Polarized black-body emission for machine vision and object recognition

A method comprising:

• capturing, with a hyperspectral infrared camera, a three-dimensional image of an object and black-body emissions data indicating a polarization of black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• detecting, with a temperature sensor, an ambient temperature of an environment of the system;
• receiving, with an image processing device in communication with the hyperspectral infrared camera and the temperature sensor and having a processor and memory, the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• accessing, with the image processing device, a database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from a plurality of materials for different temperatures;
• determining, with the image processing device, at least one material of the object based on (i) the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object, (ii) the ambient temperature of the environment of the system, and (iii) the database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from the plurality of materials for different temperatures.

A system comprising:

• a hyperspectral infrared camera configured to capture a three-dimensional image of an object made of at least one known material and black-body emissions data indicating a polarization of black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• at least one environmental sensor that senses at least one environmental condition of an environment of the system, including a temperature sensor configured to detect an ambient temperature of the environment of the system;
• an image processing device in communication with the hyperspectral infrared camera and with the at least one environmental sensor and having a processor and memory configured to:
• receive the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• access a database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from a plurality of materials for different temperatures;
• retrieve a polarization signature of black-body emissions for the at least one known material of the object at the ambient temperature of the environment from the database;
• compare the retrieved polarization signature with the received black-body emissions data to determine a degree of attenuation of the polarization indicated by the received black-body emissions data based on the comparison;
• determine an expected rate of polarization attenuation based on the at least one environmental condition of the environment of the system;
• determine a distance to the object based on the expected rate of polarization attenuation and the determined degree of attenuation of the polarization indicated by the received black-body emission data.

A method comprising:

• capturing, with a hyperspectral infrared camera, a three-dimensional image of an object made of at least one known material and black-body emissions data indicating a polarization of black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• sensing, with at least one environmental sensor, at least one environmental condition of an environment of the system, including sensing, with a temperature sensor, an ambient temperature of the environment of the system;
• receiving, with an image processing device in communication with the hyperspectral infrared camera and with the at least one environmental sensor and having a processor and memory, the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• accessing, with the image processing device, a database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from a plurality of materials for different temperatures;
• retrieving, with the image processing device, a polarization signature of black-body emissions for the at least one known material of the object at the ambient temperature of the environment from the database;
• comparing, with the image processing device, the retrieved polarization signature with the received black-body emissions data to determine a degree of attenuation of the polarization indicated by the received black-body emissions data based on the comparison;
• determining, with the image processing device, an expected rate of polarization attenuation based on the at least one environmental condition of the environment of the system;
• determining, with the image processing device, a distance to the object based on the expected rate of polarization attenuation and the determined degree of attenuation of the polarization indicated by the received black-body emission data.

A system comprising:

• a hyperspectral infrared camera configured to capture a three-dimensional image of an object made of at least one known material and black-body emissions data indicating a polarization of black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• an image processing device in communication with the hyperspectral infrared camera and having a processor and memory configured to:
• receive the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• access a database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from a plurality of materials;
• retrieve a polarization signature of black-body emissions for the at least one known material of the object from the database;
• compare the retrieved polarization signature with the received black-body emissions data to determine a shift of a peak wavelength of the black-body emissions due to a Doppler effect on the black-body emissions based on the comparison;
• determine a relative velocity of the object based on the shift of the peak wavelength.

A method comprising:

• capturing, with a hyperspectral infrared camera, a three-dimensional image of an object made of at least one known material and black-body emissions data indicating a polarization of black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• receiving, with an image processing device in communication with the hyperspectral infrared camera and having a processor and memory, the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• accessing, with the image processing device, a database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from a plurality of materials;
• retrieving, with the image processing device, a polarization signature of black-body emissions for the at least one known material of the object from the database;
• comparing, with the image processing device, the retrieved polarization signature with the received black-body emissions data to determine a shift of a peak wavelength of the black-body emissions due to a Doppler effect on the black-body emissions based on the comparison;
• determining, with the image processing device, a relative velocity of the object based on the shift of the peak wavelength.

A system comprising:

• a hyperspectral infrared camera configured to receive light emitted from an emitter having at least two circularly polarized light emitters that include a helical left emitter and a helical right emitter, the emitter being configured to control an intensity of light emitted from each of the at least two circularly polarized light emitters such that a combined intensity of light emitted from the emitter remains constant while a polarization of the light emitted from the emitter is varied over time, the polarization of the light emitted from the emitter over time being controlled to represent information bits according to a predetermined protocol that maps the information bits to corresponding polarizations of light;
• and
• an image processing device in communication with the hyperspectral infrared camera and having a processor and memory configured to:
• determine the polarization of the light received by the hyperspectral infrared camera from the light emitter at each of a plurality of predetermined time periods;
• determine a particular information bit corresponding to the polarization of the light received by the light emitter at each of the plurality of predetermined time periods to generate a plurality of received information bits;
• and
• generate output based on the plurality of received information bits.

A method comprising:

• receiving, with a hyperspectral infrared camera, light emitted from an emitter having at least two circularly polarized light emitters that include a helical left emitter and a helical right emitter, the emitter being configured to control an intensity of light emitted from each of the at least two circularly polarized light emitters such that a combined intensity of light emitted from the emitter remains constant while a polarization of the light emitted from the emitter is varied over time, the polarization of the light emitted from the emitter over time being controlled to represent information bits according to a predetermined protocol that maps the information bits to corresponding polarizations of light;
• determining, with an image processing device in communication with the hyperspectral infrared camera and having a processor and memory, the polarization of the light received by the hyperspectral infrared camera from the light emitter at each of a plurality of predetermined time periods;
• determining, with the image processing device, a particular information bit corresponding to the polarization of the light received by the light emitter at each of the plurality of predetermined time periods to generate a plurality of received information bits;
• and
• generating, with the image processing device, output based on the plurality of received information bits.

A system comprising:

• a hyperspectral infrared camera configured to capture a three-dimensional image of an object and black-body emissions data indicating a polarization of black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• at least one environmental sensor that includes a temperature sensor configured to detect an ambient temperature of an environment of the system;
• and
• an image processing device in communication with the hyperspectral infrared camera and with the at least one environmental sensor and having a processor and memory configured to:
• receive the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• access a database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from a plurality of materials for different temperatures, the plurality of materials including a plurality of minerals;
• and
• determine at least one material of the object, including at least one mineral of the object, based on (i) the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object, (ii) the ambient temperature of the environment of the system, and (iii) the database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from the plurality of materials, including the plurality of minerals, for different temperatures.

A method comprising:

• capturing, with a hyperspectral infrared camera, a three-dimensional image of an object and black-body emissions data indicating a polarization of black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• detecting, with a temperature sensor, an ambient temperature of an environment of the system;
• receiving, with an image processing device in communication with the hyperspectral infrared camera and the temperature sensor and having a processor and memory, the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object;
• accessing, with the image processing device, a database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from a plurality of materials for different temperatures, the plurality of materials including a plurality of minerals;
• determining, with the image processing device, at least one material of the object, including at least one mineral of the object, based on (i) the black-body emissions data indicating the polarization of the black-body radiation emitted from the object, (ii) the ambient temperature of the environment of the system, and (iii) the database of expected polarization signatures of black-body emissions from the plurality of materials, including the plurality of minerals, for different temperatures.