Correlation thermography
First Claim
1. A passive remote thermal radiation sensing and processing system for non-invasive temperature measurement of the interior of a body, said system comprising:
- at least first and second directional receiving means for receiving thermally-generated energy from inside said body and generating corresponding electrical signals, each of said first and second directional receiving means having a defined directional receiving pattern and said first and second directional receiving means being adapted to be coupled with the surface of said body at different locations about said body so that their directional receiving patterns intersect;
multiplier means connected to receive the electrical signals generated by said first and second directional receiving means for producing a product output signal proportional to the product of said electrical signals; and
averaging means connected to said multiplier means for averaging said product output signal over a period of time to generate a correlation output signal which is a measure of the thermally-generated energy within the volume of intersection of the directional receiving patterns of said first and second directional receiving means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Correlation thermography permits high resolution passive remote thermal radiation sensing for non-invasive temperature measurement of the interior of a body. At least two directional transducers are coupled to the surface of the body at different locations about the body in such a manner that their directional receiving patterns intersect. These transducers may be acoustic or electromagnetic transducers, but in any case are capable of receiving thermally-generated energy from inside the body and generating corresponding electrical signals. The intersection of the receiving patterns of the transducers defines a common volume which is relatively small, and the signals at each transducer originating from this common volume within the body exhibit a high degree of correlation. A multiplier receives the electrical signals produced by the transducers. A fixed or variable delay is interposed between at least one of the transducers and the multiplier. A low pass filter or integrator is connected to average the product output signal from the multiplier and thereby generate a correlation output signal which is a measure of the thermally-generated energy within the common volume of intersection of the directional receiving patterns of the transducers.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A passive remote thermal radiation sensing and processing system for non-invasive temperature measurement of the interior of a body, said system comprising:
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at least first and second directional receiving means for receiving thermally-generated energy from inside said body and generating corresponding electrical signals, each of said first and second directional receiving means having a defined directional receiving pattern and said first and second directional receiving means being adapted to be coupled with the surface of said body at different locations about said body so that their directional receiving patterns intersect; multiplier means connected to receive the electrical signals generated by said first and second directional receiving means for producing a product output signal proportional to the product of said electrical signals; and averaging means connected to said multiplier means for averaging said product output signal over a period of time to generate a correlation output signal which is a measure of the thermally-generated energy within the volume of intersection of the directional receiving patterns of said first and second directional receiving means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification