SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MONITORING REMOTE INSTALLATIONS

• US 20190003984A1
• Filed: 02/22/2018
• Published: 01/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rebellion Photonics, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rebellion Photonics, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Kester, Robert Timothy, Odintsova, Margarita Sergeyevna
• Granted Patent: US 10,955,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2003/2826 Multispectral imaging, e.g. filter imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0232 using shutters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/28 Investigating the spectrum using colour filters G01J3/51
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/2823 Imaging spectrometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0014 for sensing the radiation from gases, flames
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0066 for hot spots detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0804 Shutters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/80 Calibration using comparison with reference sources G01J5/52
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/20 using special tracer materials, e.g. dye, fluorescent material, radioactive material
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/207 calibration arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/3531 without instrumental source, i.e. radiometric
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/274 Calibration, base line adjustment, drift correction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3504 for analysing gases, e.g. multi-gas analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/8851 Scan or image signal processing specially adapted therefor, e.g. for scan signal adjustment, for detecting different kinds of defects, for compensating for structures, markings, edges G01N21/8806 and G01N21/93 - G01N21/95692 take precedence; optical measurement of dimensions G01B11/00; optical scanning G02B26/10; image transformation G06T3/00; computerised image enhancement G06T5/00; image processing per se for flaw detection G06T7/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0044 Sulphides, e.g. H2S
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0047 Organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1895 : using light change detection systems G08B13/194 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19 : using infrared-radiation detection systems G08B13/194 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/12 : responsive to undesired emission of substances, e.g. pollution alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/14 : Toxic gas alarms G08B21/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 : Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/20 : for generating image signals from infrared radiation only
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 : for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A system for monitoring a petrochemical installation is disclosed. The system can include an optical imaging system comprising an array of optical detectors. The system can comprise processing electronics configured to process image data detected by the optical imaging system. The processing electronics can be configured to detect a target species based at least in part on the processed image data. The processing electronics can further be configured to, based on a detected amount of the target species, transmit an alarm notification to an external computing device over a communications network indicating that the target species has been detected at the petrochemical installation.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a petrochemical installation, the system comprising:

an optical imaging system comprising an array of optical detectors, the array of optical detectors comprising an infrared (IR) detector array; and

processing electronics configured to process image data detected by the optical imaging system, the processing electronics configured to;

detect a target species based at least in part on the processed image data; and

based on a detected amount of the target species, transmit an alarm notification to an external computing device over a communications network indicating that the target species has been detected at the petrochemical installation,

wherein the processing electronics are configured to detect the target species over multiple frames of the image data and to combine the multiple frames of image data into a summary alarm image that presents the detection of the target species over a period of time,

wherein the optical imaging system defines a plurality of optical channels being spatially and spectrally different from one another, each of the plurality of optical channels positioned to transfer radiation incident on the optical imaging system towards the array of optical detectors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the summary alarm image comprises a single image.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing electronics are configured to create the summary alarm image by calculating an average concentration of the target species and/or an average of the image data representative of the concentration over the period of time.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing electronics are configured to generate a progressive mode to sequentially present summary alarm images for successive stored fields of view (FOVs).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing electronics are configured to create an events log comprising a plurality of events comprising one or more target species detected by the processing electronics.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing electronics are configured to compare the detected amount of the target species to a threshold amount and, based on that comparison, transmit the alarm notification to the external computing device over the communications network indicating that the target species has been detected at the petrochemical installation.

2. (canceled)

4. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)

12-78. -78. (canceled)

79. A system for monitoring an installation, the system comprising:

an optical imaging system comprising an array of optical detectors; and

processing electronics configured to process image data detected by the optical imaging system, the processing electronics configured to;

detect a target species based at least in part on the processed image data over multiple frames of the processed image data; and

combine the multiple frames of processed image data into a summary alarm image that presents the detection of the target species over a period of time.

80. The system of claim 79, wherein the summary alarm image comprises a single image.

81. The system of claim 79, wherein the processing electronics are configured to create the summary alarm image by calculating an average concentration of the target species and/or an average of the image data representative of the concentration over the period of time.

82. The system of claim 79, wherein the processing electronics are configured to generate a progressive mode to sequentially present summary alarm images for successive fields of view (FOVs) of the optical imaging system.

83. The system of claim 79, wherein the processing electronics are configured to create an events log comprising a plurality of events comprising one or more target species detected by the processing electronics.

84. The system of claim 83, wherein the processing electronics are configured to analyze the events log, and based on the analysis, to generate a priority ranking of events.

85. The system of claim 79, wherein the processing electronics are configured to generate a mosaic image comprising a plurality of fields of view (FOVs) of the optical imaging system at the installation.

86. The system of claim 79, wherein the processing electronics are configured to monitor a progression of a liquid leak over a period of time.

88. The system of claim 79, wherein at least a portion of the processing electronics are located remote from the optical imaging system.

89. The system of claim 79, wherein the processing electronics are configured to generate a system overview image that illustrates locations of a plurality of optical imaging systems at the installation, each optical imaging system of the plurality of optical imaging systems associated with an identifier.

90. The system of claim 79, wherein the processing electronics are configured to generate a multi-view image that illustrates image data captured by multiple optical imaging systems at multiple sites of one or a plurality of installations.

87. (canceled)

91-95. -95. (canceled)

96. A system for monitoring one or more installations, the system comprising:

a plurality of optical imaging systems, each optical imaging system of the plurality of optical imaging systems comprising an array of optical detectors; and

processing electronics configured to process image data detected by the plurality of optical imaging systems, the processing electronics configured to;

detect one or more target species based at least in part on the processed image data;

generate a multi-view image that illustrates image data captured by the plurality of optical imaging systems at a plurality of locations of the one or more installations; and

associate the location of the optical imaging system at which the target species has been detected with an identifier.

97. The system of claim 96, wherein, based on a detected amount of the one or more target species, the processing electronics are configured to transmit an alarm notification to an external computing device over a communications network indicating that the one or more target species has been detected at the one or more installations.

98. The system of claim 97, wherein the processing electronics are configured to notify the external computing device of the location of the optical imaging system at which the one or more target species has been detected.

99-157. -157. (canceled)