Anemometer with non-contact temperature measurement

• US 7,452,127 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Extech Instruments Corporation (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Blakely, Gerald W. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Verbitsky; Gail
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jagan; Mirellys
• Application Number:
  US11/189,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20070019705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 731/701.3, 732/041.9, 731/701.2, 374/142, 374/121, 374/208
• US Class Current: 374/142
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/02 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/025 Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0265 Handheld, portable ear thermometers G01J5/049
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/028 using a charging unit or battery
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/04 Casings
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/048 Protective parts
• 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 5/0843 Manually adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0846 having multiple detectors for performing different types of detection, e.g. using radiometry and reflectometry channels
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0859 Sighting arrangements, e.g. cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0893 Arrangements to attach devices to a pyrometer, i.e. attaching an optical interface; Spatial relative arrangement of optical elements, e.g. folded beam path G01J5/049 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0896 using a light source, e.g. for illuminating a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/006 using measurement of the effect of a material on microwaves or longer electromagnetic waves, e.g. measuring temperature via microwaves emitted by the object G01K17/003, G01J5/00 take precedence; measuring the effect of a material on X-, gamma- or particle radiation G01K11/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 5/06 using rotation of vanes measuring speed of rotating shafts G01P3/00

Abstract

An anemometer with non-contact temperature measurement capability, including a air velocity meter, contained at least partially in a housing and having outputs relating to measured air velocity parameters including air velocity and ambient temperature, an output display contained in the housing, for displaying measurements to a user, a non-contact optically-based internal temperature sensing device, having an output related to optically sensed IR temperature and circuitry contained in the housing for processing both the air velocity or volume meter output and the temperature sensing device output, and transmitting the processed output to the output display.

Claims

1. An instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability, comprising:

an output display contained in a housing, for displaying measurements to a user;

an anemometer having outputs relating to measured air velocity parameters, including at least air velocity and ambient temperature;

a non-contact, optically-based temperature sensing device coupled to the housing, having an output related to sensed temperature and defining a sense axis that is adjustable relative to the housing, in which the non-contact temperature sensing device is mounted in a mount that is rotatably coupled to and movable relative to the housing, to allow the user to aim the non-contact temperature sensing device; and

circuitry contained in the housing for processing both the anemometer outputs and the temperature sensing device output, and transmitting the processed output to the output display.

2. The instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 1, in which the anemometer comprises one or more air velocity or temperature sensing devices that are mounted in an enclosure that is separate from the housing and can be located some distance from the housing.

3. The instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 1, in which the anemometer is a digital anemometer.

4. The instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 1, further comprising a switch for switching at least some of the circuitry between the anemometer outputs and the non-contact temperature sensing device output.

5. The instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 1, further comprising a user-operable electrical device for selectively routing the temperature sensing device output to the circuitry.

6. The instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 1, further comprising a user-operable electrical device for selectively holding the sensed non-contact temperature

7. The instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 1, in which the non-contact temperature sensing device comprises an infrared sensor.

8. The instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 7, in which the non-contact temperature sensing device further comprises a lens, proximate the infrared sensor, for focusing entering radiation onto the infrared sensor.

9. An instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability, comprising:

an output display contained in a housing, for displaying measurements to a user;

an anemometer having outputs relating to measured air velocity parameters, including at least air velocity and ambient temperature;

a non-contact, optically-based temperature sensing device coupled to the housing, having an output related to sensed temperature;

circuitry contained in the housing for processing both the anemometer outputs and the temperature sensing device output, and transmitting the processed output to the output display; and

an optical aiming device coupled to the housing, to assist the user in aiming the non-contact temperature sensing device at an object whose temperature is to be measured, and mounted in a mount that is rotatably coupled to and moveable relative to the housing, to allow the user to aim the optical aiming device, where the optical aiming device defines an aiming axis that is adjustable relative to the housing.

10. The instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 9, in which the optical aiming device comprises a diode laser device.

11. A digital instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability, comprising:

a digital output display contained in a housing, for displaying measurements to a user;

a digital anemometer having outputs relating to measured air velocity parameters including air velocity and ambient temperature;

a non-contact infrared temperature sensing device within the housing, having an output related to sensed temperature and defining a sense axis that is adjustable relative to the housing, in which the non-contact infrared temperature sensing device is mounted in a mount that is rotatably coupled to and movable relative to the housing, to allow the user to aim the non-contact infrared temperature sensing device; and

circuitry contained in the housing for processing both the anemometer outputs and the non-contact infrared temperature sensing device output, and transmitting the processed output to the output display.

12. The digital instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 11, in which the digital anemometer comprises one or more air velocity or temperature sensing devices that are mounted in an enclosure that is separate from the housing and can be located some distance from the housing.

13. The digital instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 11, further comprising an optical aiming device coupled to the housing, to assist the user in aiming the non-contact temperature sensing device at an object whose temperature is to be measured.

14. The digital instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability of claim 13, in which the optical aiming device is mounted in a mount that is coupled to and movable relative to the housing, to allow the user to aim the optical aiming device.

15. A digital instrument with non-contact temperature measurement capability, comprising:

a digital output display contained in a housing, for displaying measurements to a user;

a digital anemometer comprising air velocity or temperature sensing devices that are mounted in an enclosure that is separate from the housing and can be located some distance from the anemometer housing and having outputs relating to the measured air velocity and ambient temperature;

a non-contact infrared temperature sensing device within the housing, having an output related to sensed temperature;

an optical aiming device coupled to the housing, to assist the user in aiming the non-contact temperature sensing device at an object whose temperature is to be measured; and

circuitry contained in the housing for processing both the anemometer outputs and the non-contact temperature sensing device output, and transmitting the processed output to the output display.