Measurement device for lighting installations and related methods

• US 10,168,360 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Fox, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sanghera, Jas
• Application Number:
  US15/097,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20160223588A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0096 for measuring wires, electrical contacts or electronic systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/025 Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0265 Handheld, portable ear thermometers G01J5/049
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0275 Control or determination of height or distance or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/07 Arrangements for adjusting the solid angle of collected radiation, e.g. adjusting or orienting field of view, tracking position or encoding angular position optical collimating elements G01J5/0806
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0846 having multiple detectors for performing different types of detection, e.g. using radiometry and reflectometry channels
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0896 using a light source, e.g. for illuminating a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/06788 Hand-held or hand-manipulated probes, e.g. for oscilloscopes or for portable test instruments end pieces terminating in a probe H01R11/18
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07 Non contact-making probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/58 Testing of lines, cables or conductors testing of electric windings G01R31/72
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/08 Systems for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for measurement devices and methods to obtain measurements of various physical parameters in an integrated manner. For example, according to one or more embodiments, a measurement device includes a housing configured to be hand-held by a user; a light sensor configured to sense light and generate a signal in response; a logic device configured to process the signal from the light sensor to determine an intensity of the light, the logic device being further configured to receive and process another signal to determine a magnitude of a physical parameter associated with an external article; and a display configured to present information representing the intensity of the light and the magnitude of the physical parameter. Such a measurement device may be conveniently carried and utilized by electricians or other users, for example, to perform lighting installation or retrofitting without a need for multiple different devices.

Claims

1. A measurement device comprising:

a housing configured to be hand-held by a user;

a visible light sensor disposed at least partially on the housing, the visible light sensor being configured to sense visible light emitted from a light source and generate a first signal indicative of an intensity of the visible light;

a logic device within the housing and configured to process the first signal to determine the intensity of the visible light,

wherein the logic device is further configured to receive and process a second signal indicative of a physical parameter associated with an external article to determine a magnitude of the physical parameter; and

a display disposed at least partially on the housing and configured to present information representing a numerical value indicative of the intensity of the visible light and a numerical value indicative of the magnitude of the physical parameter.

2. The measurement device of claim 1, wherein:

the physical parameter comprises a distance to the external article;

the measurement device further comprises;

an emitter configured to transmit a light beam or sound wave to the external article, and

a detector configured to detect the light beam or sound wave as reflected from the external article and to generate the second signal in response; and

the logic device is configured to determine the distance to the external article by processing the second signal.

3. The measurement device of claim 2, wherein the logic device is further configured to calculate a size of an area or space based at least on the determined distance to the external article.

4. The measurement device of claim 2, wherein the logic device is configured to determine the distance to the external article based on a time-of-flight of the light beam or sound wave to and back from the external article.

5. The measurement device of claim 2, wherein:

the emitter is a laser emitter configured to transmit a laser beam to the external article;

the detector is configured to detect an incident angle at which the laser beam as reflected from the external article reaches the detector;

the second signal from the detector comprises information indicative of the incident angle; and

the logic device is further configured to determine the distance to the external article by triangulation using the incident angle.

6. The measurement device of claim 1, wherein:

the physical parameter comprises an electrical parameter;

the logic device is configured to determine a magnitude of the electrical parameter by processing the second signal.

7. The measurement device of claim 6, further comprising a clamp or flexible loop configured to sense the electrical parameter associated with the external article without making electrical contact and to generate the second signal indicative of the sensed electrical parameter.

8. The measurement device of claim 6, further comprising one or more electrical terminals configured to be electrically connected to the external article, wherein the second signal is received from the external article via the one or more electrical terminals.

9. The measurement device of claim 6, wherein:

the visible light sensor is further configured to convert the sensed visible light to a voltage signal;

the visible light sensor is configured to generate the first signal based on the voltage signal; and

the logic device is configured to determine an electrical current, voltage, and/or power associated with the external article.

10. The measurement device of claim 6, wherein the logic device is configured to:

determine an electrical current associated with the external article; and

determine an electrical power associated with the external article based on the electrical current, an estimated voltage, and an estimated power factor.

11. The measurement device of claim 6, further comprising:

an emitter configured to transmit a light beam or sound wave to a target; and

a detector configured to detect the light beam or sound wave as reflected from the target and to generate a third signal in response,

wherein the logic device is further configured to receive and process the third signal to determine a distance to the target, and

wherein the visible light sensor is calibrated for measuring light produced from a light emitting diode (LED) light source.

12. The measurement device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of optical filters, wherein one of the plurality of optical filters is disposed relative to the visible light sensor to filter the visible light reaching the visible light sensor using the one of the plurality of optical filters, wherein each of the plurality of optical filters is configured to be selectively disposed based on a type of the light source and configured to pass the visible light at respective selected wavelengths to adjust a spectral response of the visible light sensor to the visible light.

13. The measurement device of claim 1, wherein the light source is a first light source currently installed at a site, wherein the information is first information, and wherein the display is configured to present both the first information and second information representing a numerical value indicative of an intensity of visible light from a second light source previously installed at the site.

14. The measurement device of claim 13, further comprising:

an infrared imaging module configured to capture an infrared image of at least a first portion of the site; and

a non-thermal imaging module configured to capture a non-thermal image of at least a second portion of the site,

wherein the logic device is further configured to;

overlay both the first information and the second information onto the infrared image to generate a first user-viewable image; and

/or

generate a second user-viewable image based on the infrared image and the non-thermal image.

15. A method comprising:

sensing visible light emitted from a light source by a visible light sensor of a measurement device configured to be hand-held by a user;

determining, by the measurement device, an intensity of the visible light sensed by the visible light sensor;

sensing a physical parameter associated with an external article by an additional sensor of the measurement device;

determining, by the measurement device, a magnitude of the physical parameter sensed by the additional sensor; and

presenting, for viewing by the user on a display of the measurement device, information representing a numerical value indicative of the intensity of the visible light and a numerical value indicative of the magnitude of the physical parameter.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the additional sensor comprises;

an emitter configured to transmit a light beam or sound wave to the external article, and

a detector configured to detect the light beam or sound wave as reflected from the external article; and

the determining the magnitude of the physical parameter comprises determining a distance to the external article by a time-of-flight measurement or triangulation of the light beam or sound wave emitted and detected by the emitter and the detector.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the additional sensor comprises an electrical sensor;

the physical parameter comprises an electrical parameter associated with the external article;

the light source is a first light source currently installed at a site; and

the method further comprising comparing parameters of the first light source with corresponding parameters of a second light source previously installed at the site.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the information is first information;

the presenting comprises presenting, for viewing by the user on the display of the measurement device, the first information together with second information representing a numerical value indicative of an intensity of visible light from the second light source;

the electrical parameter comprises an electrical current associated with the external article; and

the method further comprises determining an electrical power associated with the external article based on the electrical current, an estimated voltage, and an estimated power factor.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the measurement device comprises;

an emitter configured to transmit a light beam or sound wave to a target, and

a detector configured to detect the light beam or sound wave as reflected from the target; and

the method further comprises determining a distance to the target by a time-of-flight measurement or triangulation of the light beam or sound wave emitted and detected by the emitter and the detector.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the sensing the light comprises optically filtering the visible light by one or more optical filters of a plurality of optical filters of the measurement device to adjust a spectral response of the visible light sensor to the visible light, wherein the plurality of optical filters is selectively disposed based on a type of the light source, and wherein the plurality of optical filters is provided in a filter wheel.