Camera with visible light and infrared image blending

Abstract

A camera that can capture a visible light image and an infrared image of a target scene. The camera includes a focusable infrared lens and a display. The display provides the visible light and infrared images in a focus mode or an analysis mode. In the focus mode, the percentage of infrared imagery of the target scene is relatively higher to assist the user in focusing the infrared image. In analysis mode, the percentage of infrared imagery is relatively lower to assist the user in analyzing and visualizing the target scene. The modes may be switched manually or automatically.

Description

[0001] priority claim [0002] This application claims priority to US Provisional Application No. 60 / 760,810, filed January 20, 2006, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. Patent Application No. 11 / 294,752, filed December 5, 2005, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 633,078, filed December 3, 2004 Right, this disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Background technique [0003] Many current infrared cameras use only energy in the far infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum (especially in the 8-14 micron range) to generate images of the scene (IR images). Images obtained with these cameras assign colors and grayscale levels to the pixels that make up the scene, based on the intensity of IR radiation reaching the camera's sensor elements. Because the resulting IR image is based on the temperature of the target, and b...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Hope to make focusing the infrared image less subjective

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