Infrared thermometer with sighting device and method for measuring temperature of energy zone using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9846082-B2
Application number	US-201514613664-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2015
Priority date	Feb 14, 2014
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

An infrared thermometer measures a temperature of an energy zone. The infrared thermometer comprises a beam splitter for splitting an incident light beam from an energy zone into an infrared light beam and a visible light beam; an infrared detector for detecting the infrared light beam and generating a signal indicative of a temperature of the energy zone according to the detected infrared light beam; and a sighting device having an optical module for generating a reflective reticle image and transmitting the visible light beam to generate a target image at a sight window, wherein the sighting device is configured to superimpose the reflective reticle image over the target image at the sight window to align the infrared detector with the energy zone. The infrared thermometer and an associated measurement method facilitate the alignment of the energy zone by the users, thereby improving the accuracy of the measurement.

First claim

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An infrared thermometer, comprising:
a beam splitter configured to split an incident light beam from an energy zone into an infrared light beam and a visible light beam;
an infrared detector configured to detect the infrared light beam and to generate a signal indicative of a temperature of the energy zone according to the detected infrared light beam;
a sighting device having an optical module configured to generate a reflective reticle image and to transmit the visible light beam to generate a target image at a sight window, wherein the sighting device is configured to superimpose the reflective reticle image over the target image at the sight window to align the infrared detector with the energy zone;
a flat mirror coupled in a light path between the beam splitter and the sighting device, the flat mirror configured to reflect the visible light beam from the beam splitter to the sighting device;
a plano lens coupled between the flat mirror and the sighting device, the plano lens configured to reduce a luminous intensity of the visible light beam that is transmitted to the sight window; and
an infrared converging lens module disposed between the beam splitter and the infrared detector, the infrared converging lens module configured to converge the infrared light beam to the infrared detector.

2. The infrared thermometer of claim 1 , wherein the sighting device further comprises a light source configured to emit a reference light beam; and wherein the optical module comprises a reflective surface configured to reflect the reference light beam to the sight window to generate the reflective reticle image at the sight window.

3. The infrared thermometer of claim 2 , wherein the optical module comprises:
a light splitter having a concave reflective surface, wherein the light splitter is configured to transmit the visible light beam to the sight window and to reflect the reference light beam to the sight window, wherein the reflective surface is the concave reflective surface of the light splitter.

4. The infrared thermometer of claim 2 , wherein the optical module comprises:
a convex lens configured to converge the reference light beam to generate the reticle image; and
a beam combiner configured to transmit the visible light beam to the sight window and to reflect the reticle image formed by the reference light beam to the sight window, wherein the reflective surface is at a side of the beam combiner facing towards the sight window.

5. The infrared thermometer of claim 2 , wherein the optical module further comprises an auxiliary lens module configured to converge or diverge one or more of the visible light beam or the reference light beam.

6. The infrared thermometer of claim 2 , wherein the light source comprises at least one light emitting diode or laser diode.

7. The infrared thermometer of claim 6 , wherein the at least one light emitting diode or laser diode comprises one or more of a red light diode, a green light diode, a blue light diode, or any combination thereof.

8. The infrared thermometer of claim 2 , wherein the sighting device comprises a reticle configured to shape the reference light beam.

9. The infrared thermometer of claim 8 , wherein the reticle has one or more of a central opening or an annular opening at the periphery of the central opening.

10. The infrared thermometer of claim 1 , wherein the beam splitter comprises a beam splitting layer in parallel with the flat mirror.

11. The infrared thermometer of claim 1 , wherein the infrared detector has a first field of view smaller than or equal to a second field of view of the reflective reticle image.

12. A method for measuring a temperature of an energy zone, comprising:
splitting an incident light beam from an energy zone into an infrared light beam and a visible light beam;
converging the infrared light beam that is split from the incident right beam to the infrared detector;
generating a reflective reticle image;
transmitting the visible light beam to a flat mirror;
transmitting the visible light beam from the flat mirror to a plano lens that is disposed between the flat mirror and a sight window;
reducing a luminous intensity of the visible light beam using the plano lens;
transmitting the visible light beam from the plano lens to the sight window;
generating a target image at a sight window using the visible light transmitted from the plano lens;
aligning an infrared detector with the energy zone by superimposing the reflective reticle image over the target image at the sight window;
detecting, by the infrared detector, the infrared light beam; and
generating a signal indicative of a temperature of the energy zone according to the detected infrared light beam.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein generating the reflective reticle image comprises:
emitting a reference light beam from a light source; and
reflecting the reference light beam convergingly to generate the reflective reticle image at the sight window.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises adjusting a color of the reference light beam.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein generating the reflective reticle image further comprises shaping the reference light beam.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the reticle image has at least one of a central pattern or an annular pattern at the periphery of the central pattern.

Assignees

• Fluke Corp

Inventors

• Xu Zumao
• Lv kaiyuan

Classifications

• G01J5/0859 Primary

  Sighting arrangements, e.g. cameras · CPC title

• G01J5/025

  Interfacing a pyrometer to an external device or network; User interface · CPC title

• G01J5/0806

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

• G01J5/0896

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

• G01J5/28

  using photoemissive or photovoltaic cells · CPC title