Abstract
Ultra-compact, low-cost microbolometer cameras have entered the commercial market in recent years. One of the most prominent of these has been the FLIR Lepton, which has a similar form factor as most cell phone cameras. This presentation will show results of a radiometric calibration that builds on experience calibrating larger-format microbolometer cameras such as the FLIR Photon and Tau. These calibrations require characterization of the camera’s response with changes due to the focal plane array (FPA) temperature. The low thermal mass of the ultra-compact Lepton poses significant challenges to its calibration. For example, performing a non-uniformity correction (NUC) using the attached shutter raises the FPA temperature and camera body temperature. If left uncompensated, this signal significantly impacts the radiometric accuracy. The presentation will report the level of achieved accuracy on this ultra-low cost sensor.
Radiometric Calibration of an Ultra-compact Micro-bolometer Thermal Camera
Ultra-compact, low-cost microbolometer cameras have entered the commercial market in recent years. One of the most prominent of these has been the FLIR Lepton, which has a similar form factor as most cell phone cameras. This presentation will show results of a radiometric calibration that builds on experience calibrating larger-format microbolometer cameras such as the FLIR Photon and Tau. These calibrations require characterization of the camera’s response with changes due to the focal plane array (FPA) temperature. The low thermal mass of the ultra-compact Lepton poses significant challenges to its calibration. For example, performing a non-uniformity correction (NUC) using the attached shutter raises the FPA temperature and camera body temperature. If left uncompensated, this signal significantly impacts the radiometric accuracy. The presentation will report the level of achieved accuracy on this ultra-low cost sensor.