Measurement device for electrical installations and related methods

• US 9,716,843 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teledyne FLIR LLC (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: FLIR Systems, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hoelter, Theodore R., Boulanger, Pierre, Sharp, Barbara, Fox, Michael, Nussmeier, Mark, Kurth, Eric A., Hgasten, Nicholas, Strandemar, Katrin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mikeska, Neil
• Application Number:
  US14/034,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20140104415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 3/08 Use of electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• 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

Techniques are disclosed for measurement devices and methods to obtain various physical and/or electrical parameters in an integrated manner. For example, a measurement device may include a housing, an optical emitter, a sensor, a distance measurement circuit, a length measurement circuit, an electrical meter circuit, a display, an infrared imaging module, and/or a non-thermal imaging module. The device may be conveniently carried and utilized by users to perform a series of distance measurements, wire length measurements, electrical parameter measurements, and/or fault inspections, in an integrated manner without using multiple different devices. In one example, electricians may utilize the device to perform installation of electrical wires and/or other tasks at various locations (e.g., electrical work sites). In another example, electricians may utilize the device to view a thermal image of one or more scenes at such locations for locating potential electrical faults.

Claims

1. A measurement device comprising:

a housing adapted to be hand-held by a user;

an infrared imaging module adapted to capture an infrared image of at least a portion of a work site;

a logic device adapted to determine an electrical parameter associated with an external article and convert the captured infrared image into a user-viewable image for viewing by the user;

a display screen fixed relative to the housing and adapted to display both the user-viewable image and information indicative of the determined electrical parameter; and

a memory adapted to store one or more previous electrical parameters and its corresponding infrared image captured by the infrared imaging module,

wherein the logic device is adapted to overlay the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter onto the user-viewable image to present both the user-viewable image and the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter on the display screen, or is adapted to switch between the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter and the user-viewable image, in response to a user input, to present both the user-viewable image and the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter on the display screen, and

wherein the logic device is further adapted to recall the stored one or more previous electrical parameters to present, on the display screen, both current and previous electrical parameters overlaid on a currently captured infrared image of at least a portion of the same worksite as the one stored in the memory.

2. The measurement device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of electrical terminals adapted to receive one or more electrical wires or test leads for electrically connecting to the external article, wherein the logic device comprises an electrical meter circuit adapted to be electrically connected to the external article via the plurality of electrical terminals to determine the electrical parameter.

3. The measurement device of claim 1, further comprising a non-contact electrical sensor adapted to sense the electrical parameter associated with the external article without making electrical contact and generate a sensor signal indicative of the sensed electrical parameter, wherein the logic device is adapted to determine the electrical parameter in response to the sensor signal from the non-contact electrical sensor.

4. The measurement device of claim 3, wherein the non-contact electrical sensor comprises a flexible loop detachably connected to the measurement device or a clamp, the flexible loop or the clamp being adapted to at least partially encircle the external article for sensing the electrical parameter.

5. The measurement device of claim 3, wherein the non-contact electrical sensor is detachable from the housing and adapted to wirelessly transmit the sensor signal to the logic device, the measurement device further comprising a wireless communication module adapted to facilitate wireless communication between the non-contact electrical sensor and the logic device.

6. The measurement device of claim 1, further comprising a moisture sensor adapted to sense moisture and generate a sensor signal indicative of the sensed moisture, wherein the logic device is adapted to determine the humidity level in response to the sensor signal from the moisture sensor.

7. The measurement device of claim 1, further comprising a non-thermal imaging module adapted to capture a non-thermal image of the scene, wherein:

the infrared image captured by the infrared imaging module is a thermal image; and

the logic device is adapted to combine the thermal and the non-thermal images to generate the user-viewable image.

8. The measurement device of claim 7, wherein the logic device is further adapted to:

derive high spatial frequency content from the non-thermal image, and

combine the thermal and the non-thermal images by adding the high spatial frequency content to the thermal image to improve contrast and edge detail in the user-viewable image.

9. The measurement device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication module adapted to wirelessly transmit data to a remote device, wherein the logic device is further adapted to transmit both the infrared image and the determined electrical parameter via the wireless communication module to the remote device for further processing, storage, and/or analysis based on both the infrared image and the determined electrical parameter.

10. The measurement device of claim 1, wherein the logic device is adapted to overlay the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter onto the user-viewable image and adapted to switch between the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter and the user-viewable image, to present both the user-viewable image and the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter on the display screen.

11. A measurement device comprising:

a housing adapted to be hand-held by a user;

a plurality of electrical terminals adapted to receive one or more electrical wires or test leads for electrically connecting to an external article;

an infrared imaging module adapted to capture an infrared image of at least a portion of a worksite;

a logic device adapted to convert the captured infrared image into a user-viewable image for viewing by the user, the logic device comprising an electrical meter circuit adapted to be electrically connected to the external article via the plurality of electrical terminals to determine an electrical parameter associated with the external article

a display screen fixed relative to the housing and adapted to display the user-viewable image and/or information indicative of the determined electrical parameter;

a wireless communication module adapted to wirelessly transmit data to a remote device, wherein the logic device is further adapted to transmit both the infrared image and the determined electrical parameter via the wireless communication module to the remote device for further processing, storage, and/or analysis based on both the infrared image and the determined electrical parameter; and

a memory adapted to store one or more previous electrical parameters and its corresponding infrared image captured by the infrared imaging module,

wherein the logic device is further adapted to recall the stored one or more previous electrical parameters to present, on the display screen, both current and previous electrical parameters overlaid on a currently captured infrared image of at least a portion of the same worksite as the one stored in the memory.

12. The measurement device of claim 11, wherein:

the external article is a first external article;

the measurement device further comprises a non-contact electrical sensor adapted to sense an additional electrical parameter associated with the first external article or a second external article without making electrical contact and generate a sensor signal indicative of the sensed additional electrical parameter; and

the logic device is adapted to determine the additional electrical parameter in response to the sensor signal from the non-contact electrical sensor.

13. The measurement device of claim 12, wherein the non-contact electrical sensor comprises a flexible loop detachably connected to the measurement device or a clamp, the flexible loop or the clamp being adapted to at least partially encircle the first or the second external article for sensing the additional electrical parameter.

14. The measurement device of claim 11, further comprising a memory adapted to store one or more previous electrical parameter measurements, wherein the logic device is adapted to present both a current electrical parameter measurement and the one or more previous electrical parameter measurements on the display screen, or is adapted to process the current and the one or more previous electrical parameter measurements.

15. The measurement device of claim 11, wherein:

the infrared imaging module comprises a focal plane array (FPA) configured to capture the infrared image of the scene; and

the FPA comprises an array of microbolometers adapted to receive a bias voltage selected from a range of approximately 0.2 volts to approximately 0.7 volts.

16. A method comprising:

capturing an infrared image of at least a portion of a worksite using an infrared imaging module;

determining an electrical parameter associated with an external article;

converting the captured infrared image into a user-viewable image for viewing by a user;

displaying both the user-viewable image and information indicative of the determined electrical parameter on a display screen by overlaying the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter onto the user-viewable image or by switching between the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter and the user-viewable image;

wirelessly transmitting both the infrared image and the determined electrical parameter to a remote device for further processing, storage, and/or analysis based on both the infrared image and the determined electrical parameter;

storing one or more previous electrical parameters and its corresponding infrared image captured by the infrared imaging module in a memory; and

recalling, by the logic device, the store one or more previous electrical parameters to present , both current and previous electrical parameters overlaid on a currently captured infrared image of at least a portion of the same worksite as the one stored in the memory.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the displaying of both the user-viewable image and the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter is by switching between the information indicative of the determined electrical parameter and the user-viewable image on the display screen in response to a user input.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining of the electrical parameter comprises fowling an electrical connection with the external article.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the determining of the electrical parameter comprises sensing the electrical parameter using a non-contact electrical sensor without making electrical contact; and

the non-contact electrical sensor comprises a flexible loop or a clamp adapted to at least partially encircle the external article for sensing the electrical parameter.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

capturing a visible light image of the scene using a visible light imaging module; and

combining the infrared image and the visible light image to generate the user-viewable thermal image.