Automated ethernet based test setup for long wave infrared camera analysis and algorithm evaluation

摘要

In this paper we consider a new way for automated camera calibration and specification. The proposed setup is optimized for working with uncooled long wave infrared (thermal) cameras, while the concept itself is not restricted to those cameras. Every component of the setup like black body source, climate chamber, remote power switch, and the camera itself is connected to a network via Ethernet and a Windows XP workstation is controlling all components by the use of the TCL - script language. Beside the job of communicating with the components the script tool is also capable to run Matlab code via the matlab kernel. Data exchange during the measurement is possible and offers a variety of different advantages from drastically reduction of the amount of data to enormous speedup of the measuring procedure due to data analysis during measurement. A parameter based software framework is presented to create generic test cases, where modification to the test scenario does not require any programming skills. In the second part of the paper the measurement results of a self developed GigE-Vision thermal camera are presented and correction algorithms, providing high quality image output, are shown. These algorithms are fully implemented in the FPGA of the camera to provide real time processing while maintaining GigE-Vision as standard transmission protocol as an interface to arbitrary software tools. Artefacts taken into account are spatial noise, defective pixel and offset drift due to self heating after power on.