Temperature distribution measuring device and measuring method

• US 5,660,471 A
• Filed: 02/22/1994
• Issued: 08/26/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Goto, Hiroichi, Morinaka, Katuya, Arita, Koji, Yoshiike, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): GUTIERREZ, DIEGO F
• Application Number:
  US08/199,794
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 374/124, 374/130, 374/137, 374/45, 250/332, 250/334, 250/338.3
• US Class Current: 374/124
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/04 Casings
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/047 Mobile mounting; Scanning arrangements
• 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 5/0804 Shutters
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0805 Means for chopping radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0806 Focusing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or concave mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/34 using capacitors, e.g. pyroelectric capacitors

Abstract

A temperature distribution measuring device has a turnable sensor head section 1 in which a plurality of detecting sections are arranged, a shaft 2 to which the sensor head section 1 is mounted so that the array direction of the detecting sections is inclined to the axis of rotation thereof, a rotation driving motor for rotating the shaft 2, control circuit 8 for controlling the direction and speed of rotation of the rotation driving section 3, and an umbrella-shaped chopping member for intermittently blocking incident infrared beams. The device has high spatial resolution and can offer temperature resolution at low cost.

Claims

1. A temperature distribution measuring device, comprising:

infrared beam detecting means including an infrared beam array sensor,

a chopper for intermittently blocking infrared beams incident on the infrared beam array sensor, the chopper having an umbrella shape, and

rotational driving means for independently rotating the infrared beam detecting means on a first rotational axis and the chopper on a second rotational axis, the first rotational axis and the second rotational axis substantially coinciding,

wherein the infrared beam array sensor is disposed obliquely at an inclination angle θ

_B to the first rotational axis.

2. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, wherein

the inclination angle θ

_B is expressed by θ

_B >

=90-θ

_IV, where θ

_IV is one-half of the measurable angle of view of the infrared beam detecting means, the total measurable angle of view of the infrared beam detecting means being 2×

θ

_IV.

3. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, wherein

the infrared beam detecting means continuously rotates in a fixed direction.

4. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, wherein

the rotational driving means is a brushless motor having a frequency generator pattern formed thereon, and

a speed of rotation of the brushless motor is controlled by utilizing a current induced on the frequency generator pattern.

5. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, further including:

a positioning means for detecting the position of the chopper, the positioning means being provided in either the infrared beam detecting means alone or in both the infrared beam detecting means and the chopper cooperatively.

6. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 5, wherein a start time for sampling output signals of the infrared beam array sensor is controlled using a signal from the positioning means.

7. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 5, wherein

sampling of output signals of the infrared beam array sensor is started by a signal from the positioning means,

values of the output signals at fixed time intervals are sequentially added, and

a measured temperature is obtained from the added values of the output signals.

8. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 5, wherein

sampling of output signals of the infrared beam array sensor is started by a signal detected by the timing means and

a measured temperature is obtained from a peak value of the sampled output signals.

9. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, further including:

a support for supporting the chopper and the infrared beam detecting means, and

rotational positioning means for detecting a rotational position of the infrared beam array sensor, the rotational positioning means being provided on the support and the infrared beam detecting means.

10. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, further including:

a support for supporting the chopper and the infrared beam detecting means, and

a substantially planar lead wire having a flexible substrate with a first end, a second end and an intermediate connecting section disposed therebetween, the first end being connected to the detecting means and the second end being connected to the support, wherein

the first end and the second end are flat plate sections and the intermediate connecting section is relatively narrow compared to the size of the flat plate sections, and

the lead wire is bent at the intermediate connecting section, whereby the lead wire can absorb deformation by means of the intermediate connecting section bending or twisting.

11. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, whereby a temperature distribution in a space section facing an audio visual medium can be measured.

12. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 11, wherein

a number of people, and positions thereof, in the space section are determined based on the temperature distribution and wherein

data concerning the number of people is transmitted as signals.

13. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, wherein

the infrared beam detecting means further includes a lens section for converging infrared beams to the infrared beam array sensor.

14. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 13, wherein:

the lens section is a silicon spherical lens or a chalcogen aspherical lens.

15. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

a rotational speed of the infrared beam detecting means differs from a rotational speed of the chopper.

16. The temperature distribution measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the infrared beam array sensor is a pyroelectric type.