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US 2017/0363474 A1Published application
Infrared sensor and method for electrical monitoring
AssigneeExergen Corporation
InventorFrancesco Pompei
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An inexpensive thermopile temperature detector is particularly adapted to monitoring of electrical equipment, such as a power bus bar, within an enclosed area such as a cabinet. The detector may have a plastic housing, a thermopile sensor and a plastic Fresnel lens. Each sensor also includes a calibrated element such that, but for calibration, the same sensor may be used for various applications for different target sizes and distance or, more generally, with respect to effective target percentage of field of view.
Claims14
A method of monitoring electrical equipment comprising:
- providing a sensor comprising a thermopile;
- positioning the sensor to view a target element of the electrical equipment at a target distance therefrom, a field of view of the sensor extending beyond an edge of the target element, and a cold junction of the sensor being at about a temperature of a background ambient environment surrounding the target element of the electrical equipment;
- and
- detecting a voltage output of the sensor, calibrated for the field of view extending beyond the target element to provide an indication of temperature differential between the target element of the electrical equipment and the cold junction of the sensor.
1 more element
A temperature system comprising:
- a thermopile providing a voltage output, the thermopile being positioned to view a target element of electrical equipment at a target distance therefrom with a field of view extending beyond the target element and with a cold junction of the sensor at about a temperature of a background ambient environment surrounding the target element;
- and
- a calibrating circuit electrically connected to the voltage output to calibrate the sensor for the field of view extending beyond the target element to provide an indication of temperature differential between the target element of the electrical equipment and the cold junction of the sensor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.