Image quality improvement by the structured light illumination method in an optical readout cantilever array infrared...

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Infrared Imaging Technology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Uncooled infrared imaging systems often suffer from non-uniform pixel responses.
• Bimaterial cantilever pixels in focal plane arrays (FPAs) exhibit initial bending angle variations.
• These non-uniformities degrade overall infrared image quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve infrared (IR) image quality in uncooled infrared imaging systems.
• To compensate for non-uniformities in the focal plane array (FPA) pixel bending angles.
• To introduce a novel structured light illumination method for IR imaging.

Main Methods:

• Utilized structured light illumination generated by an ordinary projector.
• Projected light was divided into rectangular regions with adjustable brightness.
• Brightness was automatically set based on FPA deflection angles and focused light intensity.
• A comparative experiment was conducted to validate the method's effectiveness.

Main Results:

• The structured light illumination method effectively compensated for FPA non-uniformities.
• Achieved a more uniform FPA image on the CCD plane.
• Significantly improved the image quality of IR targets.
• Demonstrated superior performance compared to conventional methods.

Conclusions:

• The proposed structured light illumination method offers a significant improvement for uncooled infrared imaging.
• This technique is particularly beneficial when FPA fabrication imperfections are present.
• The method provides a robust solution for enhancing IR image quality and uniformity.