Patent · US Expired

Pyroelectric camera signal processing having interrelated multi-parameter pedestal signal level compensation

US4740840A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
3References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 11, 1987
Grant dateApr 26, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 11, 2007

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N23/23
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for pyroelectric camera signal processing, which processing includes multi-parameter automatic signal level adjustment to compensate for the effects of pedestal level variations. The pyroelectric vidicon tube generates an electrical output signal component indicative of target signal information based upon the sensed thermal energy emitted from the target, and also generates a pedestal component around which the target signal information is centered, and this information is processed to provide field video signals which are utilized to provide a composite video output. An automatic adjustment control unit, responsive to the field video signal, provides automatic adjustment of gain, balance, and offset to thereby allow the pyroelectric camera to operate at an optimized signal-to-noise ratio.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.