Thermal imager with enhanced processing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019387185-A1
Application number	US-201816007557-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 13, 2018
Priority date	Jun 13, 2018
Publication date	Dec 19, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A thermal imager is described that includes enhanced processing. In one example the imager includes a thermal detector to generate a response to incident infrared light across a plurality of pixel locations and readout circuitry attached to the thermal detector configured to read the response of the detector at the plurality of pixel locations. An image processor attached to the readout circuitry is configured to generate a thermal image based on the detector response, to receive a query packet from an external processor with a position of a selected object in the thermal image and a classification of the selected object, and to generate a confirmation packet to the external processor to confirm the classification of the selected object in response thereto. An input/output interface couple to an external processor to receive the query packet from and send the confirmation packet to the external processor.

First claim

1 . A thermal camera system comprising:
an enclosure; a thermal detector within the enclosure to generate a response to incident infrared light across a plurality of pixel locations; readout circuitry within the enclosure and attached to the thermal detector configured to read the response of the detector at the plurality of pixel locations; an image processor within the enclosure and attached to the readout circuitry configured to generate a thermal image based on the detector response, the image processor further configured to receive a query packet from an external processor outside the enclosure with a position of a selected object in the thermal image and a classification of the selected object, to analyze the thermal image at the position of the selected object, and to generate a confirmation packet to the external processor based on the analyzing to confirm the classification of the selected object in response thereto; and an input/output interface to communicate with the external processor and to receive the query packet from and send the confirmation packet to the external processor, wherein the enclosure is sealed against opening without damage.

2 . The thermal camera system of claim 1 , wherein the readout circuitry is formed on a die and the image processor is formed on the same die.

3 . The thermal camera system of claim 1 , wherein the readout circuitry is formed on a first die and the image processor is formed on a second die, wherein the first die is attached to the second die by being stacked over the second die and connected using conductive vias, and wherein the first and second die are covered with an encapsulant.

4 . The thermal camera system of claim 1 , wherein the readout circuitry is formed on a first die and the image processor is formed on a second die, the system further comprising a substrate having conductive paths and wherein the first die is attached to the substrate and the second die is attached to the substrate and wherein the first and the second die are electrically coupled through the substrate.

5 . The thermal camera system of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a package enclosure and wherein the thermal detector, readout circuitry, and image processor are contained in a single package enclosure.

6 . The thermal camera system of claim 1 , wherein the image processor is configured to process the query using the thermal image, and to generate the confirmation packet without including the complete thermal image in the confirmation packet.

7 . The thermal camera system of claim 6 , wherein the image processor is configured to process the received query packet using the thermal image in a region of interest related to the position, and to generate the confirmation packet which includes the thermal image only for the region of interest related to the position.

8 . The thermal camera system of claim 1 , wherein the image processor is configured to generate the confirmation packet by comparing the received classification to the thermal image in a region of interest related to the position.

9 . The thermal camera system of claim 8 , wherein the image processor compares the received classification by comparing templates from a library of templates for the received classification to the thermal image.

10 . The thermal camera system of claim 8 , wherein the query packet includes an image matching template for the classified object and the image processor is configured to process the query by comparing the template to the thermal image in a region of interest related to the position.

11 . The thermal camera system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal detector is a microbolometer to produce a variation in electrical resistance in response to incident infrared light and wherein the readout circuity measures the variation in electrical resistance as an intensity of infrared light.

12 . A method comprising:
generating a response to incident infrared light across a plurality of pixel locations at a thermal detector within an enclosure; reading the response of the detector at the plurality of pixel locations with readout circuitry within the enclosure and attached to the thermal detector; generating a thermal image based on the detector response at an image processor within the enclosure and attached to the readout circuitry; receiving a query packet from an external processor outside the enclosure at an input/output interface, the packet having a position of a selected object in the thermal image and a classification of the selected object; comparing the received classification to the thermal image at the received location at the image processor; and generating at the image processor in response to the comparing a confirmation packet to the external processor to confirm the classification of the selected object in response to the query packet based on the comparing, wherein the enclosure is sealed against opening without damage.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein comparing comprises comparing a received template for the classification to the thermal image at the received location.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the confirmation packet does not include image data.

15 - 16 . (canceled)

17 . A thermal camera system comprising:
an enclosure; a thermal detector within the enclosure to generate a response to incident infrared light across a plurality of pixel locations; readout circuitry within the enclosure and attached to the thermal detector configured to read the response of the detector at the plurality of pixel locations; a modeling processor outside the enclosure to receive a sequence of images from a camera, to detect and classify objects in the images, to select an object for confirmation and to generate a query packet to confirm the classification of the object; an image processor within the enclosure attached to the readout circuitry configured to generate a thermal image based on the detector response, the image processor further configured to receive the query packet from the modeling a query processor with the classification of the selected object and a bounding box of the selected object, to compare the received classification to the thermal image in the bounding box, and to generate a confirmation packet to the modeling processor in response to the comparison; and an input/output interface to communicate with the modeling processor, and to receive the query packet from and to send the confirmation packet to the modeling processor.

18 . The thermal camera system of claim 17 , wherein the bounding box is defined by coordinates of a point in the thermal image and a horizontal and vertical extent from the point.

19 . The thermal camera system of claim 17 , wherein the detector is a microbolometer, the readout circuitry is formed on a die electrically coupled to the microbolometer, the image processor is formed on the same die with the readout circuitry, and the detector and the die are sealed in a die package cover forming the enclosure.

20 . The thermal camera system of claim 17 , wherein the readout circuitry is formed on a first die and the image processor is formed on a second die, the system further comprising a substrate wherein the first die is attached to the substrate and the second die is attached to the substrate and the housing comprises an encapsulant over the first die, the second die, and the substrate.

21 . An apparatus comprising:
means within an enclosure for generating a thermal image based on a response of a thermal detector

Assignees

• Luminar Tech Inc

Inventors

• Hicks Richmond

Classifications

• G06V10/143

  Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths · CPC title

• G06F18/22

  Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures · CPC title

• G06F18/241

  relating to the classification model, e.g. parametric or non-parametric approaches · CPC title

• H04N5/33 Primary

  Transforming infrared radiation (cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20) · CPC title

• G06K9/6201

  Physics · mapped topic