Method and apparatus for electronically generating an outline indicating the size of an energy zone imaged onto the IR detector of a radiometer

• US 20050174558A1
• Filed: 02/10/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Heinke, Thomas, Pomper, Ken, Carlson, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,164,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/4.30
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• 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 5/04 Casings
• 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 5/08 Optical arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0896 using a light source, e.g. for illuminating a surface

Abstract

A radiometer includes a sighting system that generates a digital image of an object surface having an area that is to be imaged onto the IR detector. A shape outline is overlaid on the digital image of an object surface to indicate the extent of the energy zone that is imaged onto the IR detector. A rangefinder measures the distance between the radiometer and the object surface and the measured distance is utilized to determine the size of the overlaid shape.

Claims

1. A system for indicating the location of an energy zone on an object surface, with the energy zone being an area on the object surface that is imaged onto an IR detector by the IR optical system included in a non-contact IR thermal measurement device, said system comprising:

a video sub-system for displaying an image of at least a part of the object surface;

a range-finding sub-system for measuring the distance between the non-contact IR thermal measurement device and the object surface and outputting a distance signal indicating a measured distance; and

an optical overlay sub-system, coupled to the range-finding sub-system, for overlaying a shape outline, having a dimension determined by a received measured distance, over a displayed image of the object surface and with the shape outline indicating the extent of a displayed image included in the energy zone.

2. The system of claim 1 where the range-finding sub-system comprises:

a laser diode for emitting a laser-beam along a first optical axis;

a position-sensitive photodiode, having a major surface and displaced from the first optical axis, for receiving a portion of the laser beam reflected from the object surface and indicating the position of a reflected portion on the major surface.

3. The system of claim 2 where the first axis is substantially coincident with the optical axis of the IR optical system so that the laser beam indicates the center of the energy zone.

4. The system of claim 1 where the video-subsystem comprises:

a digital image generating chip for outputting digital image data, a display device for displaying digital image data, and an image controller chip for controlling the display device to display digital image data provided by the image generating chip;

and where the optical overlay subsystem includes;

a storage device for storing circle data utilized to form circle images of different diameters;

and with the image controller coupled to the storage device and the range-finding sub-system, programmed to select circle data from the storage device for generating a circle having a diameter size determined by the measured distance provided by the range-finding sub-system.

5. The system of claim 1 where the shape outline is a circle.

6. A method for indicating the location of an energy zone on an object surface, with the energy zone being an area on the object surface that is imaged onto an IR detector by the IR optical system included in a non-contact IR thermal measurement device, said method comprising steps of:

acquiring a digital image of the object surface;

displaying a digital image of the object surface;

measuring the distance to the object surface to obtain a distance value;

forming a geometrical shape indicating the portion of the object surface indicating the portion of the object surface included in the energy zone; and

overlaying the geometrical shape over the digital image of the object surface to indicate the location of the energy zone.

7. The method of claim 6 where the step of forming a geometrical image further comprises the step of:

compensating for parallax between the acquired digital image and an optical axis of the IR optical system.

8. A system for indicating the location of an energy zone on an object surface, with the energy zone being an area on the object surface that is imaged onto an IR detector by the IR optical system included in a non-contact IR thermal measurement device, said system comprising:

means for acquiring a digital image of the object surface;

means for displaying a digital image of the object surface;

means for measuring the distance to the object surface to obtain a distance value;

means for forming a geometrical shape indicating the portion of the object surface indicating the portion of the object surface included in the energy zone; and

means for overlaying the geometrical shape over the digital image of the object surface to indicate the location of the energy zone.

9. The system of claim 8 where the means for forming a geometrical image further comprises:

means for compensating for parallax between the acquired digital image and an optical axis of the IR optical system.