Non-contacting infrared temperature thermometer detector apparatus

A non-contacting light detector for measuring the temperature of an object comprising:

• a housing;
• a lens assembly coupled to the housing for accepting light given off by the object in the direction of the lens assembly, the light having an infrared portion;
• an aperture substantially aligned with the lens assembly;
• a mirror substantially aligned with the lens assembly and the aperture, and positioned for reflecting the infrared portion of the total light passing through the aperture, the mirror allowing visible light to pass through the mirror in substantially the same direction in which the light entered the mirror;
• means for conveying the infrared light reflected by the mirror after the conveying means accepts the infrared light reflected by the mirror, the conveying means adapted to convey the infrared light to a detection portion, wherein the conveying means includes a means for depolarizing the infrared light, the depolarizing means multiply-reflecting the varying intensity infrared light within the depolarizing means, wherein the conveying means further includes a means for applying pressure to the depolarizing means to introduce phase shifts between the polarization components of the optical energy within the depolarizing means as the optical energy travels through the depolarizing means to increase the amount of depolarization occurring within the depolarization means;
• a chopper for continuously chopping the infrared light reflected by the mirror before the infrared light enters the conveying means;
• a detector portion for accepting the chopped infrared light from the conveying means and for transforming the chopped infrared light into an electrical signal which is representative of the energy level of the chopped infrared light entering the detector portion through the conveying means;
• means for converting the electrical signal exiting the detector portion into a display signal for displaying a standardized temperature which is representative of the display signal and the temperature of the object;
• and,
• means for displaying a standard temperature from a signal which is obtained from the light radiated from the object.

A non-contacting temperature detector for measuring the temperature of an object comprising:

• a lens assembly for accepting light;
• a mirror substantially aligned with the lens assembly, and positioned for reflecting the infrared portion of the light, the mirror allowing visible portion of the light to pass through the mirror;
• means for conveying the infrared energy reflected by the mirror after the conveying means accepts the infrared energy reflected by the mirror, the conveying means adapted to convey the infrared energy to a detection portion;
• a piezoelectric optical chopper for continuously synchronously chopping the infrared energy reflected by the mirror before the infrared signal enters the conveying means, the piezoelectric chopper comprising:
• at least one piezoceramic element;
• at least two electrodes, each piezoceramic element disposed between two of the electrodes;
• a bending element in bending association with at least one electrode;
• and,
• a chopping element in bending association with the bending element, the chopping element of the piezoelectric chopper oscillating into and out of the path of the infrared energy travelling between the mirror and the conveying means in order to continuously chop the infrared energy;
• and,
• a circuit for controlling the piezoelectric optical chopper comprising:
• means connected to at least one electrode, for driving a current into the chopper, the current causing the chopping element of the chopper to initially move in one direction;
• means connected to at least one electrode, for sensing when the chopping element has begun to move in the direction opposite to the direction of initial movement;
• first means connected to at least one electrode, for responding to the chopping element moving in the direction opposite to the direction of initial movement, by driving a current into the chopper in a direction opposite to the direction which the driving means drives the initial current;
• and,
• second means connected to at least one electrode and associated with the driving means, for responding to the oscillator beginning to move in the direction of initial movement after moving in a direction opposite to the direction of initial movement, by driving a current into the oscillator in a direction which is the same as the direction which the driving means drives the initial current.