True-seeing infrared industrial endoscope and image capturing method for same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11650408-B2
Application number	US-201816971294-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 16, 2018
Priority date	Jul 24, 2018
Publication date	May 16, 2023
Grant date	May 16, 2023

Abstract

A true-seeing infrared industrial endoscope endoscope includes an external shell protective unit including a housing and an electrical appliance component box connected to a rear end of the housing. A cavity of the housing is provided with a dual capturing-imaging unit including at least two capturing-imaging subunits. Each of the capturing-imaging subunits includes a light splitter, an image capturing lens, an infrared imaging tube, and a visible light imaging tube. The electrical appliance component box is provided with a communication module and a power supply electrically connected to the dual capturing-imaging unit and the communication module. The communication module is communicatively connected to the dual capturing-imaging unit and an upper computer via a communication bus, and the power supply is electrically connected to the dual capturing-imaging unit via a power bus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A true-seeing infrared industrial endoscope, comprising an external shell protective unit, wherein the external shell protective unit comprises a housing and an electrical appliance component box connected to a rear end of the housing;
wherein a cavity of the housing is provided with a dual capturing-imaging unit comprising at least two capturing-imaging subunits, and each of the capturing-imaging subunits comprises a light splitter disposed at a central portion of the cavity of the housing, an image capturing lens disposed at a front portion of the cavity of the housing and connected to a front end of the light splitter via an image guide fiber, an infrared imaging tube disposed at a rear portion of the cavity of the housing and communicating with a light outlet I at a rear end of the light splitter, and a visible light imaging tube disposed at the rear portion of the cavity of the housing and communicating with a light outlet II at the rear end of the light splitter;
the electrical appliance component box is provided with a communication module and a power supply electrically connected to the dual capturing-imaging unit and the communication module; and wherein the communication module is communicatively connected to the dual capturing-imaging unit and an upper computer via a communication bus, and the power supply is electrically connected to the dual capturing-imaging unit via a power bus,
the housing consists of an external protective shell and an internal protective shell; the cavity between the external protective shell and the internal protective shell forms a water-cooling circulation channel; a lower end of the external protective shell is provided with a water inlet communicating with the water-cooling circulation channel, and an upper end of the external protective shell is provided with a water outlet communicating with the water-cooling circulation channel, so that the water inlet, the water-cooling circulation channel and the water outlet are communicated in sequence and form a water wall cooling system; and
the upper end of the external protective shell is further provided with an air inlet, and the image capturing lens is of a horn shape and is arranged as a horn mouth facing towards the front end of the cavity of the housing and communicating with an external environment, so that the air inlet, the cavity of the housing, a cavity of the image capturing lens and the horn mouth of the image capturing lens are communicated in sequence and form an air-cooling system;
wherein the true-seeing infrared industrial endoscope is suitable for an environment inside an industrial furnace, and is capable of obtaining clear images of the interior of the industrial furnace, and temperature information of the interior of the industrial furnace, so as to obtain and utilize depth-of-field information for three-dimensional reconstruction, achieving an online monitoring function.

2. The true-seeing infrared industrial endoscope of claim 1 , wherein
the infrared imaging tube is of an elongated shape, and comprises elongated chalcogenide glass and an infrared imaging chip; wherein a front end of the chalcogenide glass is connected to the light outlet I of the light splitter, a rear end of the chalcogenide glass is communicatively connected to the infrared imaging chip, and an axial external surface of the chalcogenide glass is covered with an internal protective layer I into which the infrared imaging chip is embedded; wherein an axial external surface of the internal protective layer I is sequentially covered with an internal protective film I, a protective tube I, an external protective film I and an external protective layer I;
the visible light imaging tube is of an elongated shape, and comprises an elongated image guide fiber and a visible light imaging chip; wherein a front end of the image guide fiber is connected to the light outlet II of the light splitter, a rear end of the image guide fiber is connected to the visible light imaging chip, and an axial external surface of the image guide fiber is covered with an internal protective layer II into which the visible light imaging chip is embedded; an axial external surface of the internal protective layer II is sequentially covered with an internal protective film II, a protective tube II, an external protective film II and an external protective layer II.

3. The true-seeing infrared industrial endoscope of claim 1 , wherein
the light splitter comprises a light splitter body, a light inlet communicating with a front end of the light splitter body, the light outlet II connected to one side of a rear end of the light splitter body, and the light outlet I connected to other side of the rear end of the light splitter body; an end face of the light outlet I is further covered with a light filter; the light inlet is internally connected to the image capturing lens via the image guide fiber, the light outlet II is connected to the visible light imaging tube via the image guide fiber, and the light outlet I is connected to the infrared imaging tube via the chalcogenide glass.

4. An image capturing method by using the true-seeing infrared industrial endoscope of claim 1 , comprising:
after powering on the power supply in the electrical appliance component box, starting a power-driven circuit and a communication circuit to work;
capturing light inside a furnace by the image capturing lens, and transmitting the captured light to the light splitter via the image guide fiber;
splitting one beam of light into two sub-beams by the light splitter, wherein for one sub-beam, infrared rays is transmitted after filtering by the light filter and enters the infrared imaging tube, while other sub-beam enters the visible light imaging tube;
transmitting the infrared light entered the infrared imaging tube to the infrared imaging chip via the chalcogenide glass to form infrared digital images, and transmitting the visible light entered the visible light imaging tube to the visible light imaging chip via the image guide fiber to form visible light digital images, thus collecting digital images and temperature information of an industrial furnace; and
transmitting the infrared digital images and the visible light digital images to an industrial upper computer via the communication module in the electrical appliance component box, and carrying out three-dimensional reconstruction by using depth-of-field information via the upper computer, so as to achieve an online monitoring function.

5. The image capturing method by using the true-seeing infrared industrial endoscope of claim 4 , further comprising the following steps before powering on the power supply in the electrical appliance component box:
introducing flowing water at a water inlet, and enabling the flowing water to pass through a water-cooling circulation channel and a water outlet, so as to form a circulating flow; and
introducing air at an air inlet, and enabling the air to pass through a cavity of a housing, a cavity of the image capturing lens and a horn mouth of the image capturing lens, so as to form a circulating flow.

6. The true-seeing infrared industrial endoscope of claim 2 , wherein
the light splitter comprises a light splitter body, a light inlet communicating with a front end of the light splitter body, the light outlet II connected to one side of a rear end of the light splitter body, and the light outlet I connected to other side of the rear end of the light splitter body; an end face of the light outlet I is further covered with a light filter; the light inlet is internally connected to the image capturing lens via the image guide fiber, the light outlet II is connected to the visible light imaging tube via the image guide fiber, and the light outlet I is connected to

Assignees

• Univ Central South

Inventors

• Jiang Zhaohui
• Zhu Jilin
• Chen Zhipeng
• Gui Weihua
• Xie Yongfang
• Yang Chunhua
• Zhang Haifeng

Classifications

• H04N23/20

  for generating image signals from infrared radiation only · CPC title

• G02B23/2484

  Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device (processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70) · CPC title

• G02B23/2492 Primary

  Arrangements for use in a hostile environment, e.g. a very hot, cold or radioactive environment · CPC title

• H04N23/555 Primary

  for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes · CPC title

• G02B23/2407

  Optical details · CPC title