Thermal object measuring apparatus

• US 5,877,688 A
• Filed: 04/12/1996
• Issued: 03/02/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/1995
• 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: Kawai, Tetsuya, Hashimoto, Kazuhiko, Morinaka, Katsuya, Yoshiike, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): TONG, NINA C
• Application Number:
  US08/629,937
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 340/584, 340/587, 340/573, 340/565, 340/522, 340/435, 340/436, 340/540, 340/541, 340/578, 340/581, 348/164, 348/166, 348/167, 348/168, 348/169, 348/165, 374/142, 374/124, 374/45, 250/338.1, 250/341.1, 250/342, 250/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 340/584
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0025 Living bodies ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• 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: G01S 15/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/88 Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications seismic or acoustic prospecting or detecting G01V1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse-modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurements G01S17/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/483 Details of pulse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/497 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• 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 13/19 using infrared-radiation detection systems G08B13/194 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/191 using pyroelectric sensor means
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/26 by updating and storing reference thresholds
• 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

A thermal object detecting method and apparatus. According to the method and apparatus, a thermal image of a measuring space is obtained by a two-dimensional thermal image detecting device. Then, position information of an object in the measuring space is obtained by an object distance detecting device, which determines a distance between the apparatus and the object. The output of the two-dimensional thermal image detecting device can be corrected using the distance data from the object distance detecting device.

Claims

1. A thermal object measuring apparatus, comprising:

infrared ray detecting means for detecting infrared rays radiated from a thermal object within a measuring space, the infrared detecting means including at least one photo sensor,

distance detecting means for detecting a distance to an object within the measuring space, the distance detecting means including at least one pair of an infrared emitter and a photo sensor, and

sensor signal processing means for determining spatial temperature distributions and object distance distributions for the measuring space based upon outputs from the infrared ray detecting means and the distance detecting means, such that

the sensor signal processing means determines a first object distance distribution for the measuring space,

when the sensor signal processing means determines a spatial temperature distribution for the measuring space which includes a thermal object, the sensor signal processing means determines a second object distance distribution for the measuring space, and

the sensor signal processing means compares a difference between the first object distance distribution and the second object distance distribution with the spatial temperature distribution to recognize if a distance from the thermal object to the thermal object measuring apparatus is to be measured.

2. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 1, further including

rotary scanning means for rotating said infrared ray detecting means and said distance detecting means, wherein

said sensor signal processing means determines said spatial temperature distributions and object distance distributions based upon a rotation of the rotary scanning means.

3. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein

said infrared ray detecting means are mounted on independent rotary shafts, and

said rotary scanning means rotates said independent rotary shafts using a single motor.

4. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 1, further including image display means for displaying images for said spatial temperature distributions and said object distance distributions determined by said sensor signal processing means.

5. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the sensor signal processing means determines a number, position and a moving condition of human bodies within said measuring space by analyzing said determined spatial temperature distributions and object distance distributions.

6. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

said at least one photo sensor of the infrared ray detecting means includes a pyroelectric element.

7. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

a chopper for periodically blocking infrared rays entering the photo sensor and an infrared ray condensing lens for condensing incident infrared rays are disposed on a front side of said infrared ray detecting means.

8. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

said distance detecting means includes a plurality of pairs of infrared emitters and a photo sensor arranged in an array, such that said distance detecting means operates for a plurality of different distance detecting directions.

9. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein

the distance detecting means includes a plurality of infrared emitters disposed in an array, and one photo sensor, such that reflected light from said plurality of infrared emitters is received by said one photo sensor.

10. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein

the light emitted from said plurality of infrared emitters of said distance detecting means is emitted through one lens.

11. A thermal object measuring apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising

a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of said distance detecting means and correcting an output of the distance detecting means based upon the detected temperature.

12. A viewer survey system, comprising:

a) a thermal object measuring apparatus which comprises;

infrared ray detecting means for detecting infrared rays radiated from a thermal object within a measuring space, the infrared detecting means including at least one photo sensor,

distance detecting means for detecting a distance to an object within the measuring space, the distance detecting means including at least one pair of an infrared emitter and a photo sensor, and

sensor signal processing means for determining a spatial temperature distributions and object distance distributions for the measuring space based upon outputs from the infrared ray detecting means and the distance detecting means, such that

the sensor signal processing means determines a first object distance distribution for the measuring space,

when the sensor signal processing means determines a spatial temperature distribution for the measuring space which includes a thermal object, the sensor signal processing means determines a second object distance distribution for the measuring space, and

the sensor signal processing means compares a difference between the first object distance distribution and the second object distance distribution with the spatial temperature distribution to recognize if a distance from the thermal object to the thermal object measuring apparatus is to be measured;

wherein the sensor signal processing means determines a number, position and a moving condition of human bodies within said measuring space by analyzing said determined spatial temperature distributions and object distance distributions;

b) and a human body presence counting means for counting a number of human bodies present within the measuring space,

c) television information generating means for generating at least a channel and duration of a program being broadcast,

d) judging means for

1) comparing an output from said human body presence counting means and an output from said thermal object measuring apparatus, and

2) judging whether said outputs match,

e) warning means for warning of a result of said judgment, and

f) transmitting means for transmitting said outputs from said human body presence counting means and said thermal object measuring apparatus.