Imaging devices can serve to capture a characteristic of a target object (e.g., physical appearance). One type of imaging device can capture a thermal characteristic of a target object and thus serve as a non-contact temperature measurement instrument. Non-contact temperature measurement instruments allow a user to measure the temperature of a surface of an object or portion of an object without touching the object. One common type of non-contact temperature measurement device is an infrared thermometer. Infrared thermometers determine the temperature of an object by measuring the infrared radiation emitted by the object. The amount of infrared radiation that is emitted at particular wavelengths is correlated with the temperature of the object. If the amount of infrared energy emitted by the object and its emissivity are known, then the object's temperature can be determined without contacting the object. The optical system of an infrared thermometer collects the infrared energy from a measurement spot and focuses it upon a detector. The detector then converts the energy to an electrical signal that can be displayed in units of temperature. Many infrared thermometers allow a user to ascertain the temperature of a spot on an object by aiming the thermometer at the object.
Industrial monitoring systems often employ a non-contact temperature thermometer to capture one or more temperatures of a target. Targets can include, in some examples, a piece of manufacturing equipment (e.g., a particular portion of the piece of manufacturing equipment) and/or a product in the midst of a manufacturing process (e.g., on an assembly line). In many industrial monitoring systems, the non-contact temperature thermometer can be adapted to communicate with a remote monitoring station and, in some instances, can be integrated with a manufacturing process control package.
The non-contact temperature thermometer can be mounted in a fixed location appropriate for capturing image data of a desired target. However, in many examples the target can be present in an environment that necessitates installation of the non-contact temperature thermometer at a generally remote location within that environment. For example, the non-contact temperature thermometer may need to be mounted at a location that minimizes risk of damage to the device and/or minimizes interference caused by matter within the environment (e.g., steam, smoke, dirt, etc.). Moreover, a threat to proper operation of non-contact temperature thermometers in many such environments is misalignment of the device relative to the target. Misalignment can be caused by, for instance, vibration or other means of mechanical impact that can occur in many target environments. Currently, routine operation of a non-contact temperature thermometer involves frequent, manual alignment inspection to determine if the non-contact temperature thermometer is properly aligned with the desired target. Such manual alignment inspection can be complicated due to the remote, hard-to-reach location of the non-contact temperature thermometer in many cases.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds