Analyte spatial detection systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10067071-B2
Application number	US-201715479710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2017
Priority date	Apr 8, 2016
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for systems and methods to provide reliable analyte spatial detection systems. An analyte spatial detection system includes an imaging module, a visible light projector, associated processing and control electronics, and, optionally, orientation and/or position sensors integrated with the imaging module and/or the visible light projector. The imaging module includes sensor elements configured to detect electromagnetic radiation in one or more selected spectrums, such as infrared, visible light, and/or other spectrums. The visible light projector includes one or more types of projectors configured project visible light within a spatial volume monitored by the imaging module. The system may be partially or completely portable and/or fixed in place. The visible light projector is used to indicate presence of a detected analyte on a surface near or adjoining the spatial position of the detected analyte.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
an imaging module configured to image a spatial volume for electromagnetic radiation in at least one selected spectrum;
a visible light projector configured to generate visible light and project it within the spatial volume;
one or more position and/or orientation sensors configured to measure respective positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and/or the visible light projector; and
a logic device configured to communicate with the imaging module and the visible light projector, wherein the logic device is configured to:
receive the respective positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and/or the visible light projector from the position and/or orientation sensors;
receive image data corresponding to the spatial volume from the imaging module;
process the received image data to detect a presence and spatial extents of an analyte within the spatial volume; and
control the visible light projector to project an analyte indicator on a surface within the spatial volume so as to account for the respective positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and/or the visible light projector, wherein the projected analyte indicator is configured to indicate the spatial extents of the analyte.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one selected spectrum comprises infrared;
the surface comprises an object surface within the spatial volume and/or an analyte surface of the analyte;
the analyte indicator is configured to indicate a physical property of the analyte within the spatial extents of the analyte and/or a method for decontaminating the spatial volume of the analyte; and
the physical property of the analyte comprises a temperature, a composition, a chemical class, and/or a toxicity of the analyte.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one selected spectrum comprises visible light; and
the logic device is configured to:
receive image data corresponding to the projected analyte indicator;
compare spatial extents of the projected analyte indicator to the spatial extents of the of the analyte; and
determine a compensation calibration to correct errors between the spatial extents of the projected analyte indicator and the spatial extents of the analyte.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the visible light projector comprises a scanning light projector; and
the projected analyte indicator comprises a perimeter of the spatial extents of the analyte, a caution indicator, and/or a textual indicator.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the visible light projector comprises a digital projector; and
the projected analyte indicator comprises an intensity and/or false color graph.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the imaging module and the visible light projector form a monolithic installation such that positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and the visible light projector are fixed relative to the spatial volume; and
the analyte comprises a solid, liquid, or gas disposed within the spatial volume.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the imaging module and the visible light projector form a distributed installation such that the respective positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and the visible light projector are variable relative to each other.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the imaging module and the visible light projector form a monolithic installation such that the respective positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and the visible light projector are fixed relative to each other and variable relative to the spatial volume; and
the logic device is configured to:
control the visible light projector to project the analyte indicator on the surface so as to account for the respective positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and the visible light projector relative to the spatial volume.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a communication module, wherein:
the analyte comprises water, gasoline, coolant, oil, an acid, cooking gas, nitrogen, oxygen, a human-poisonous gas, an explosive, a chemical weapon, an oxidizer, and/or a toxic industrial chemical; and
the logic device is configured to control the communication module to transmit an electronic notification to a user interface indicating the presence, composition, and/or temperature of the detected analyte.

10. An array of the system of claim 1 , wherein:
each system further comprises a respective communication module;
each imaging module of the array of systems comprises one or more microbolometers, thermopiles, quantum well infrared photodetectors, InGaAs based photodetectors, HgCdTe based photodetectors, imaging Raman spectrometer assemblies, complementary metal-oxide semiconductor sensors, near infrared sensors, silicon photomultipliers, hyperspectral imagers, and/or multispectral imagers; and
each logic device is configured to control the respective communication module to communicate with the array to coordinate monitoring multiple differentiated spatial volumes substantially simultaneously.

11. A method comprising:
receiving image data corresponding to a spatial volume imaged by an imaging module;
receiving respective positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and/or a visible light projector configured to generate visible light and project it within the spatial volume from one or more position and/or orientation sensors configured to measure respective positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and/or the visible light projector;
processing the received image data to detect a presence and spatial extents of an analyte within the spatial volume; and
projecting an analyte indicator on a surface within the spatial volume so as to account for the respective positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and/or the visible light projector, wherein the analyte indicator is configured to indicate the spatial extents of the analyte.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
at least one selected spectrum for the imaging module comprises infrared; and
the surface comprises an object surface within the spatial volume and/or an analyte surface of the detected analyte;
the analyte indicator is configured to indicate a physical property of the analyte within the spatial extents of the analyte and/or a method for decontaminating the spatial volume of the analyte; and
the physical property of the analyte comprises a temperature, a composition, a chemical class, and/or a toxicity of the analyte.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
at least one selected spectrum comprises visible light; and
the method further comprises:
receiving image data corresponding to the projected analyte indicator;
comparing spatial extents of the projected analyte indicator to the spatial extents of the of the analyte; and
determining a compensation calibration to correct errors between the spatial extents of the projected analyte indicator and the spatial extents of the of the analyte.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the projected analyte indicator comprises a perimeter of the spatial extents of the analyte, a caution indicator, and/or a textual indicator.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the projected analyte indicator comprises an intensity and/or false color graph.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the imaging module and a visible light projector projecting the analyte indicator form a monolithic installation such that positions and/or orientations of the imaging module and the visible light projector are fixed relative to the

Assignees

• Flir Systems

Inventors

• O'Dell Brian D
• Shelton Robert K
• Nguyen Vu L

Classifications

• G01N21/314

  with comparison of measurements at specific and non-specific wavelengths (dual wavelength spectrometry G01J3/427) · CPC title

• G01N21/94 Primary

  Investigating contamination, e.g. dust (G01N21/85 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01J5/20

  using resistors, thermistors or semiconductors sensitive to radiation, e.g. photoconductive devices · CPC title

• G01N21/65

  Raman scattering · CPC title

• G01J2005/0077

  Imaging · CPC title