CALCULATING ENERGY DISSIPATION IN AN IR IMAGE

• US 20110074959A1
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Published: 03/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Systems AB (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Flir Systems AB (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: HAMRELIUS, Torbjörn, JÖNSSON, Henrik, PALM, Gunnar, STRANDEMAR, Katrin
• Granted Patent: US 8,384,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/164
• 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 5/0275 Control or determination of height or distance or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/064 Ambient temperature sensor; Housing temperature sensor; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/10 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/485 Temperature profile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/14 for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation G02B13/008, G02B13/16 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

An IR camera comprises: a thermal radiation capturing arrangement for capturing thermal radiation of an imaged view in response to input control unit(s) receiving user inputs from a user of the IR camera; a processing unit arranged to process the thermal radiation data in order for the thermal radiation data to be displayed by an IR camera display as thermal images; and a IR camera display arranged to display thermal images to a user of the IR camera. The IR camera is characterized in that the processing unit is further arranged to: determine at least one temperature reference value representing the temperature of the surrounding environment of the imaged view; and calculate at least one output power value indicative of an amount of energy dissipated in a part of the imaged view by using the temperature value of the thermal radiation data corresponding to said part of the imaged view and the at least one determined temperature reference value.

Claims

1. An IR camera (1) comprising

a thermal radiation capturing arrangement (4, 5, 6) for capturing thermal radiation of an imaged view (2) in response to an input control unit(s) (12) receiving inputs from a user of the IR camera (1);

a processing unit (7,) arranged to process the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) in order for the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) to be displayed by an IR camera display (11) as thermal images; and

a IR camera display (11) arranged to display thermal images to a user of the IR camera (1);

characterized in that

the processing unit (7,) is further arranged to;

determine at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env) representing the temperature of the surrounding environment of the imaged view (2);

calculate at least one output power value (PD_x,y) indicative of an amount of energy dissipated in a part of the imaged view (2) by using the temperature value of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) corresponding to said part of the imaged view (2) and the at least one determined temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env).

2. An IR camera (1) according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit (7) is arranged to control the IR camera display (11) to display the at least one calculated output power value (PD_x,y) to a user of the IR camera (1) in place of the corresponding temperature pixel in the thermal image.

3. An IR camera (1) according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit (7) is further arranged to:

determine a first subset (T_x,y^obj) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as a thermal image object area (35) representing an object (3) in the imaged view (2) for which an output power value (P_TOT^obj) is to be determined;

calculate an object output power value (P_TOT^obj) indicative of the amount of energy dissipated from the object (3) in the imaged view (2) based upon output power values (PD_x,y) of the determined thermal image object area (35) in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y).

4. An IR camera (1) according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit (7) is arranged to control the IR camera display (11) to display the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera (1) together with the thermal images.

5. An IR camera (1) according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit (7) is further arranged to

receive information comprising current energy price information (c_meas) and/or time span information (t_meas),

calculate a total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) for the object (3) in the imaged view (2) based on the time span information (t_meas) and the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj),

calculate a total energy cost value (C) based on the current energy price information (c_meas) and the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj), and

control the IR camera display (11) to display the total energy cost value (C) and/or the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera (1) together with the thermal images.

6. An IR camera (1) according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit (7) is arranged to determine the thermal image object area (35) by receiving information from the input control unit(s) (12) indicating a first subset (T_x,y^obj) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as the thermal image object area (35).

7. An IR camera (1) according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit (7) is arranged to determine the thermal image object area (35) by using a temperature threshold value to indicate a first subset (T_x,y^obj) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as the thermal image object area (A).

8. An IR camera (1) according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit (7) is arranged to

receive information from the input control unit(s) (12) comprising a value of the actual physical surface area of the object (3) in the imaged view (2) facing towards the IR camera (1), and

use this information when calculating the object output power value (P_TOT^obj).

9. An IR camera (1) according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit (7) is arranged to

receive information from a distance determining unit (8) comprised in the IR camera (1) comprising the distance between the actual physical object (3) captured in the imaged view (2) and the IR camera (1),

determine a object field-of-view (o_fov) of the determined thermal image object area (A) in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y),

estimate the actual physical surface area of the object (3) in the imaged view (2) facing towards the IR camera (1) based upon the received distance and the determined object field-of-view (o_fov), and

use the estimation of the actual physical surface area of the object (3) in the imaged view (2) when calculating the object output power value (P_TOT^obj).

10. An IR camera (1) according to claim 9, wherein the processing unit (7) is further arranged to

receive information from the input control unit(s) (12) comprising a form indicator which is indicative of the shape or form of the actual physical object (3) in the imaged view (2), and

use the form indicator or a corresponding value when calculating the object output power value (P_TOT^obj).

11. An IR camera (1) according to claim 9, wherein the distance comprised in the information from the distance determining unit (8) is a distance map comprising separate distance values for different subsets of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y), and the processing unit (7) is arranged to

estimate the shape or form of the actual physical object (3) in the imaged view (2) using the distance map, and

use this estimate or a corresponding value when calculating the object output power value (P_TOT^obj).

12. An IR camera (1) according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit (7) is arranged to determine the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env) by receiving information from the input control unit(s) (12) comprising a temperature value(s) to be used as the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env).

13. An IR camera (1) according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit (7) is arranged to

determine a second subset (T_x,y^ref) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as a thermal image reference area (36), wherein the thermal image reference area (36) is not part of the determined thermal image object area (35) in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y),

calculate an representative temperature value for the thermal image reference area (36) in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y), and

use the representative temperature value for the thermal image reference area (36) in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env) when determining the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env).

14. An IR camera (1) according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit (7) is arranged to determine the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env) by receiving temperature value(s) from at least one temperature measuring unit (13) comprised in the IR camera (1).

15. A method for use in a processing unit (7) of an IR camera (1) capturing thermal radiation data (T_x,y) of an imaged view (2), the method being characterized by comprising the steps of:

determining at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env) representing the temperature of the surrounding environment of the imaged view (2);

calculating at least one output power value (PD_x,y) indicative of an amount of energy dissipated in a part of the imaged view (2) by using the temperature value of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) corresponding to said part of the imaged view (2) and the at least one determined temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env).

16. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

controlling the IR camera display (11) to display the at least one calculated output power value (PD_x,y) to a user of the IR camera (1) in place of the corresponding temperature pixel in the thermal image.

17. A method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of:

determining a first subset (T_x,y^obj) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as a thermal image object area (A) representing an object (3) in the imaged view (2) for which an output power value (P_TOT^obj) is to be determined;

calculating an object output power value (P_TOT^obj) indicative of the amount of energy dissipated from the object (3) in the imaged view (2) based upon output power values (PD_x,y) of the determined thermal image object area (35) in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y).

18. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

controlling the IR camera display (11) to display the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera (1) together with the thermal images.

19. A method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

receiving information comprising current energy price information (c_meas) and/or time span information (t_meas),

calculating a total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) for the object (3) in the imaged view (2) based on the time span information (t_meas) and the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj),

calculating a total energy cost value (C) based on the current energy price information (c_meas) and the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj), and

controlling the IR camera display (11) to display total energy cost value (C) and/or the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera (1) together with the thermal images.

21. A computer program product according claim 20, comprising computer readable code means, which when run in a processing unit (7) in the IR camera (1) causes the processing unit (7) in the IR camera (1) to further perform the steps according to any of the claims 16 to 19.

20. A computer program product for use in a IR camera (1), which comprises computer readable code means, which when run in a processing unit (7) in the IR camera (1) causes said processing unit (7) in the IR camera (1) to perform the steps of:

determining at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env) representing the temperature of the surrounding environment of the imaged view (2);

calculating at least one output power value (PD_x,y) indicative of an amount of energy dissipated in a part of the imaged view (2) by using the temperature value of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) corresponding to said part of the imaged view (2) and the at least one determined temperature reference value (T_rad,env,T_conv,env).

22. A computer program product according claim 20, wherein said code means is stored on a readable storage medium.