Method, controller and apparatus for correcting thermal images

Abstract

A method for correcting thermal image distortion in a thermal camera in an apparatus for the layer-by-layer manufacture of three-dimensional objects, the thermal camera comprising a plurality of sensor pixels arranged along a first direction; the method comprising the steps of: (a) causing a temperature reference to be at a first steady state temperature; (b) moving the temperature reference at the first steady state temperature through a plurality of positions along the first direction through the field of view of the thermal camera; (c) recording a plurality of thermal images with the thermal camera while moving the temperature reference during step (b), each thermal image corresponding to one of the plurality of positions and comprising the detected temperature of the temperature reference as detected by at least one pixel of the plurality of sensor pixels; (d) identifying the at least one pixel that detected the temperature of the temperature reference within a respective thermal image at the corresponding one of the plurality of positions; (e) constructing a thermal map from the identified pixels representing the detected temperature of the temperature reference at the plurality of positions; (f) generating a correction matrix for the identified pixels based on comparison between the thermal map and the first steady state temperature; and (g) applying the correction matrix to subsequent measurements of the thermal camera. A controller and an apparatus for the layer-by-layer manufacture of three-dimensional objects comprising the controller to carry out the method are also provided.