METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SUBSURFACE ANOMALY DETECTION AND IMAGE PROJECTION

• US 20080224041A1
• Filed: 03/16/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John J. Cannamela
• Original Assignee: John J. Cannamela
• Inventors: Cannamela, John J.
• Application Number:
  US11/687,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20080224041A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/330
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8806 Specially adapted optical and illumination features
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/72 Investigating presence of flaws
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/005 by thermal methods, e.g. after generation of heat by chemical reactions

Abstract

A method of detecting subsurface anomalies that includes the steps of utilizing a detector to determine the existence of a subsurface anomaly at a location behind the surface, and generating a signal representative of the anomaly. The signal is transmitted to a projector mounted in image alignment with the detector. The signal is converted into a visual representation of the anomaly; and the visual representation of the anomaly is projected onto the surface at the location on the surface behind which the subsurface anomaly is present. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting subsurface anomalies, comprising:

(a) a detector for determining the existence of a subsurface anomaly at a location behind a surface and generating a signal representative of the anomaly; and

(b) a projector mounted in image alignment with the detector for receiving the signal, converting the signal into a visual representation of the anomaly and projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface at the location on the surface behind which the subsurface anomaly is present.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises an infrared detector.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises a thermal infrared camera capable of temperature measurement.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector comprises a thermal infrared camera capable of temperature measurement, and including a data store for storing digital data representative of temperature measurement.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projector comprises a video projector.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the projector comprises a DLP projector.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector and projector are separate devices connected by a data transfer cable.

8. An apparatus for detecting subsurface anomalies, comprising:

(a) an infrared camera for determining the existence of a subsurface anomaly detectable by the infrared camera at a location behind a surface and generating a signal representative of the anomaly; and

(b) a projector mounted in image alignment with the detector for receiving the signal, converting the signal into a visual representation of the anomaly and projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface in alignment with the subsurface anomaly.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the camera and projector are mounted on a common mounting device.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the camera and projector are mounted in vertically spaced-apart relation to each other, and are parallax-corrected for projecting the visual representation of the anomaly at the precise location on the surface behind which the anomaly is present.

11. A method for detecting subsurface anomalies, comprising:

(a) providing a detector for determining the existence of a subsurface anomaly at a location behind a surface;

(b) utilizing the detector to determine the existence of a subsurface anomaly at a location behind the surface;

(c) generating a signal representative of the anomaly;

(d) transmitting the signal to a projector mounted in image alignment with the detector;

(e) converting the signal into a visual representation of the anomaly; and

(f) projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface at the location on the surface behind which the subsurface anomaly is present.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein providing a detector comprises providing an infrared detector.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein providing a detector comprises providing a thermal infrared camera capable of temperature measurement.

14. A method according to claim 11, and including storing digital data representative of temperature measurement.

15. A method according to claim 11 wherein providing the projector comprises providing a video projector.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein the projector comprises a DLP projector.

17. A method according to claim 11, and including positioning the detector and projector in spaced-apart relation to each other and correcting any parallax between the detector and projector.

18. A method according to claim 11, and including the step of projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface at the location on the surface behind which the subsurface anomaly is present simultaneously with detecting the anomaly.

19. A method for detecting subsurface anomalies, comprising:

(a) providing a thermal imaging infrared camera for determining the existence of a subsurface thermal anomaly at a location behind a surface;

(b) utilizing the camera to determine the existence of a subsurface thermal anomaly at a location behind the surface;

(c) generating a signal representative of the thermal anomaly;

(d) transmitting the signal to a projector mounted in image alignment with the camera;

(e) converting the signal into a visual representation of the thermal anomaly; and

(f) projecting the visual representation of the anomaly onto the surface at the location on the surface behind which the subsurface anomaly is present simultaneously with the detection of the thermal anomaly by the camera.