LASER SCANNING LEAK DETECTION AND VISUALIZATION APPARATUS

• US 20170284887A1
• Filed: 03/28/2017
• Published: 10/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: MIRANDA, John Armando
• Granted Patent: US 10,634,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/04 by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/38 by using light G01M3/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/11 for generating image signals from visible and infrared light wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/31 Projection devices for colour picture display , e.g. using electronic spatial light modulators [ESLM]

Abstract

A gas detecting apparatus and method for detecting gas leaks are disclosed. The gas detecting apparatus includes an infrared (IR) detector configured to monitor a presence of one or more gases in a field-of-interest (FOI), wherein the IR detector generates IR light distribution information within the FOI; a controller configured to analyze the IR light distribution information to identify one or more locations of one or more gases in the FOI; and a visible light projector configured to project a visible image in the FOI based on the analysis by the controller, wherein the visible image depicts the one or more locations of the one or more gases in the FOI.

Claims

1. A gas detecting apparatus, comprising:

an infrared (IR) detector configured to monitor a presence of one or more gases in a field-of-interest (FOI), wherein the IR detector generates IR light distribution information within the FOI;

a controller configured to analyze the IR light distribution information to identify one or more locations of one or more gases in the FOI; and

a visible light projector configured to project a visible image in the FOI based on the analysis by the controller, wherein the visible image depicts the one or more locations of the one or more gases in the FOI.

2. The gas detecting apparatus according to claim 1, the visible light projector comprising:

a visible light source configured to generate a beam of visible light; and

a first scanner configured to scan the visible light into an area covering the FOI, wherein the controller controls at least one of the visible light source and the first scanner to project the visible image.

3. The gas detecting apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

an IR light projector comprising;

an IR laser source configured to generate a beam of IR light, and

a second scanner configured to scan the beam of the IR light into a two-dimensional projecting pattern covering the FOI,

wherein the controller is configured to control at least one of the IR laser source and the scanner to project the beam of the IR light into the two-dimensional projecting pattern in the FOI; and

wherein the IR detector generates the IR light distribution information based on the beam of the IR light scanned in the two-dimensional projecting pattern.

4. The gas detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller analyzes a gas concentration distribution within the FOI based on the IR light distribution information, and identifies the one or more locations based on the analyzed gas concentration distribution.

5. The gas detecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the visible image generated by the controller depicts one or more outline shapes of the one or more gases.

6. The gas detecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the visible image generated by the controller depicts one or more leakage sources of the one or more gases.

7. The gas detecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the visible image further depicts supplemental information, wherein the supplemental information comprises at least one of:

one or more distances to the one or more locations of the one or more gases;

one or more kinds of the one or more gases;

one or more concentrations of the one or more gases; and

one or more warning levels of the one or more gases.

8. The gas detecting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a single unit of the scanner is used as both the first scanner and the second scanner.

9. A method for detecting gas leaks, comprising:

generating Infrared (IR) light distribution information within a field-of-interest (FOI);

analyzing the IR light distribution information to identify one or more locations of one or more gases in the FOI; and

projecting with a visible light a visible image in the FOI based on the analyzed result, wherein the visible image depicts the one or more locations of the one or more gases in the FOI.

10. The method according to claim 9, the projecting of the visible image comprising:

generating a beam of visible light; and

scanning the beam of the visible light into an area covering the FOI.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

generating a beam of IR light, and

scanning the beam of the IR light into a two-dimensional projecting pattern covering the FOI, wherein the IR light distribution information is generated based on the beam of the IR light scanned in the two-dimensional projecting pattern.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the one or more locations of the one or more gases are identified by a gas concentration distribution within the FOI obtained from the IR light distribution information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the visible image depicts one or more outline shapes of the one or more gases.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the visible image depicts one or more leakage sources of the one or more gases.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the visible image further depicts supplemental information, wherein the supplemental information comprises at least one of:

one or more distances to the one or more locations of the one or more gases;

one or more kinds of the one or more gases;

one or more concentrations of the one or more gases; and

one or more warning levels of the one or more gases.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the scanning of the beam of the visible light into the area covering the FOI and the scanning of the beam of the IR light into the two-dimensional projecting pattern covering the FOI is from a single scanning unit.