Patent Document ID: 20130028477
Application ID: 13638677
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. An image processing method for a sequence of IR images ( 10 , 11 ), recorded by a thermal imaging camera ( 1 ), the sequence comprising at least a first IR image ( 10 ) and a second IR image ( 11 ), the first IR image ( 10 ) being assigned to a first instant, and the second IR image ( 11 ) being assigned to a second, later instant, the method comprising recording a first VIS image ( 19 ) in a visible spectral region with an additional VIS camera ( 4 ), of a scene at the first instant, recording a second VIS image ( 20 ) in the visible spectral region with the VIS camera ( 4 ), of the scene at the second instant, the first VIS image ( 19 ) being recorded simultaneously or virtually simultaneously with the first IR image ( 10 ), and the second VIS image ( 20 ) being recorded simultaneously or virtually simultaneously with the second IR image ( 11 ), selecting a first image region ( 14 ) in the first VIS image ( 19 ), extracting at least one feature from the first VIS image ( 19 ) for the first image region ( 14 ), determining and selecting a second image region ( 15 ) in the second VIS image ( 20 ) using at least one of a feature or pattern recognition algorithm such that for the selected second image region ( 15 ) a correspondence of at least one extracted feature to the at least one feature extracted in relation to the first image region ( 14 ) is optimal, and determining by a comparison of an image position ( 16 ) of the first image region ( 14 ) in the first VIS image ( 19 ) with an image position ( 17 ) of the second VIS image region ( 15 ) in the second VIS image a VIS translation vector ( 18 ) that relates at least one pixel of the first IR image ( 10 ) to at least one pixel in the second IR image ( 11 ), and using a stored correspondence between the pixels of the first VIS image ( 19 ) and of the first IR image ( 10 ), or of the second VIS image ( 20 ) and the second IR image ( 11 ) in order to convert the VIS translation vector into a corresponding IR translation vector that relates at least one pixel of the first IR image ( 10 ) to at least one pixel in the second IR image ( 11 ), and shifting the first IR image ( 10 ) relative to the second IR image ( 11 ) by the IR translation vector such that the pictures ( 12 , 13 ) of the IR images ( 10 , 11 ) are superposed.