the particular wavelength of interest. Thus, in some embodiments, the sensor may be calibrated with the same integration period (e.g., integration time) and exhibit acceptably low NETD values. In other embodiments, different integration times may be used for different types of infrared sensors to further balance the signals provided thereby to the captured image.
Although sensor arrays having two types of infrared sensors associated with two corresponding wavelength ranges are discussed herein, it should be understood that other types of infrared sensors may be used. For example, in some embodiments, three or more images may be used, each image corresponding to one of three or more wavelength ranges, where appropriate. Similarly, in some embodiments, additional radiation values may be associated with the radiation scene map.
Turning now to the drawings, fig. 1 shows a block diagram of an imaging system 100 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The imaging system 100 may be used to capture and process images according to the techniques described herein. In some embodiments, various components of the imaging system 100 may be provided in a camera component 101 (e.g., an imaging camera). In other embodiments, one or more components of the imaging system 100 may be implemented remotely from each other in a distributed manner (e.g., networked or otherwise).
In some embodiments, the imaging system 100 may be used to detect and/or quantify one or more gases of interest within the scene 170. For example, the imaging system 100 may be configured to capture one or more images of the scene 170 using the camera component 101 (e.g., a thermal imaging camera) in response to infrared radiation 171 received from the scene 170. The infrared radiation 171 may correspond to wavelengths emitted and/or absorbed by gas 172 within the scene 170, as well as other wavelengths emitted and/or absorbed by a background portion 173 of the scene 170 that includes one or more background objects 175.
The captured image may be received by the processing component 110 and stored in the memory component 120. Processing component 110 may be configured to process the captured images in accordance with the gas detection and quantification techniques discussed herein.
In some embodiments, imaging system 100 includes processing component 110, machine-readable medium 113, memory component 120, image capture component 130 (e.g., implemented by sensor array 228 of infrared sensors 230 including at least two sets of alternating sensors, discussed further below), one or more optical filters 133, optical component 132 (e.g., one or more lenses configured to receive infrared radiation 171 through aperture 134 in camera component 101), image capture interface component 136, display component 140, control component 150, communication component 152, and other sensing component 160.
In some embodiments, the imaging system 100 may be implemented as an imaging camera (e.g., camera component 101) to capture images of, for example, a scene 170 (e.g., a field of view). In some embodiments, the camera component 101 may include an image capture component 130, an optical component 132, and an image capture interface component 136 housed in a protective case (e.g., a housing). In various embodiments, any desired combination of components of the system 100 may be suitably disposed in a housing or other type of protective cover that may be held and/or mounted in a fixed position by a user. Imaging system 100 may represent, for example, any type of camera system that detects electromagnetic radiation (e.g., infrared radiation 171) and provides representative data (e.g., one or more still images or video images). For example, the imaging system 100 may represent a camera component 101 for detecting infrared radiation and/or visible light and providing associated image data.
In some embodiments, the imaging system 100 may comprise a portable device and may be implemented, for example, to couple to various types of vehicles (e.g., automobiles, trucks, or other land vehicles). The imaging system 100 may be implemented with the camera assembly 101 in various types of fixed scenes (e.g., motorway, train railway, or other scenes) with one or more types of structural supports. In some embodiments, the camera components 101 may be mounted in a fixed arrangement to capture repeated images of the scene 170.
In some embodiments, processing component 110 may include any desired type of logic circuitry, such as, for example, a microprocessor, a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device, a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) device, one or more memories for storing executable instructions (e.g., software, firmware, or other instructions), and/or any other suitable combination of processing devices and/or memories, to execute instructions to perform any of the various operations described herein. Processing component 110 is configured to interface with and communicate with the various components shown in fig. 1 to perform the methods and process steps as described herein. In various embodiments, it should be understood that the processing operations and/or instructions may be incorporated into software and/or hardware as part of the processing component 110, or may be incorporated into code (e.g., software or configuration data) stored in the memory component 120. Embodiments of the processing operations and/or instructions disclosed herein may be stored by the machine-readable medium 113 in a non-transitory manner (e.g., memory, hard drive, optical disc, digital video disc, or flash memory) for execution by a computer (e.g., a logic-based or processor-based system) to perform the various methods disclosed herein.
In various embodiments, machine-readable medium 113 may be included as part of imaging system 100 and/or separate from imaging system 100, wherein the stored instructions are provided to imaging system 100 by coupling machine-readable medium 113 to imaging system 100 and/or by downloading the instructions from a machine-readable medium (e.g., containing transitory information) by imaging system 100. In various embodiments, the instructions provide a real-time application for processing the various images of the scene 170, as described herein.
In some embodiments, memory component 120 may include one or more memory devices (e.g., one or more memories) to store data and information. The one or more memory devices may include various types of memory, including volatile and non-volatile memory devices, such as RAM (random access memory), ROM (read only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable read only memory), flash memory, or other types of memory. In one embodiment, the processing component 110 is configured to execute software stored in the memory component 120 and/or the machine-readable medium 113 to perform various methods, processes, and operations in the manner described herein.
In some embodiments, the image capture component 130 may include a sensor array (e.g., any type of visible light, infrared, or other type of detector) for capturing an image of the scene 170. In one embodiment, the sensor of the image capture component 130 is used to represent (e.g., convert) the captured image of the scene 170 into digital data (e.g., via an analog-to-digital converter included in and part of the sensor or separate from the sensor as part of the imaging system 100). As discussed further herein, the image capture component 130 can be implemented as an infrared sensor array having at least two different types of sensors distributed among the various sensors of the array and used to capture different wavelength ranges.
As also shown, the camera component 101 may also include actuators 131, 135, and 137 that are controlled by the processing component 110 through a connection 141. In some embodiments, processing component 110 may control actuators 131, 135, and/or 137 via signals provided via connection 141 to move optical component 132, filter 133, and/or image capture component 130 (e.g., to adjust the physical location of the optical path provided by such components relative to scene 170). The camera assembly 101 may also include a motion sensor 139 (e.g., an accelerometer or other suitable device) for detecting motion of the camera assembly 101 and providing a corresponding signal to the processing assembly 110 via connection 141. As discussed further herein, images corresponding to different wavelength ranges of the same location of the scene 170 may be captured as a result of intentional motion of the actuator 131/135/137 and/or motion detected by the motion sensor 139.
In some embodiments, the processing component 110 may be configured to receive images from the image capture component 130 over the connection 141, process the images, store raw and/or processed images in the memory component 120, and/or retrieve stored images from the memory component 120. In various aspects, the processing component 110 may be remotely located, and the processing component 110 may be configured to remotely receive images from the image capture component 130 via wired or wireless communication with the image capture interface component 136, as described herein. The processing component 110 can be configured to process images stored in the memory component 120 to provide images (e.g., captured and/or processed images) to the display component 140 for viewing by a user.
In some embodiments, display component 140 may include an image display device (e.g., a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)) or various other types of commonly known video displays or monitors. Processing component 110 may be configured to display image data and information on display component 140. Processing component 110 may be configured to retrieve image data and information from memory component 120 and display any retrieved image data and information on display component 140. Display component 140 can include display electronics that processing component 110 can use to display image data and information. The display component 140 may receive image data and information directly from the image capture component 130 via the processing component 110 or may transmit image data and information from the memory component 120 via the processing component 110.
In some embodiments, the control component 150 may include a user input and/or interface device having one or more user-actuated components (e.g., one or more buttons, sliders, rotatable knobs, or keyboards configured to generate one or more user-actuated input control signals). Control component 150 may be configured to be integrated as part of display component 140 to function as both a user input device and a display device, such as, for example, a touch screen device configured to receive input signals from different portions of a display screen touched by a user. The processing component 110 may be configured to sense control input signals from the control component 150 and respond to any sensed control input signals received therefrom.
In some embodiments, the control component 150 may include a control panel unit (e.g., a wired or wireless handheld control unit) having one or more user-actuated mechanisms (e.g., buttons, knobs, sliders, or other mechanisms) configured to interface with a user and receive user-input control signals. In various embodiments, it is understood that the control panel unit may be configured to include one or more other user-actuated mechanisms to provide various other control operations of the imaging system 100, such as auto-focus, menu enablement and selection, field of view (FoV), brightness, contrast, gain, offset, spatial, temporal, and/or other various features and/or parameters.
In some embodiments, control component 150 may include a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that may be integrated as part of display component 140 (e.g., a user-actuated touch screen), display component 140 having one or more images of a user-actuated mechanism (e.g., a button, knob, slider, or other mechanism) configured to interface with a user and receive user-input control signals through display component 140. As an example of one or more embodiments discussed further herein, display component 140 and control component 150 may represent appropriate portions of a tablet, laptop, desktop, or other type of device.
In some embodiments, the processing component 110 may be configured to communicate with the image capture interface component 136 (e.g., by receiving data and information from the image capture component 130). The image capture interface component 136 can be configured to receive images from the image capture component 130 and communicate the images to the processing component 110, either directly or through one or more wired or wireless communication components (e.g., represented by connection 141), in the manner of the communication component 152 described further herein. In various embodiments, the camera component 101 and the processing component 110 may be proximate to or remote from each other.
In some embodiments, depending on the sensing application or implementation, the imaging system 100 may include one or more other types of sensing components 160 (including environmental and/or operational sensors), the sensing components 160 providing information to the processing component 110 (e.g., by receiving sensor information from each sensing component 160). In various embodiments, other sensing components 160 may be configured to provide data and information related to environmental conditions, such as internal and/or external temperature conditions, light conditions (e.g., day, night, dusk, and/or dawn), humidity levels, specific weather conditions (e.g., sunny, rainy, and/or snowy), distance (e.g., laser rangefinders), and/or whether a tunnel, indoor parking lot, or some type of enclosure has been entered or exited. Accordingly, the other sensing components 160 may include one or more conventional sensors known to those skilled in the art for monitoring various conditions (e.g., environmental conditions) that may affect data provided by the image capture component 130 (e.g., affect the appearance of an image).
In some embodiments, the other sensing component 160 can include a device that relays information to the processing component 110 via wireless communication. For example, each sensing component 160 may be configured to receive information from a satellite through local broadcast (e.g., radio frequency) transmissions, through mobile or cellular networks, and/or through information beacons in an infrastructure (e.g., transmission or highway information beacon infrastructure) or other various wired or wireless technologies.
In some embodiments, communications component 152 may be implemented as a Network Interface Component (NIC) configured to communicate with a network including other devices in the network. In various embodiments, communications component 152 may include one or more wired or wireless communications components, such as an ethernet connection, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) component based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, a wireless broadband component, a mobile cellular component, a wireless satellite component, or various other types of wireless communications components, including Radio Frequency (RF), microwave frequency (MWF), and/or infrared frequency (IRF) components configured to communicate with a network. As such, the communication component 152 can include an antenna coupled to the communication component 152 for wireless communication purposes. In other embodiments, the communication component 152 may be configured to interface with a DSL (e.g., digital subscriber line) modem, a PSTN (public switched telephone network) modem, an ethernet device, and/or various other types of wired and/or wireless network communication devices configured to communicate with a network.
In some embodiments, the network may be implemented as a single network or a combination of networks. For example, in various embodiments, the network may include the internet and/or one or more intranets, landline networks, wireless networks, and/or other suitable types of communication networks. In another example, the network may include a wireless telecommunications network (e.g., a cellular telephone network) configured to communicate with other communication networks, such as the internet. As such, in various embodiments, the imaging system 100 and/or various associated components thereof may be associated with a particular network link (e.g., such as a URL (uniform resource locator), IP (internet protocol) address, and/or mobile phone number).
Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of the image capture component 130 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. In the illustrated embodiment, the image capture component 130 is a Focal Plane Array (FPA) that includes a sensor array 228 of infrared sensors 230 (e.g., implemented as unit cells) and a readout integrated circuit (ROIC) 202. Although an 8 x 8 array of infrared sensors 230 is shown, and the present disclosure further identifies other array sizes, this is for purposes of example and ease of illustration only. Any desired sensor array size may be used as desired.
The ROIC 202 includes bias generation and timing control circuitry 204, column amplifiers 205, column multiplexers 206, row multiplexers 208, and output amplifiers 210. Images captured by infrared sensor 230 may be provided by output amplifier 210 to processing component 110 and/or any other suitable component to perform the various processing techniques described herein. Further description of ROIC and infrared sensors (e.g., microbolometer circuits) can be found in U.S. patent No.6,028,309, issued 2/22/2000, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
For example, each infrared sensor 230 may be implemented by an infrared detector (e.g., a microbolometer) and associated circuitry to provide image data (e.g., data values related to captured voltages) for pixels of a captured image. In this regard, the time-division multiplexed electrical signals may be provided to the ROIC 202 by the infrared sensor 230.
Referring now to fig. 3, sensor array 228 may include at least two sets of infrared sensors 230 (e.g., identified as infrared sensors 230A and 230B), each set for capturing a different wavelength range (e.g., a gas band and a non-gas band). In various embodiments, infrared sensors 230A and 230B may be arranged in various patterns to allow two images corresponding to different spectral response patterns to be captured by the same FPA.
For example, FIG. 3 shows a sensor array 228 having two sets of infrared sensors 230A and 230B arranged in an alternating checkerboard pattern in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Other patterns are also contemplated, including, for example, alternating row or column patterns (e.g., rows and columns may be used interchangeably herein), and/or other suitable patterns.
In fig. 3, the scene 170 is represented by various scene locations 330 corresponding to locations in the radiation scene graph 310. As discussed herein, radiation values corresponding to two different wavelength ranges for all scene locations 330 may be captured to fill the radiation scene graph 310 for gas concentration processing.
As also shown in fig. 3, the sensor array 228 is positioned in front of the scene 170 to capture images corresponding to the subset 328 of the radiation scene map 310. For example, as shown, one of infrared sensors 230A is positioned to receive infrared radiation 171 (e.g., filtered radiation 174 in some embodiments) from scene location 330(1) of subset 328. Another infrared sensor 230B is positioned to receive infrared radiation 171 (e.g., filtered radiation 174 in some embodiments) from scene position 330(2) of subset 328. Because infrared sensors 230A and 230B are used to capture different wavelength ranges, two different infrared images 350A and 350B of different locations 330 in subset 328 may be captured, each infrared image corresponding to a different wavelength range.
Various embodiments may be used to capture different wavelength ranges by infrared sensors 230A and 230B. For example, in some embodiments, the structures of infrared sensors 230A and 230B may be configured such that they exhibit a particular spectral response pattern corresponding to a particular wavelength range, e.g., microbolometers configured with various types of absorbing layers, bridge structures, leg structures, material choices, and/or other components, such as those set forth in U.S. patent application No.62/612,272 filed on 29/12/2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In some embodiments, one or more filters implemented with a photomask, substrate, coating, and/or other material may be positioned in front of infrared sensors 230A and 230B (e.g., as part of optical component 132, filter 133, and/or other components) to filter infrared radiation 171 such that infrared sensors 230A and 230B receive filtered infrared radiation corresponding to a desired wavelength range. In some embodiments, any of the filters contemplated herein can be implemented according to those proposed in international patent application No. pct/US2017/064759 filed on 5.12.2017, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In some embodiments, such filters may be provided with FPAs implemented with a unified set of infrared sensors 230 (e.g., no different physical configuration is provided between infrared sensors 230A and 230B). In other embodiments, such filters may provide an FPA implemented with one or more of the physical configurations of infrared sensors 230A and 230B discussed herein.
In some embodiments, infrared sensor 230A may be implemented as a gas sensor that provides an image corresponding to a wavelength associated with one or more gases to be detected. Thus, infrared sensor 230A may be used to provide gas pixels of a gas image. Infrared sensor 230B may be implemented as a gas-free sensor that provides an image that ignores wavelengths associated with one or more gases to be detected. Thus, infrared sensor 230B may be used to provide gas-free pixels of a gas-free image.
Because the infrared sensors 230A and 230B are distributed throughout the sensor array (e.g., in the various patterns discussed), the resulting gas and non-gas images can be more effectively aligned with each other. Additionally, because infrared sensors 230A and 230B and/or optical filter 133 may be configured to limit the wavelengths used to provide such images, infrared sensors 230A and 230B may operate with the same (e.g., the same) integration period, gain setting, and readout frame rate in some embodiments. In other embodiments, these may be different for infrared sensors 230A and 230B.
In some embodiments, the ROIC 202 may be configured to compensate for different signals received from the infrared sensors 230A and 230B. For example, because infrared sensors 230A and 230B may be associated with different wavelengths (e.g., they may or may not partially overlap each other), the amplitudes of the resulting current signals received by ROIC from infrared sensors 230A and 230B may or may not be different from each other. Thus, in some embodiments, the ROIC 202 may be configured to adjust the integration time, increase or decrease the resulting capture voltage (or other analog signal or digital value), and/or other characteristics associated with the infrared sensors 230A and/or 230B so that they may be effectively compared to one another. In some embodiments, the ROIC 202 may be implemented according to any of a variety of configurations as identified in the following documents: U.S. patent application No.62/446,287 filed on day 1/13 of 2017, U.S. patent application No.62/450,967 filed on day 26/1/2017, U.S. patent application No.62/588,878 filed on day 20/11/2017, U.S. patent application No.62/599,574 filed on day 15/12/2017 and/or U.S. patent application No.62/611,711 filed on day 29/12/2017, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of infrared sensors 230A and 230B and one or more optical filters 133, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. As shown, the filter 133 receives infrared radiation 171 (e.g., infrared radiation corresponding to wavelengths emitted and/or absorbed by the gas 172 and/or the background portion 173 including the background object 175) from the scene 170 and provides filtered infrared radiation 174A and 174B to the infrared sensors 230A and 230B, respectively, of the sensor array 228 of the image capture component 130.
In some embodiments, the filters 133 may be implemented as pixel-by-pixel filters, with each filter 133 associated with a corresponding infrared sensor 230A or 230B. In some embodiments, filter 133 may include one or more full array filters to remove extraneous out-of-band radiation received from scene 170, such that filtered infrared radiation 174A and 174B provided to infrared sensors 230A and 230B is further limited to the particular filtered wavelengths of interest. Thus, the signals provided by infrared sensors 230A and 230B for their associated pixels may exhibit improved signal-to-noise ratios.
In some embodiments, as discussed, the structure of the infrared sensors 230A and 230B themselves may be configured to provide a desired spectral response corresponding to a wavelength range of interest. Thus, it will be appreciated that any desired combination of filters and/or infrared sensor structures may be used to capture images corresponding to a wavelength range of interest.
Depending on the particular gas of interest to be imaged to provide images of the gas band and the non-gas band, various wavelength ranges may be associated with the images captured by infrared sensors 230A and 230B. In this regard, the wavelength ranges may be selected (e.g., tuned or optimized) to detect various gases of interest.
For example, with respect to methane (CH 4) (e.g., which typically absorbs radiation in a wavelength range of about 7 microns to about 8.5 microns), a gas band wavelength range of about 7 microns to about 10 microns may be used for infrared sensor 230A, and a gas-free wavelength range of about 8.5 microns to about 10 microns may be used for infrared sensor 230B. Thus, the image 350A provided by the infrared sensor 230A may be a gas image representing the presence or absence of methane in the gas 172 within the scene 170, while the image 350B provided by the infrared sensor 230B may be a gas-free image representing the background portion 173 of the scene 170.
As another example, for refrigerant gas (e.g., which typically absorbs radiation in a wavelength range of about 8 microns to about 8.6 microns), a gas band wavelength range of about 8 microns to about 11 microns may be used for infrared sensor 230A, and a gas-free band wavelength range of greater than 8 microns to about 11 microns may be used for infrared sensor 230B. Thus, the image 350A provided by the infrared sensor 230A may be a gas image representing the presence or absence of refrigerant gas in the gas 172 within the scene 170, while the image 350B provided by the infrared sensor 230B may be a gas-free image representing the background portion 173 of the scene 170.
As another example, with respect to sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and ammonium (NH4) (e.g., which typically absorbs radiation in the wavelength range of about 10 microns to about 11 microns), a gas band wavelength range of about 8.8 microns to about 11 microns may be used for infrared sensor 230A and a gas-free band wavelength range of about 8.8 microns to about 10 microns may be used for infrared sensor 230B. Thus, the image 350A provided by the infrared sensor 230A may be a gas image representing the presence or absence of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and ammonium (NH4) in the gas 172 within the scene 170, while the image 350B provided by the infrared sensor 230B may be an air-free image representing the background portion 173 of the scene 170.
While various wavelength ranges have been discussed, it will be understood that they are provided for purposes of example only. Thus, any desired wavelength range may be suitably used.
Fig. 5 illustrates several positions of the scene 170 relative to the infrared sensors 230A and 230B of the sensor array 228 during image capture to prepare a radiation scene map 330, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, an initial position 502 of the scene 170 relative to the sensor array 228 is shown, and a subsequent position 504 of the scene 170 relative to the sensor array 228 is shown (e.g., followed by the motion discussed herein).
At location 502, sensor array 228 includes different infrared sensors 230A and 230B, whose locations are set to capture a subset 328 of scene locations 330. Similar to the discussion with respect to fig. 3, the position of one of infrared sensors 230A is set to capture pixel values of the infrared image corresponding to scene position 330(1), and the position of the other infrared sensor 230B is set to capture pixel values of the infrared image corresponding to scene position 330 (2).
Between the times of locations 502 and 504, motion occurs such that infrared sensors 230A and 230B are shifted one pixel to the left relative to scene 170. As a result of this movement, at position 502, scene position 330(1) was previously imaged by one of infrared sensors 230A, whereas at position 504, scene position 330(1) was imaged by one of infrared sensors 230B. Arrows 510 represent respective positions of the scene 170, which have been offset between the positions 502 and 504 relative to the image sensors 230A and 230B.
By capturing images at both locations 502 and 504 with infrared sensors 230A and 230B, two radiation values (e.g., signals corresponding to image pixels provided by infrared sensors 230A and 230B) corresponding to different wavelength regions may be captured for scene location 330, with scene location 330 overlapping images of locations 502 and 504. These two radiation values may be added to the radiation scene graph 310 as discussed with respect to fig. 3.
For example, fig. 5 further illustrates a radiation scene graph 310 of the particular illustrated scene 170. In this case, a set of scene locations 530 have been imaged with both types of infrared sensors 230A and 230B due to the images captured at locations 502 and 504. Thus, the radiation scene map 310 will include two radiation values for each scene location 530. At the same time, the scene position 540 is imaged by only the infrared sensor 230A and therefore has only one radiation value associated with one wavelength range of the radiation scene map 330. Similarly, scene position 550 is imaged only by infrared sensor 230B, and therefore has only one radiation value associated with another wavelength range of radiation scene map 330. Further, scene position 530 is not captured by infrared sensor 230A or 230B, and therefore it does not radiate the radiation values of scene graph 330.
Over time, as additional motion occurs and infrared sensors 230A and 230B continue to capture images, all scene locations 330 of scene 170 may eventually be imaged by both types of infrared sensors 230A and 230B. Thus, two radiation values may be obtained for each scene position 330 to provide a complete radiation scene map 310.
Fig. 6 illustrates a process of constructing a radiation scene map 330 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. At block 610, the system 100 receives infrared radiation 171 from the scene 170. For example, as shown by location 502 of FIG. 5, an initial position of the system 100 relative to the scene 170 may be determined.
At block 615, the image capture component 130 begins capturing images of the subset 328 of scene locations 330 using the different types of infrared sensors 230A and 230B. Thus, different images 350A and 350B of the scene 100 may be captured corresponding to different portions of the subset 328. Image capture component 130 may continue to capture images during the process of fig. 6 in order to obtain radiation values for all scene locations 330 of scene graph 310 as discussed herein.
Also at block 615, motion is caused between the successively captured images, as discussed herein, such that the subset 328 moves position relative to the scene 170 (e.g., from position 502 to position 504). Also at block 615, the processing component 110 performs motion detection processing on the captured images to determine whether radiation values for a given scene location 330 have been captured by both types of infrared sensors 230A and 230B. Additional details of the operations performed at block 615 are discussed further herein with respect to fig. 7.
At block 620, processing component 110 adds radiation values corresponding to the two wavelength ranges of location 330 to scene map 310, where location 330 is determined to have been imaged by infrared sensors 230A and 230B.
At block 625, if the radiance values corresponding to the two wavelength ranges have been determined for all scene locations 330 in the scene map 310, the process continues to block 630. Otherwise, the process returns to block 615 to continue capturing images, causing motion, and processing until the radiance values corresponding to the two wavelength ranges have been determined for all scene locations 330 in the scene map 310.
At block 630, additional gas detection and gas quantification operations may be performed, as discussed further with respect to fig. 8.
Fig. 7 illustrates a process of determining radiance values for scene locations 330 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the process of fig. 7 may be performed during block 615 of fig. 6.
At block 710, the infrared sensors 230A and 230B capture images 350A and 350B of the subset 328 of the scene 170 at the location 502 of FIG. 5. At block 715, the processing component 110 receives the captured images 350A and 350B and begins performing motion detection processing, such as object detection and tracking.
At block 720, processing component 110 identifies object 175 at location 330 (1). Thus, processing component 110 may determine that object 175 at scene location 330(1) has been captured by one of infrared sensors 230A corresponding to the gas band wavelength range.
At block 725, motion is caused and/or detected, the motion causing infrared sensors 230A and 230B to move from location 502 to location 504 relative to scene 170. As discussed, this movement may be caused by: for example, physical forces applied to the sensor array 228 related to user motion of the sensor array 228 (e.g., vibration or shaking of a user's hand while holding the camera component 101), intentional motion caused by the actuators 131, 135, and/or 137, and/or other motion.
For example, in the case of vibration or shaking, the motion sensor 139 can detect motion and provide an appropriate response signal to the processing component 110. In the event that force is applied by actuator 131/135/137, one or more of actuators 131/135/137 may be used to move the position of the optical path provided by optical component 132, filter 133, and image capture component 130 such that infrared sensors 230A and 230B receive infrared radiation 171 from different portions of scene 170. Advantageously, the introduced motion may be performed in a controlled manner, with the actuator 131/135/137 applying a force, such that a predetermined positional movement may be performed (e.g., in some embodiments, a movement of one pixel or any odd number of pixels).
At block 730, the infrared sensors 230A and 230B capture images 350A and 350B of the subset 328 of the scene 170 at the location 504 of FIG. 5. At block 735, the processing component 110 receives the captured images 350A and 350B (e.g., corresponding to the moved position 504) and continues to perform the motion detection process.
At block 740, processing component 110 identifies object 175 at location 330 (1). For example, the processing component 110 may determine that the object 175 is still at the scene location 330(1), an image of which has now been captured by one of the infrared sensors 230B corresponding to the gas-free wavelength range.
Accordingly, the processing component 110 may determine that radiation values corresponding to two wavelength ranges (e.g., the wavelength range captured by the infrared sensor 230A at block 710 and the wavelength range captured by the infrared sensor 230B at block 730) of the object 175 are captured. Accordingly, at block 620 of fig. 6, the processing component 110 may continue to update the radiation scene map 310.
Although the processes of fig. 6 and 7 are discussed with respect to a single object 175, multiple objects corresponding to various different scene locations 330 in the scene 170 may be detected and tracked. Accordingly, the radiance values of all scene locations 330 in the radiance scene graph 310 may be determined.
In some embodiments, the radiation scene map 310 may be valid for a limited period of time. This can be determined by the following factors: for example, a time constant of vibration, detected motion of objects in the scene 170, detected motion, and/or a total amount of infrared radiation 171 received by the sensor array 228. Thus, in some embodiments, the process of fig. 6 may be repeated to appropriately update the radiation scene map 310 in order to obtain the current radiation value.
In some embodiments, the object detection and motion tracking process discussed herein may include determining whether the shape and/or motion of the detected object corresponds to the gas 172 in the scene 170. As discussed, the processes of fig. 6 and 7 may be used to determine the radiance value of the background portion 173 of the scene 170 to improve the accuracy of the gas concentration determination. As such, in some cases, if the radiation values added to the radiation scene graph 310 correspond to the gas 172 instead of the background portion 173, it may be counterproductive. Thus, in some embodiments, if it is determined that the detected and tracked object is a gas 172 and not a background object 175, the processing component 110 may discard or otherwise ignore the radiation values associated with those images.
Although a single pixel shift is identified in the discussed example, it will be appreciated that any number of pixel shifts may occur. For example, as discussed, where an odd number of pixels are moved, then at blocks 710 and 730A given scene location 330 may be captured by different types of infrared sensors 230A and 230B.
However, where an even number of pixels are shifted, then at blocks 710 and 730, a given scene location 330 may be captured by the same type of infrared sensor 230A or 230B. In this case, it is possible to obtain only one wavelength range of radiation values. In various embodiments, such radiation values may be discarded, collected as background data, added with a partially populated radiation scene map 330, and/or used for other processing.
Additional operations may be performed as discussed with respect to block 630 of fig. 6. Thus, fig. 8 illustrates a process of performing gas detection and quantification in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, the process of fig. 8 may be performed during block 630 of fig. 6.
At block 810, the system 100 receives infrared radiation 171 from the scene 170. As discussed, the infrared radiation 171 may include wavelengths emitted and/or absorbed by the gases 172 in the scene 170, as well as other wavelengths emitted and/or absorbed by the background portion 173 of the scene 170 that includes background objects 175. Infrared radiation 171 passes through aperture 134 and optic 132, aperture 134 and optic 132 directing and focusing infrared radiation 171 to sensor array 228 of image capture assembly 130.
At block 815, the temperature T of the gas 172 of the scene 170 is received, for example, by measuring measurements of one or more temperature sensors provided by the sensing component 160 and/or by processing one or more captured imagesgas(e.g., air temperature) (e.g., assuming gas temperature is in thermal equilibrium with air quickly) and the temperature T of the background portion 173b。
At block 820, infrared sensors 230A and 230B capture gas and gas-free images, respectively. As discussed, the range of wavelengths captured by infrared sensors 230A and 230B may be determined by the structure of infrared sensors 230A and 230B and/or one or more filters 133. In some embodiments, at least two differently configured sets of infrared sensors 230A and 230B arranged in an alternating manner are used so that the gas image and the gas-free image can be physically aligned with each other and also temporally aligned by simultaneous capture. In some embodiments, signals associated with the captured images may be passed from the infrared sensors 230A and 230B to the ROIC 202 as current signals, which the capacitors of the ROIC 202 store as voltages.
At block 825, the ROIC 202 provides the gas image and the gas-free image (e.g., converted from a stored voltage to a digital count) to the image capture interface component 136, which the image capture interface component 136 provides to the processing component 110 over connection 141.
At block 830, the processing component 110 calibrates the gas image and the gas-free image. In some embodiments, this may include calibrating the images relative to each other, performing a radiometric calibration of the images, and/or other processing. In some embodiments, this may include adjusting the gain of gas and/or non-gas pixels of the image so that the total pixel values (e.g., digital counts) may be compared to each other.
In some embodiments, the gas image and the gas-free image may be more effectively calibrated at block 830 due to the limited range of wavelengths associated with infrared sensors 230A and 230B as discussed. This calibration may significantly improve the quality of the differential images generated from the gas and non-gas images (e.g., provide higher contrast between the gas 172 and background portions 173 to better distinguish them in the differential images), thereby providing more reliable quantification and more accurate alerts.
At block 835, the processing component 110 generates a differential image based on the calibrated gas image and the gas-free image. For example, the processing component 110 may subtract one captured image from another captured image. It will be appreciated that such subtraction can be performed with accuracy and high confidence, as the raw gas image and the gas-free image can be captured in a spatially and temporally aligned manner in accordance with the techniques discussed herein. Thus, the resulting differential image will exhibit a high contrast between its gas-free and gas portions for further processing as described herein.
At block 840, processing component 110 compares the apparent gas band responses in the difference image to one or more known gas band responses (e.g., the known gas band responses are stored in a database or other data structure maintained by machine-readable medium 113 and/or storage component 120). In this regard, processing component 110 can determine whether the differential image exhibits a significant absorption and/or emission pattern associated with one or more known gases in the database.
At block 845, the gas temperature T is determinedgasAnd background temperature TbAbsolute temperature difference DT (for example, DT ═ T)b-Tgas). Also at block 845, the temperature difference DT is used to determine a gas concentration length, for example, by using data from the radiation scene graph 310 (e.g., the data of the radiation scene graph 310 is stored in a database or other data structure maintained by the machine-readable medium 113 and/or the storage component 120).
At block 850, the processing component 110 identifies the particular gas 172 in the scene 170 based on the comparison of block 840.
At block 855, the processing component 110 performs a gas quantification process based on the concentration length, the difference image, the one or more captured gas and non-gas images, and/or the radiation scene map 310 determined at block 842. In various embodiments, such processing may include, for example, generation and analysis of one or more Concentration Length (CL) images, gas flow calculation, and/or other operations. As discussed, by providing a radiation scene graph 310 with two radiation values of different wavelength ranges of the background portion 173 of each scene location 330, the gas concentration can be more easily distinguished from the background portion 173.
At block 860, processing component 100 generates one or more alerts in response to the identification and/or quantification of blocks 850 and/or 855. For example, in various embodiments, the alert may be communicated to the user through the display component 140, the communication component 152, and/or other components using various media (e.g., text, graphics, audio signals, and/or other suitable means).
In some embodiments, infrared sensors 230A and 230B having different response characteristics are used so that the differential image can exhibit increased contrast between gas 172 and background portion 173. This increased contrast (e.g., by further separating the gas 172 from the background portion 173 in the difference image) enables the processing component 110 to better distinguish the gas 172 from the background portion 173 in the difference image, thereby improving the accuracy 860 (e.g., reducing the false alarm rate) of the gas identification of block 850, the gas quantification of block 855, and/or the alarm generation of block 860.
At block 865, processing component 110 applies a color to the differential image to provide a visible image to the user. At block 870, processing component 110 provides the user viewable image to display component 140 for display and/or further processing by a user of system 100.
Where applicable, the various embodiments provided by the present disclosure can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Also where applicable, the various hardware components and/or software components set forth herein can be combined into composite components comprising software, hardware, and/or both without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Where applicable, the various hardware components and/or software components set forth herein may be separated into subcomponents comprising software, hardware, or both without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Further, where applicable, it is contemplated that software components may be implemented as hardware components and vice versa.
Software (e.g., program code and/or data) according to the present disclosure can be stored in one or more computer-readable media. It is also contemplated that the software referred to herein may be implemented using one or more general purpose or special purpose computers and/or computer systems that are networked and/or otherwise. Where applicable, the order of various steps described herein can be altered, combined into composite steps, and/or sub-divided to provide features described herein.
The above embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention. It should also be understood that numerous modifications and variations are possible in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.
