Focal plane array dual processing system and technique
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsTodd R. Carr, Brian J. Kowalewski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A focal plane array dual processing system and technique utilizes a single ocal plane array to provide scene imagery and temporal processing of a sub-region of the scene. Resultant data from a row by column focal plane array detector elements is processed for imaging and image processing by an image processor. A smaller data subset from a row by column subset of the focal plane array with resultant spatial data subset is temporally processed by a temporal processor. The data and data subset which is multiplexed, digitized and formatted as raster-formatted raw data vector format is addressed for image and temporal processing by a data buffer integrator.
Claims2
A focal plane array dual processing system in a staring FLIR device wherein infrared energy is collected by afocal optics and focused onto a cryogenically cooled detector array wherein said focal plane array dual processing system is comprised of:
- a focal plane array with row by column detector elements for which resultant sampled data is utilized for imaging and image processing and a smaller row by column subset of said larger row by column detector element which resultant spatial subset is utilized for temporal processing;
- conditioning electronics which accepts said resultant sampled data to multiplex, amplify, digitize and lexicographically order in a raster format an output raster-formatted raw data vector;
- a data buffer integrator which double buffers said raw data vector for processing in an output means, and addresses the spatial subset of the raw data vector for temporal processing;
- a temporal processor which processes the spatial subset of the raw data vector to provide a power spectrum estimation of a time series of pixels represented by the spatial subset;
- an image processor which processes the doubled buffered raw data vector at a predetermined frame rate;
- output means which processes the output of the temporal and image processor for simultaneously generating imagery of the overall scene as well as the power spectrum estimation of a sub-region of interest of the scene.
A focal plane array dual processing technique for dual image and temporal processing comprising the steps of:
- collecting sampled data from a row by column detector elements of a focal plane array utilized for imaging and image processing and a subset of the sampled data corresponding to a smaller row by column detector element as a spatial subset for temporal processing;
- conditioning said sampled data to multiplex, amplify, digitize and lexicographically order in a raster format to output a raster-formatted raw data vector format;
- data buffer integrating said raw data vector which is subsequently processed in an output means, and simultaneously addressing the spatial subset of the raw data vector for temporal processing;
- temporal processing the spatial subset of the raw data vector to provide a power spectrum estimation of a time series of pixels represented by the spatial subset;
- image processing the buffered raw data vector at a frame rate for output processing;
- and
- displaying the output of the temporal and image processing for generating imagery of the scene and the power spectrum estimation of a sub-region of interest of the scene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.