1. A method of making an image generation system comprising:
connecting a programmable image processing chip to a read-out integrated circuit of a 1296\xd71040 12 \u03bcm pixel pitch infra-red focal plane array (FPA) device;
programming a desired image processing algorithm into said programmable image processing chip;
configuring the programmable image processing chip to read and output image data from the FPA device as though the FPA device was one of a: 1280\xd71024 FPA device comprising a 12 \u03bcm pixel pitch, a 640\xd7512 FPA device comprising up to a 24 \u03bcm pixel pitch, or a 320\xd7256 FPA device comprising up to a 48 \u03bcm pixel pitch; and
interfacing said programmable image processing chip with image output and post-capture processing hardware.
2. The method of claim 1, said configuring including configuring said programmable image processing chip to perform a variable number of frame averages (stacking) on input image data frames from the read-out integrated circuit to generate the output image data having an effective pixel resolution less than a physical pixel resolution of the FPA device andor having an effective charge well depth greater than or equal to a physical charge well depth of the FPA device, where the variable number is determined by a difference between a frame rate of the FPA device and a desired frame rate of generated output image data.
3. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising disposing said programmable image processing chip into a warm area of a dewar or within an Integrated-Detector-Cooler-Assembly package.
4. The method of claim 1, said configuring including configuring the programmable image processing chip to output the image data in a serial digital interface (SDI)-supported data format.
5. The method of claim 4, where the SDI-supported data format is one of 1080i60, 1080i59.94, 1080i50, 1080p30, 1080p29.97, 1080p25, 1080p24, 1080p23.98, 1060p50, 720p60, 720p59.94, 480p, 525p, 525i, 1080psf, and 720p50, wherein i=interlaced, p=progressive, and psf=progressive segmented frame.
6. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising replacing specialized image processing hardware with the programmable image processing chip.
7. A method of making an image generation system comprising:
connecting a programmable image processing chip to a read-out integrated circuit of a first infra-red (IR) focal plane array (FPA) device having a first resolution and a first pixel pitch;
programming a desired image processing algorithm into said programmable image processing chip;
configuring the programmable image processing chip to read and output image data from the FPA device as though the FPA device was one of a: second IR FPA device having a second resolution and the first pixel pitch, a third IR FPA device having a third resolution and a second pixel pitch that is twice the first pixel pitch, and a fourth 1R FPA device having a fourth resolution and a third pixel pitch that is four times the first pixel pitch; and
interfacing said programmable image processing chip with image output and post-capture processing hardware.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second resolution is less than the first resolution, the third resolution is less than the second resolution, and the fourth resolution is less than the third resolution.
9. The method of claim 7, further comprising disposing said programmable image processing chip into a warm area of a dewar or within an Integrated-Detector-Cooler-Assembly package.
10. The method of claim 7, said configuring including configuring the programmable image processing chip to output the image data in a serial digital interface-supported data format.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A flexible device, comprising at least one label containing encoded information and a spatially structured element placed over said label, defined by a thermo-sensitive material, said spatially structural element being adapted to at least partially cover determined zones of said label, wherein, as the temperature of said device varies to a temperature equal to or higher than a threshold value, said spatially structured element varies optical properties thereof in order to improve the degree of readability of said label and of the information encoded thereon, said degree of readability proportionally increasing according to exposure time of said device to a temperature higher than said threshold value.
2. A device according to claim 1, where said thermo-sensitive materials-comprises alkanes.
3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the spatially structured element takes an irreversible variation of transparency upon the exposure to a temperature higher than the threshold value.
4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the spatially structured element comprises one or more protection films.
5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said threshold temperature value is comprised between \u221250\xb0 C. and 200\xb0 C.
6. A device according to claim 1, wherein, as the temperature of said device varies to a temperature equal to or higher than a threshold value, said spatially structured element varies transparency thereof in order to improve the degree of readability of said label.
7. A device according to claim 1, where said thermo-sensitive material comprises PEDOT:PSS.
8. A device according to claim 1, where said thermo-sensitive material comprises functionalized phthalocyanines.