Remote Transmission, Manipulation, and Display of Infrared Camera Data

• US 20160227148A1
• Filed: 11/20/2013
• Published: 08/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Griffith, Katrina Marie
• Granted Patent: US 9,706,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/12 responsive to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/80 Diagnostics
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/821 Parameter estimation or prediction
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/11 to prolong engine life
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/8041 Cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/14 Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 25/72 Investigating presence of flaws
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/22 Adaptations for optical transmission

Abstract

Systems and methods for transmission, manipulation, and display of infrared camera (IR) data are provided. According to one embodiment of the disclosure, a system may include an IR camera associated with a gas turbine to acquire the IR data and an IR camera data acquisition server installed at a site associated with the gas turbine and communicatively coupled to the IR camera. The IR camera server is configured receive the IR data from the IR camera. An IR camera data processing server to classify the IR data into sensitive IR data and non-sensitive IR data based at least in part on predetermined criteria. Based at least in part on the non-sensitive IR data, images are generated. The images are provided via a user interface at the site associated with the gas turbine. The sensitive IR data is encrypted to produce encrypted sensitive IR data. The encrypted sensitive IR data and the non-sensitive IR data are transmitted to a processing center.

Claims

1. A method for transmission of infrared camera (IR) data, the method comprising:

receiving, at a site associated with a gas turbine, the IR data from an IR camera associated with the gas turbine;

classifying the IR data as sensitive IR data and non-sensitive IR data based at least in part on predetermined criteria;

generating images based at least in part on the non-sensitive IR data;

providing the images, via a user interface, at the site associated with the gas turbine;

encrypting the sensitive IR data to produce encrypted sensitive IR data; and

transmitting the encrypted sensitive IR data and the non-sensitive IR data to a processing center.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing the IR camera on an outer covering of the gas turbine and installing an IR camera lens inside the gas turbine, the IR camera being connected to the IR camera lens through a fiber optics component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the images comprises generating pixels with brightnesses corresponding to levels of heat.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypting the sensitive IR data comprises encrypting thermal information indicative of operational temperatures associated with the gas turbine.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the encrypting the sensitive IR data comprises encrypting a scale for determining temperature gradients in the thermal information.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising creating enhanced views of the images based at least in part on the scale and the non-sensitive IR data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

performing additional calculations based at least in part on further data received from one or more sensors associated with the gas turbine; and

based at least in part on the additional calculations, predicting maintenance schedule of the gas turbine.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising displaying the enhanced views of the images to visualize health analytics associated with the gas turbine.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the classifying of the IR data comprises creating a set of files, each file comprising a predetermined number of images associated with a turbine bucket.

10. A system for transmission of infrared camera (IR) data, the system comprising:

an IR camera associated with a gas turbine to acquire the IR data; and

an IR camera server installed at a site associated with the gas turbine and communicatively coupled to the IR camera, the IR camera data acquisition server being configured to;

receive the IR data from the IR camera;

IR camera data processing server classify the IR data into sensitive IR data and non-sensitive IR data based at least in part on predetermined criteria;

generate images based at least in part on the non-sensitive IR data;

provide the images, via a user interface, at the site associated with the gas turbine;

encrypt the sensitive IR data to produce encrypted sensitive IR data; and

transmit the encrypted sensitive IR data and the non-sensitive IR data to a processing center.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the IR camera is installed on an outer covering of the gas turbine and an IR camera lens is installed inside the gas turbine, the IR camera being connected to the IR camera lens through a fiber optics component.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the images comprise pixels with brightnesses corresponding to levels of heat.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the sensitive IR data comprises thermal information indicative of operational temperatures associated with the gas turbine.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the sensitive data comprises a scale for determining temperature gradients in the thermal information.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing center is operable to create enhanced views of the images based at least in part on the scale and the non-sensitive IR data.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing center is operable to perform additional calculations based at least in part on further data received from one or more sensors associated with the gas turbine and, based at least in part on the calculations, predict maintenance schedule of the gas turbine.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing center is operable to display the enhanced views of the images to visualize health analytics associated with the gas turbine.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the classifying of the IR data comprises creating a set of files, each file comprising a predetermined number of images associated with a turbine bucket.

19. The system of claim 10, wherein the IR data is acquired at predetermined intervals.

20. A system for transmission of infrared camera (IR) data, the system comprising:

an IR camera associated with a gas turbine to acquire the IR data;

an IR camera server installed at a site associated with the gas turbine and communicatively coupled to the IR camera, the IR camera data acquisition server being configured to;

receive the IR data from the IR camera;

an IR camera data processing server to classify the IR data into sensitive IR data and non-sensitive IR data based at least in part on predetermined criteria;

generate images based at least in part on the non-sensitive IR data;

provide the images, via a user interface, at the site associated with the gas turbine; and

encrypt the sensitive IR data to produce encrypted sensitive IR data; and

a processing center configured to;

receive the encrypted sensitive IR data and the non-sensitive IR data, wherein the sensitive IR data comprises thermal information indicative of operational temperatures associated with the gas turbine and a scale for determining temperature gradients in the thermal information; and

create enhanced views of the images based at least in part on the scale and the encrypted non-sensitive IR data.