图像处理Liquid crystal thermography and true-colour digital image processing.pdf

ARTICLE IN PRESS Optics Laser Technology 38 (2006) 243–256 /locate/optlastec Liquid crystal thermography and true-colour digital image processing a, a a b J. Stasiek , A. Stasiek , M. Jewartowski , M.W. Collins aGdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-952 Gdansk, Poland b Thermofluids Group, Institution of Mechanical Engineers and School of Engineering and Design, Brunel University, West London, UK Available online 10 August 2005 Abstract In the last decade thermochromic liquid crystals (TLC) and true-colour digital image processing have been successfully used in non-intrusive technical, industrial and biomedical studies and applications. Thin coatings of TLCs at surfaces are utilized to obtain detailed temperature distributions and heat transfer rates for steady or transient processes. Liquid crystals also can be used to make visible the temperature and velocity fields in liquids by the simple expedient of directly mixing the liquid crystal material into the liquid (water, glycerol, glycol, and silicone oils) in very small quantities to use as thermal and hydrodynamic tracers. In biomedical situations e.g., skin diseases, breast cancer, blood circulation and other medical application, TLC and image processing are successfully used as an additional non-invasive diagnostic method especially useful for screening large groups of potential patients. The history of this technique is reviewed