Temperature measuring apparatus and temperature measuring method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9366575-B2
Application number	US-201414414977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2014
Priority date	May 17, 2013
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A temperature measuring apparatus includes: an infrared measuring unit; a guide light emitting unit; an optical unit that (i) allows the guide light emitted by the guide light emitting unit to travel toward the object, and (ii) allows the infrared radiation radiated from the object to enter the infrared measuring unit; a position adjusting unit that makes a position adjustment of irradiating the measurement target region with the guide light emitted by the guide light emitting unit while keeping within a predetermined range a misalignment between an optical axis of the infrared radiation entering the infrared measuring unit from the measurement target region and an optical axis of the guide light emitted by the guide light emitting unit; and a focusing unit that adjusts a focus of the infrared measuring unit and a focus of the guide light emitting unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A temperature measuring apparatus comprising:
an infrared measuring unit configured to measure infrared radiation radiated from a measurement target region of an object;
a guide light emitting unit configured to emit guide light;
an optical unit configured to (i) reflect or transmit the guide light emitted by the guide light emitting unit to allow the guide light to travel toward the object, and (ii) transmit or reflect the infrared radiation radiated from the object to allow the infrared radiation to enter the infrared measuring unit;
a position adjusting unit configured to make a position adjustment of irradiating the measurement target region with the guide light emitted by the guide light emitting unit while keeping within a predetermined range a misalignment between an optical axis of the infrared radiation entering the infrared measuring unit from the measurement target region and an optical axis of the guide light emitted by the guide light emitting unit; and
a focusing unit configured to adjust a focus of the infrared measuring unit and a focus of the guide light emitting unit,
wherein the focusing unit is configured to minimize a field of view of the infrared measuring unit with respect to the measurement target region by adjusting the focus of the guide light emitting unit and then adjusting the focus of the infrared measuring unit.

2. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the focusing unit is configured to:
adjust the focus of the guide light emitting unit by making an adjustment of minimizing a spot diameter of the guide light with which the measurement target region is irradiated, and
after adjusting the focus of the guide light emitting unit, adjust the focus of the infrared measuring unit based on a result of adjusting the focus of the guide light emitting unit.

3. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the position adjusting unit includes a rotary driving unit configured to rotate the infrared measuring unit, the guide light emitting unit, and the optical unit in panning and tilting directions, and
the position adjusting unit is configured to make the position adjustment by controlling the rotary driving unit so as to rotary-drive the infrared measuring unit, the guide light emitting unit, and the optical unit in the panning and tilting directions.

4. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:
an imaging unit configured to capture an image of the object; and
an image processing unit configured to process the image captured by the imaging unit,
wherein the position adjusting unit is configured to make the position adjustment of irradiating the measurement target region with the guide light emitted by the guide light emitting unit by controlling the rotary driving unit according to an output of the image processing unit so as to rotary-drive the infrared measuring unit, the guide light emitting unit, and the optical unit in the panning and tilting directions.

5. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the guide light emitting unit is configured to emit near infrared light to which the imaging unit is sensitive.

6. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the infrared measuring unit includes an infrared sensor, and an infrared lens that is disposed on a same optical axis as the infrared sensor,
the guide light emitting unit includes a near infrared light source, and a near infrared lens that is disposed on a same optical axis as the near infrared light source, and
the focusing unit includes:
a first focusing unit configured to adjust the focus of the guide light emitting unit by varying a distance between the near infrared light source and the near infrared lens; and
a second focusing unit configured to adjust the focus of the infrared measuring unit by varying a distance between the infrared sensor and the infrared lens after the first focusing unit adjusts the focus of the guide light emitting unit.

7. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 6 ,
wherein the first focusing unit is configured to vary the distance between the near infrared light source and the near infrared lens to minimize a spot diameter of the guide light with which the measurement target region is irradiated, and
the second focusing unit is configured to vary the distance between the infrared sensor and the infrared lens according to the distance varied by the first focusing unit.

8. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the infrared lens and the near infrared lens have a same focal length, and
the second focusing unit is configured to vary the distance between the infrared sensor and the infrared lens to be equal to the distance between the near infrared light source and the near infrared lens varied by the first focusing unit.

9. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a lens that is disposed between the optical unit and the object and located on a same optical axis as the infrared measuring unit,
wherein the infrared measuring unit includes an infrared sensor,
the guide light emitting unit includes a near infrared light source, and is configured to emit near infrared guide light,
the lens (i) transmits the guide light that has left the optical unit to allow the guide light to travel toward the object, and (ii) transmits the infrared radiation radiated from the object to allow the infrared radiation to enter the optical unit, and
the focusing unit is configured to adjust the focus of the guide light emitting unit and the focus of the infrared measuring unit by varying a position of at least the lens.

10. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the focusing unit is configured to adjust the focus of the guide light emitting unit by varying a distance between the lens and the near infrared light source to minimize a spot diameter of the guide light with which the measurement target region is irradiated, and then adjust the focus of the infrared measuring unit by varying a position of the infrared sensor to vary a distance between the infrared sensor and the lens.

11. The temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 9 ,
wherein the focusing unit is configured to adjust the focus of the guide light emitting unit by varying a distance between the lens and the near infrared light source to minimize a spot diameter of the guide light with which the measurement target region is irradiated, and then adjust the focus of the infrared measuring unit by varying a position of the lens to vary a distance between the infrared sensor and the lens.

12. A heating and cooling apparatus comprising the temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 1 .

13. A vehicle rear-view mirror comprising the temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 1 .

14. A vehicle steering wheel comprising the temperature measuring apparatus according to claim 1 .

15. A temperature measuring method comprising:
measuring by an infrared measuring unit infrared radiation radiated from a measurement target region of an object;
causing a guide light emitting unit to emit guide light;
(i) reflecting or transmitting the guide light emitted by the guide light emitting unit to allow the guide light to travel toward the object, and (ii) transmitting or reflecting the infrared radiation radiated from the object to allow the infrared radiation to enter the infrared measuring unit;
making a position adjustment of irradiating the measurement targe

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Corp America

Inventors

• Itoh Tatsuo
• Shikii Shinichi
• Kusukame Koichi

Classifications

• G01J5/0896 Primary

  using a light source, e.g. for illuminating a surface · CPC title

• G01J5/0025

  Living bodies (ear thermometers G01J5/0011; detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00) · CPC title

• G01J5/0806 Primary

  Focusing or collimating elements, e.g. lenses or concave mirrors · CPC title

• H04N23/58

  Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/611

  where the recognised objects include parts of the human body · CPC title