Infrared camera and method for calculating output power value indicative of an amount of energy dissipated in an image view

• US 8,384,783 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Systems AB (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Flir Systems AB (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Strandemar, Katrin, Jnsson, Henrik, Palm, Gunnar, Hamrelius, Torbjrn
• Primary Examiner(s): BAROT, BHARAT
• Application Number:
  US12/569,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20110074959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 348/164, 348/169, 348/E5.09, 250/330, 250/332, 250/338.1, 250/341.1, 250/342
• US Class Current: 348/164
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 2005/0077 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/025 Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/0275 Control or determination of height or distance or angle information for sensors or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/064 Ambient temperature sensor; Housing temperature sensor; Constructional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/10 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 5/485 Temperature profile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/88 Lidar systems specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/14 for use with infrared or ultraviolet radiation G02B13/008, G02B13/16 take precedence
• 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

An IR camera includes a thermal radiation capturing arrangement for capturing thermal radiation of an imaged view in response to input control unit(s) receiving user inputs from a user of the IR camera; a processing unit arranged to process the thermal radiation data in order for the thermal radiation data to be displayed by an IR camera display as thermal images; and an IR camera display arranged to display thermal images to a user of the IR camera. The processing unit is further arranged to determine at least one temperature reference value representing the temperature of the surrounding environment of the imaged view; and calculate at least one output power value indicative of an amount of energy dissipated in a part of the imaged view by using the temperature value of the thermal radiation data corresponding to said part of the imaged view and the at least one determined temperature reference value.

Claims

1. An IR camera comprising:

a thermal radiation capturing arrangement for capturing thermal radiation of an imaged view in response to an input control unit(s) receiving inputs from a user of the IR camera;

a processing unit arranged to process the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) in order for the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) to be displayed by an IR camera display as thermal images; and

an IR camera display arranged to display thermal images to a user of the IR camera;

wherein the processing unit is further arranged to;

determine at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env) representing the temperature of the surrounding environment of the imaged view;

calculate at least one output power value (PD_x,y) indicative of an amount of energy dissipated in a part of the imaged view by using the temperature value of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) corresponding to said part of the imaged view and the at least one determined temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env);

determine a first subset (T_x,y^obj) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as a thermal image object area representing an object in the imaged view for which an output power value (P_TOT^obj) is to be determined; and

calculate an object output power value (P_TOT^obj) indicative of the amount of energy dissipated from the object in the imaged view based upon output power values (PD_x,y) of the determined thermal image object area in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y).

2. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to control the IR camera display to display the at least one calculated output power value (PD_x,y) to a user of the IR camera in place of the corresponding temperature pixel in the thermal image.

3. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to control the IR camera display to display the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera together with the thermal images.

4. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to:

receive information comprising current energy price information (c_meas) and/or time span information (t_meas);

calculate a total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) for the object in the imaged view based on the time span information (t_meas) and the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj);

calculate a total energy cost value (C) based on the current energy price information (c_meas) and the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj); and

control the IR camera display to display the total energy cost value (C) and/or the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera together with the thermal images.

5. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to determine the thermal image object area by receiving information from the input control unit(s) indicating the first subset (T_x,y^obj) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as the thermal image object area.

6. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to determine the thermal image object area by using a temperature threshold value to indicate the first subset (T_x,y^obj) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as the thermal image object area (A).

7. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to:

receive, from the input control unit(s), information comprising a value of an actual physical surface area of the object in the imaged view facing towards the IR camera; and

use this information when calculating the object output power value (P_TOT^obj).

8. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to:

receive, from a distance determining unit comprised in the IR camera, information comprising a distance between the actual physical object captured in the imaged view and the IR camera;

determine an object field-of-view (o_fov) of the determined thermal image object area (A) in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y);

estimate an actual physical surface area of the object in the imaged view facing towards the IR camera based upon the received distance and the determined object field-of-view (o_fov); and

use the estimation of the actual physical surface area of the object in the imaged view when calculating the object output power value (P_TOT^obj).

9. An IR camera according to claim 8, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to:

receive, from the input control unit(s), information comprising a form indicator which is indicative of the shape or form of the actual physical object in the imaged view; and

use the form indicator or a corresponding value when calculating the object output power value (P_TOT^obj).

10. An IR camera according to claim 8, wherein:

the distance comprised in the information from the distance determining unit is a distance map comprising separate distance values for different subsets of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y); and

the processing unit is arranged to;

estimate the shape or form of the actual physical object in the imaged view using the distance map, and

use this estimate or a corresponding value when calculating the object output power value (P_TOT^obj).

11. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to determine the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env) by receiving information from the input control unit(s) comprising a temperature value(s) to be used as the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_{conv, env}).

12. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to:

determine a second subset (T_x,y^ref) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as a thermal image reference area, wherein the thermal image reference area is not part of the determined thermal image object area in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y);

calculate an representative temperature value for the thermal image reference area in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y); and

use the representative temperature value for the thermal image reference area in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env) when determining the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env).

13. An IR camera according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is arranged to determine the at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env) by receiving temperature value(s) from at least one temperature measuring unit comprised in the IR camera.

14. A method for use in a processing unit of an IR camera capturing thermal radiation data (T_x,y) of an imaged view, the method comprising:

determining at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env) representing the temperature of the surrounding environment of the imaged view;

calculating at least one output power value (PD_x,y) indicative of an amount of energy dissipated in a part of the imaged view by using the temperature value of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) corresponding to said part of the imaged view and the at least one determined temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env);

determining a first subset (T_x,y^obj) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as a thermal image object area (A) representing an object in the imaged view for which an output power value (P_TOT^obj) is to be determined; and

calculating an object output power value (P_TOT^obj) indicative of the amount of energy dissipated from the object in the imaged view based upon output power values (PD_x,y) of the determined thermal image object area in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y).

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

controlling an IR camera display of the IR camera to display the at least one calculated output power value (PD_x,y) to a user of the IR camera in place of the corresponding temperature pixel in the thermal image.

16. A method according to claim 14, further comprising controlling an IR camera display of the IR camera to display the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera together with the thermal images.

17. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:

receiving information comprising current energy price information (c_meas) and/or time span information (t_meas);

calculating a total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) for the object in the imaged view based on the time span information (t_meas) and the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj);

calculating a total energy cost value (C) based on the current energy price information (c_meas) and the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj); and

controlling an IR camera display of the IR camera to display total energy cost value (C) and/or the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera together with the thermal images.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a processing unit in an IR camera, cause said processing unit in the IR camera to perform a method comprising:

determining at least one temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env) representing the temperature of the surrounding environment of the imaged view;

calculating at least one output power value (PD_x,y) indicative of an amount of energy dissipated in a part of the imaged view by using the temperature value of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) corresponding to said part of the imaged view and the at least one determined temperature reference value (T_rad,env, T_conv,env);

determining a first subset (T_x,y^obj) of the thermal radiation data (T_x,y) as a thermal image object area (A) representing an object in the imaged view for which an output power value (P_TOT^obj) is to be determined; and

calculating an object output power value (P_TOT^obj) indicative of the amount of energy dissipated from the object in the imaged view based upon output power values (PD_x,y) of the determined thermal image object area in the thermal radiation data (T_x,y).

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises controlling an IR camera display of the IR camera to display the at least one calculated output power value (PD_x,y) to a user of the IR camera in place of the corresponding temperature pixel in the thermal image.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises controlling an IR camera display of the IR camera to display the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera together with the thermal images.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving information comprising current energy price information (C_meas) and/or time span information (t_meas);

calculating a total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) for the object in the imaged view based on the time span information (t_meas) and the calculated object output power value (P_TOT^obj);

calculating a total energy cost value (C) based on the current energy price information (c_meas) and the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj); and

controlling an IR camera display of the IR camera to display total energy cost value (C) and/or the total energy output value (E_TOT^obj) to a user of the IR camera together with the thermal images.