Infrared thermometer
AssigneeAdvanced Monitors Corporation
InventorJacob Fraden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An infrared (IR) thermometer for performing temperature measurement of an object without having contact with the object. The IR thermometer comprises at least one IR sensing element which, upon exposure to IR radiation, produces a response. The IR sensing element comprises a flat thermistor flake supported by a substrate. The IR thermometer further comprises a processing circuit which analyzes the response to predict the steady-state response of the at least one IR sensing element and temperature of the object. In one embodiment, the processing circuit may obtain two or more responses separated by a predetermined period of time to predict temperature of the object. The processing circuit may also associate reference data in its prediction algorithm.
Claims20
An infrared (IR) sensing assembly which measures temperature of an object, the sensing assembly comprising:
- a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface;
- a first sensing element connected to the first surface, wherein the first sensing element receives IR radiation from an IR source;
- a second sensing element connected to the second surface, wherein the second sensing element is substantially shielded from IR radiation, the first and second sensing elements are substantially thermally separate from one another, and the first and second sensing elements exhibit a substantially similar response to IR radiation;
- and
- at least one thermal insulation layer bounded substantially on all sides by at least a portion of the substrate, at least a portion of the first sensing element, and at least a portion of the second sensing element, to maintain thermal separation between the first sensing element and the second sensing element.
An infrared (IR) sensing assembly which measures temperature of an object, the sensing assembly comprising:
- at least one IR sensing element configured for exposure to one of an IR and an ambient source;
- and
- a processing circuit electrically connected to the at least one IR sensing element, the processing circuit receiving signals from the at least one IR sensing element and configured to predict in less than three seconds, due to the geometry and mounting of the at least one IR sensing element, a steady-state response of the at least one IR sensing element to exposure and thereby determining the temperature of the object.
A method of measuring temperature of an object using infrared (IR) radiation, the method comprising:
- exposing at least one IR sensing element to IR radiation from the object to produce at least one instantaneous value of a response of the at least one IR sensing element;
- predicting in less than three seconds, due to the geometry and mounting of the at least one IR sensing element, a steady-state response of the at least one IR sensing element to exposure;
- and
- determining temperature of the object based on the predicted steady-state response of the at least one IR sensing element.
An infrared (IR) sensing assembly which measures temperature of an object, the sensing assembly comprising:
- at least one means for sensing IR radiation configured for exposure to one of an IR and an ambient source;
- and
- means responsive to signals received from the sensing means for predicting in less than three seconds, due to the geometry and mounting of the sensing means, a steady-state response of the sensing means to exposure and for determining temperature of the object based on the predicted steady-state response.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.