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

• US 20060198421A1
• Filed: 05/02/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fluke Corporation (Fortive Corp.)
• Inventors: Schreher, Medwin
• Granted Patent: US 7,352,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 374/121
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/01 for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour G02F1/29, G02F1/35 take precedence

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 distance entering interface is used to enter distance data indicating the distance between the radiometer and the object surface and the distance data 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 a displayed image of at least a part of the object surface included in the energy zone and a part of the object surface not included in the energy zone;

a distance entering interface for entering distance data indicating the distance between the non-contact IR thermal measurement device and the object surface; and

an optical overlay sub-system, coupled to the distance entering interface, for overlaying a shape outline, having a dimension determined by a entered distance data, 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 distance entering interface comprises:

a numeric keyboard.

3. The system of claim 1 where the distance entering interface comprises:

a graphical user interface.

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 distance entering interface, programmed to select circle data from the storage device for generating a circle having a diameter size determined by the distance data provided by the distance entering interface.

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

6. The system of claim 1 where the distance entering interface and video-subsystem are integrated into a single unit.

7. 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 displayed digital image of the object surface with the displayed digital image including at least a part of the object surface included in the energy zone and a part of the object surface not included in the energy zone;

entering distance data indicating the distance to the object surface;

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.

8. The method of claim 7 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.

9. 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 displayed digital image of the object surface with the displayed digital image including at least a part of the object surface included in the energy zone and a part of the object surface not included in the energy zone;

means for entering distance data indicating the distance to the object surface;

means, utilizing the distance data, 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.

10. The system of claim 9 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.

11. 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 distance entering interface for entering distance data indicating the distance between the non-contact IR thermal measurement device and the object surface; and

a distance processing sub-system, coupled to the distance entering interface, for determining a shape outline, having a dimension determined by a entered distance data, indicating the extent of a displayed image included in the energy zone.

12. 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 distance entering interface for entering distance data indicating the distance between the non-contact IR thermal measurement device and the object surface;

an image generating subsystem for acquiring an image of a part of the object surface;

a distance processing sub-system, coupled to the distance entering interface, for determining a shape outline to overlay the image, with the shape outline having a dimension and position on the image determined by entered distance data and indicating the part of the image that shows the energy zone of the object; and

a display, coupled to the distance processing sub-system and image generating sub-system, for displaying a part of the image included within the shape outline.