Hand-held inspection tool and method

• US 8,310,544 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Department Of Agriculture, United States Secretary of the Army
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army, United States Department Of Agriculture
• Inventors: Kim, Moon S., Lefcourt, Alan M., Chao, Kuanglin, Chen, Yud-Ren, Senecal, Andre G., Marek, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENRY, MARIEGEORGES A
• Application Number:
  US12/157,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20090309967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 348/143, 348/89, 348/127
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/646 Detecting fluorescent inhomogeneities at a position, e.g. for detecting defects
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/6497 Miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/94 Investigating contamination, e.g. dust G01N21/85 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/0221 Portable; cableless; compact; hand-held
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet

Abstract

The hand-held inspection tool enhances the ability of an on-site inspector to detect and communicate the presence of contamination on an object or in an area. An on-site inspector directs an excitation light in the sensing head of the tool into an area of interest. If the targeted contamination is present, the excitation light causes the contamination to emit fluorescence. The emitted fluorescent light passes through a narrow spectral band-pass video camera filter and is detected by a video camera mounted in the tool sensing head. The video camera transmits the image to a display visible to the on-site inspector. The invention also includes a means of recording, documenting, and wirelessly communicating the inspection process so that remotely located personnel can view the inspection, and respond to the inspection findings in real time.

Claims

1. A hand-held inspection tool, the tool comprising:

a tool body,

a sensing head connected to the tool body, the sensing head comprising;

(a) a video camera;

(b) a video camera lens fitted on the video camera and exposed on a face of the sensing head;

(c) a spectral band pass video camera filter matrix comprising at least two video camera filters, the video camera filter matrix being configured so that each of the at least two video camera filters can selectively be positioned to cover the video camera lens, each of the video camera filters being structured to allow only a selected wave band of light to pass through the video camera filter to the video camera lens; and

,

(d) at least one excitation light disposed on the face of the sensing head, the at a video processor receiving and transmitting the video images from the video camera;

a visual display receiving and displaying the images from the video processor; and

,

a hand grip for supporting the tool body and the sensing head;

wherein an operator moves the inspection tool via the hand grip to the target contamination and directs the at least one light so that the fluorescence emitted by the target contamination is detected and transmitted by the video camera and shown on the visual display.

2. The inspection tool as described in claim 1 wherein the video processor comprises a means of recording and transmitting audio signals corresponding with the detected and transmitted video signals.

3. The inspection tool as described in claim 2 wherein the video processor further comprises a wireless transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting the recorded audio and the recorded video to a computer processing station.

4. The inspection tool as described in claim 3 further comprising an uploading means for uploading the recorded audio and video to a computer-accessible information portal.

5. The inspection tool as described in claim 4 wherein the computer-accessible information portal is an internet web site.

6. The inspection tool as described in claim 5 further comprising a distribution means for distributing the audio and video to remotely located inspectors.

7. The inspection tool as described in claim 6 further comprising a receiving means for receiving audio and video from remotely located inspectors, the receiving means communicating the audio and video to the tool.

8. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the sensing head is attached to a first end of the inspection tool body, and the hand grip extends normal to the tool body.

9. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the video camera is a low-light sensitive camera.

10. The inspection tool of claim 9 wherein the video camera is a digital camera.

11. The inspection tool of claim 10 wherein the video camera is a charged coupled device (CCD) camera.

12. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the multiple video camera filters are disposed in a rotatable camera filter ring so that individual video camera filters selectably cover the video camera lens.

13. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the video camera filter is an electronically tunable filter.

14. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the at least one light is comprised of multiple lights disposed on the sensing head, one or more of the lights being selectively activated by the operator.

15. The inspection tool of claim 14 wherein each of the multiple lights are light emitting diodes (LEDs).

16. The inspection tool of claim 15 wherein a light filter covers each of the respective LEDs.

17. The inspection tool of claim 14 wherein the multiple lights are covered by a rotatable light filter ring disposed on the sensing head so that a light filter covers each one of the respective multiple lights.

18. The inspection tool of claim 17 wherein the rotatable light filter ring is structured so that an alternate light filter is selectable by rotating the light filter ring.

19. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the hand grip includes a trigger switch activating the at least one light.

20. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the trigger switch is lockable in the “

on”

position.

21. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the hand grip includes a data transmission switch.

22. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the data transmission switch is lockable in the “

on”

position.

23. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the at least one light is structured to project light in the 320 nm to 600 nm spectral band, and the at least one video camera filter is structured to allow light in the 400 nm to 750 nm spectral band to pass through the video camera filter and into the video camera lens of the video camera.

24. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the inspection tool is powered by a battery.

25. The inspection tool of claim 1 wherein the inspection tool is powered by an AC power source.

26. A hand-held inspection tool, the tool comprising:

a tool body,

a sensing head connected to the tool body, the sensing head comprising;

(a) a video camera disposed in the sensing head, the video camera recording detected video images;

(b) a video camera lens fitted on the video camera and disposed on a face of the sensing head;

(c) a spectral band pass video camera filter matrix comprising at least two video camera filters, the video camera filter matrix being configured so that each of the at least two video camera filters can selectively be positioned to cover the video camera lens, each of the video camera filters being structured to allow only a selected wave band of light to pass through the video camera filter to the video camera lens;

(d) at least one excitation light disposed on the face of the sensing head, and

(e) at least two light filters, at least one of the at least two light filters covering the at least one light, each of the at least two light filters being structured to induce target contamination to emit fluorescence corresponding with the wave band of light that passes through the video camera filter selectively positioned over the video camera lens;

a video processor receiving and transmitting the video images from the video camera;

a visual display receiving and displaying the images from the video processor; and

,

a hand grip for supporting the tool body and the sensing head;

wherein an operator moves the inspection tool via the hand grip to the target contamination and directs the at least one light so that the fluorescence emitted by the target contamination is recorded by the video camera and shown on the visual display.

27. A method of conducting an inspection comprising the steps of:

providing a hand-held inspection tool body;

attaching a sensing head to the tool body;

installing a video camera into the sensing head so that the lens of the video camera is exposed on a face of the sensing head;

covering the lens of the video camera with a spectral band-pass video camera filter so that only a selected wave band of light passes through the video camera filter to the video camera lens;

positioning at least one excitation light on the face of the sensing head so that the at least one light induces target contamination to emit fluorescence corresponding with the selected wave band of light that passes through the video camera filter to the video camera lens;

providing a processor in the tool to receive and transmit video images from the video camera;

attaching a display to the tool to view the video images transmitted from the processor;

supporting the tool body and sensing head with a hand grip attached to the tool body;

activating the at least one light and directing the sensing head toward an area of interest so that any of the target contamination in the area of interest emits fluorescence, the fluorescence being detected by the video camera and being displayed on the display to alert a tool operator to a presence of the target contamination.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of enabling the processor to wirelessly transmit video and audio information to a computer processing station.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of uploading the transmitted video and audio information to a computer-accessible information portal.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the computer-accessible information portal is an internet site.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein a computer-accessible information portal is an intranet.

32. The method of claim 31 wherein, after the providing step, stamping the transmitted video with a time stamp.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein the time stamp is certified by an independent source.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein, after the enabling step, further enabling the video processor to receive audio and video information from remotely located inspectors through the computer processing station.