Linda A. Gee
Electrical Engineering
Ph. D. Candidate

Infrared Simulation for Material Analysis of Objects

Research Objectives:
Infrared technology provides night vision capabilities based on the thermal signature of a target that naturally radiates electromagnetic energy. The goal of this research is to define an IR simulation environment to depict the integral data acquisition parameters and to analyze the acquired thermal data.

Methodology:
The system will support the simulated operation of multiple IR cameras that operate within the atmospheric windows of 3-5 m m and 8-13 m m. The data acquisition parameters such as:

• Performance: field of view, spatial resolution, thermal sensitivity
• Detection: focal plane array type, spectral range
• Image Display: 3D simulation using visualization techniques
• Measurement: temperature description, accuracy factors
• Lenses: lens characteristics

will be included as user-defined quantities that drive the infrared simulation and affect how an object is imaged. The thermal information that is captured and simulated in this context can be easily translated into texture information and mapped into the 3D visualization object space. From the object visualization, the analysis of the presence of materials or whether a specific material content is present within the object space can be obtained from the object models.

Some external influences that can affect the formation of an IR image include:

• Atmospheric conditions
• Ambient temperature
• Surface finish of the object to be imaged
• General surroundings about the object to be imaged

The intent is to define a baseline simulation platform and later address some of these external factors. Without the influence of these factors, there are fewer issues associated with field acquisition anomalies that tend to skew the data acquisition. By instituting a simulation using a system design approach, a primary set of parameters, which include the user-defined operational boundaries of the system hardware, can be modified and altered to describe a host of unique acquisition schemes.

These concepts of infrared simulation are useful to the DOE nuclear waste remediation and inspection process. The simulation paradigm lends the analysis team the ability to participate in data acquisition what-if scenarios, without having to invest time or money into hardware systems. This allows the team to analyze and determine the critical acquisition parameters as well as formulate a parameter prioritization scheme from the simulation session. Multiple camera configurations can also be simulated and they generate the what-if scenarios that are germane to sensor placement and sensor fusion processes. All of these functions can be applied to the focus areas of object characterization, robot navigation, and scene analysis which are integral to the remediation and inspection process.

In summary, the research initiative described addresses an IR simulation that produces thermal imaging signatures for data acquisition analysis. The approach is conceptual and 3D techniques are incorporated to simulate the acquisition and capture process of simple objects. Some properties such as texture and material density can be extrapolated from the thermal information that is obtained during a simulation. These concepts are useful to any inspection processing system where thermal information can be used to influence the behavior of a decision-based system.