Refrigeration type thermal imager

Abstract

The utility model provides a refrigeration type thermal imager which comprises a Dewar assembly, a refrigerating machine and a refrigerating machine driving module, the refrigerating machine is arranged at one end of the Dewar assembly, and the refrigerating machine is connected with the Dewar assembly; the refrigerator driving module and the Dewar assembly are arranged side by side in the axial direction of the Dewar assembly, and an isolation plate is arranged between the Dewar assembly and the refrigerator driving module and used for insulating heat and preventing electromagnetic interference. According to the refrigeration type thermal imager provided by the invention, the problem of mutual interference between the infrared detector and the refrigerator driving module can be improved, and the image quality and the working stability of the thermal imager can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of gas infrared detection equipment, and in particular to a refrigerated thermal imager. Background Art

[0002] Gas infrared thermal imager is an imaging device that uses infrared thermal imaging technology to achieve visualization by converting the infrared radiation of the target object into photoelectric conversion. It can visualize invisible gas and can be used to detect gas leaks, etc. In order to make up for the low efficiency of traditional grid-type gas detection, gas infrared thermal imager equipment has been widely used in the fields of petroleum, chemical industry, law enforcement inspection, etc.

[0003] The infrared detector of a refrigerated gas infrared thermal imager includes a refrigerator and a Dewar assembly, and also includes a refrigerator drive module for driving the refrigerator. Existing gas thermal imagers usually set the refrigerator drive module near the Dewar assembly. The heat and electromagnetic radiation generated by the infrared detector when working can easily interfere with the refrigerator drive module, resulting in a decrease in the imaging quality and working stability of the gas thermal imager. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, the present application provides a cooling type thermal imager to improve the problem of mutual interference between the infrared detector and the refrigerator drive module existing in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0006] An embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerated thermal imager, comprising a dewar assembly, a refrigerator and a refrigerator drive module, wherein the refrigerator is arranged at one end of the dewar assembly, and the refrigerator is connected to the dewar assembly; the refrigerator drive module and the dewar assembly are arranged side by side along the axial direction of the dewar assembly, and an isolation plate is provided between the dewar assembly and the refrigerator drive module, and the isolation plate is used for heat insulation and preventing electromagnetic interference.

[0007] In one of the embodiments, the refrigerated thermal imager also includes a base and a shell, the Dewar assembly and the refrigerator are respectively fixed on the base, and the shell and the base together constitute a space for accommodating the Dewar assembly and the refrigerator; the refrigerator drive module is arranged on a side of the Dewar assembly close to the base.

[0008] In one of the embodiments, an openable cover is provided at a position of the bottom surface of the base corresponding to the refrigerator drive module.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, an inwardly recessed groove is provided at one end of the base away from the Dewar assembly, the cover plate is disposed on the groove, and the refrigerator drive module is disposed in the groove.

[0010] In one embodiment, the refrigerator includes a compressor and an expander, the expander and the compressor are connected through a connecting pipe, the expander and the Dewar assembly are coaxially connected, the compressor is arranged on a side of the expander away from the Dewar assembly, and the axis of the compressor and the axis of the Dewar assembly are arranged perpendicularly.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the shell and the base are respectively made of metal materials, and the shell is provided with heat dissipation structures near the compressor and the expander.

[0012] In one embodiment, the refrigerator is a linear Stirling refrigerator.

[0013] In one embodiment, the refrigerated thermal imager is a refrigerated gas thermal imager.

[0014] The present application has at least the following beneficial effects: the refrigerated thermal imager provided by the present application arranges the refrigerator drive module on one side of the Dewar assembly, and isolates the two by an isolation plate, thereby preventing heat transfer and electromagnetic interference between the refrigerator drive module and the Dewar assembly, and effectively improving the image quality and working stability of the gas thermal imager. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a cooled thermal imager according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a cooled thermal imager according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the arrangement structure of the imaging hardware module according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a cooled thermal imager according to an embodiment of the present application (some components are removed).

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an infrared detector according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] The meanings of the symbols in the accompanying drawings are as follows:

[0021] 1. Infrared lens; 2. Flange; 3. Shell; 31. Base; 311. Isolation plate; 312. Groove; 313. Cover plate; 32. Shell; 321. Heat dissipation structure; 4. Dewar assembly; 5. Refrigerator; 51. Expander; 52. Compressor; 53. Connecting pipe; 6. Refrigerator drive module; 7. Imaging hardware module; 71. Power module; 72. Image processing module; 73. Analog-to-digital conversion module; 8. Shutter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The technical solution of the present application is further elaborated in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments of the specification.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the implementation of this application. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0024] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating positions or positional relationships, are based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific position, be constructed and operated in a specific position, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0025] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] See also Figure 1 The refrigerated thermal imager of the embodiment of the present application is a refrigerated gas thermal imager, including a Dewar assembly 4, a refrigerator 5 and a refrigerator drive module 6. The refrigerator 5 is arranged at one end of the Dewar assembly 4, and the refrigerator 5 and the Dewar assembly 4 are connected; the refrigerator drive module 6 and the Dewar assembly 4 are arranged side by side along the axial direction of the Dewar assembly 4, and an isolation plate 311 is provided between the Dewar assembly 4 and the refrigerator drive module 6, and the isolation plate 311 is used for heat insulation and preventing electromagnetic interference.

[0027] Specifically, in this embodiment, the refrigerator drive module 6 is arranged in parallel with the Dewar assembly 4, that is, the refrigerator drive module 6 is arranged on one side of the Dewar assembly 4, so as to facilitate the maintenance and disassembly of the refrigerator drive module 6. In order to avoid interference between the refrigerator drive module 6 and the Dewar assembly 4, an isolation plate 311 can be arranged between the refrigerator drive module 6 and the Dewar assembly 4. The isolation plate 311 can not only play a role in heat insulation, but also avoid electromagnetic interference between the Dewar assembly 4 and the refrigerator drive module 6.

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the cooling type thermal imager further includes a housing 3, the housing 3 includes a base 31 and a shell 32, the dewar assembly 4 and the refrigerator 5 are respectively fixed on the base 31, the shell 32 and the base 31 together constitute a space for accommodating the dewar assembly 4 and the refrigerator 5; the refrigerator drive module 6 is arranged on one side of the dewar assembly 4 close to the base 31. An openable cover plate 313 is provided at the corresponding position of the base 31 and the refrigerator drive module 6.

[0029] In this embodiment, the refrigerator drive module 6 is arranged at the bottom of the Dewar assembly 4, that is, on the side close to the base 31. The base 31 is provided with an openable cover plate 313. The refrigerator drive module 6 at the bottom can be directly disassembled and maintained by opening the cover plate 313. The cover plate 313 is detachably connected to the base 31, or the cover plate 313 is hinged to the base 31. The isolation plate 311 can be arranged separately or integrated with the base 31. For example, a groove 312 can be opened at the bottom of the base 31. The groove 312 is used to place the refrigerator drive module 6. The cover plate 313 is covered on the groove 312. This structure can make the refrigerator drive module 6 enclosed in a closed cavity, isolating it from the Dewar assembly 4 to the maximum extent, and can more effectively prevent heat transfer and electromagnetic interference between the refrigerator drive module 6 and the Dewar assembly 4. The refrigerator drive module 6 is used to provide power and temperature feedback for the refrigerator 5.

[0030] like Figure 3As shown, the cooling type thermal imager of this embodiment also includes an imaging hardware module 7, which includes a power module 71, an image processing module 72 and an analog-to-digital conversion module 73. The power module 71, the image processing module 72, the analog-to-digital conversion module 73 and the refrigerator drive module 6 are arranged together around the outer periphery of the dewar assembly 4. In this embodiment, each circuit board assembly that is usually integrated into an integral structure is modularized and decomposed, and arranged around the dewar assembly 4, and each module occupies a side of the dewar assembly 4. This design not only makes full use of the space, which is conducive to reducing the overall volume of the thermal imager, but also facilitates the heat dissipation of each module, thereby improving the performance of the thermal imager and the image output quality. The dewar assembly 4 also includes a detector signal module, which is respectively connected to the image processing module 72, the analog-to-digital conversion module 73 and the refrigerator drive module 6 for signal connection, and is used to power the infrared detector (refrigerator 5 and dewar assembly 4), provide the driving signal of the infrared detector and transmit the output signal of the infrared detector. The analog-to-digital conversion module 73, also known as the ADC module, is connected to the image processing module 72 for signal connection, and is used to receive the analog output signal of the infrared detector and convert it into a digital signal before transmitting it to the image processing module 72. The image processing module 72 of this embodiment is an FPGA image processing module, which is electrically connected to the power module 71, and is used to receive the digital signal transmitted by the analog-to-digital conversion module 73, and convert it into an image before outputting it. At the same time, it is also used to provide a driving signal for the infrared detector, and as the main control component of the thermal imager, it realizes functions such as control of the movement (infrared detector). The power module 71 is electrically connected to the image processing module 72 and the detector signal module respectively, and is used to power the thermal imager, and realize the movement control serial port and video interface. The refrigerator 5 drive board is used to power the refrigerator 5 and perform temperature feedback of the refrigerator 5.

[0031] like Figure 4As shown, the cooling type thermal imager of this embodiment also includes an infrared lens 1 and a flange 2, and the flange 2 is connected between the infrared lens 1 and the housing 3. In order to avoid heat transfer between the shutter 8 and the refrigerator 5, the flange 2 can be made of a low thermal conductivity material, and the thermal conductivity of the flange 2 is lower than the thermal conductivity of the detector housing 32. For example, the flange 2 can be made of a low thermal conductivity material with a thermal conductivity of ≤0.3W / m·K, such as ABS or ABS plus polycarbonate. The low thermal conductivity flange 2 can prevent the heat generated by the refrigerator 5 from being transferred to the shutter 8 and causing the shutter 8 to increase in temperature, thereby avoiding the problem of image quality degradation. The housing 3 can be made of a high thermal conductivity material. For example, the housing 3 can be made of a material with a thermal conductivity of ≥150W / m·K, such as metal, which can accelerate the diffusion of heat from the refrigerator 5. In order to further increase the heat dissipation effect of the shell 3, a heat dissipation structure 321 can be respectively set at the corresponding positions of the shell 32, the expander 51 and the compressor 52. The heat dissipation structure 321 is mainly used to increase the surface area of ​​the shell 32 to facilitate heat dissipation. For example, a plurality of heat dissipation structures 321 such as fins can be added to the outer wall of the shell 32, or the outer surface of the shell 32 can be set to a regular or irregular concave-convex shape.

[0032] like Figure 5 As shown, the refrigerator 5 of this embodiment includes a compressor 52 and an expander 51, the expander 51 and the compressor 52 are connected through a connecting pipe 53, the expander 51 and the Dewar assembly 4 are coaxially connected, the compressor 52 is arranged on the side of the expander 51 away from the Dewar assembly 4, and the axis of the compressor 52 is arranged perpendicular to the axis of the Dewar assembly 4. Specifically, the refrigerator 5 is a linear Stirling refrigerator 5. The Dewar assembly 4 of this embodiment is arranged at one end close to the infrared lens 1, the compressor 52 is arranged at one end away from the infrared lens 1, the shutter 8 is arranged in the flange 2, and the refrigerator drive module 6 and the Dewar assembly 4 are arranged in parallel along the axial direction of the Dewar assembly 4. The compressor 52 is arranged on the side of the expander 51 away from the Dewar assembly 4, and the flange 2 is connected to one side of the Dewar assembly 4. This structure enables the compressor 52 and the shutter 8 inside the flange 2 to be physically isolated. The compressor 52 and the flange 2 are far apart, and the heat generated by the compressor 52 is not easily transferred to the shutter 8, thereby effectively avoiding the excessive temperature rise of the shutter 8.

[0033] The refrigerated thermal imager of the embodiment of the present application can effectively isolate the heat transfer and electromagnetic interference between the refrigerator drive module and the Dewar assembly by setting an isolation plate between the two, thereby effectively improving the image quality and working stability of the gas thermal imager. The refrigerated thermal imager of the embodiment of the present application has a reasonable structural design of the infrared detector (Dewar assembly and refrigerator), which realizes physical isolation between the refrigerator and the shutter, effectively reduces the heat transfer between the refrigerator and the shutter, and further reduces the temperature rise of the shutter by improving the material of the flange, so that the image quality of the refrigerated thermal imager is improved and the working stability of the refrigerated thermal imager is enhanced.

[0034] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." does not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

[0035] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerated thermal imager, characterized in that: The invention comprises a dewar assembly (4), a refrigerator (5) and a refrigerator drive module (6); the refrigerator (5) is arranged at one end of the dewar assembly (4), and the refrigerator (5) and the dewar assembly (4) are connected; the refrigerator drive module (6) and the dewar assembly (4) are arranged in parallel along the axial direction of the dewar assembly (4), and an isolation plate (311) is provided between the dewar assembly (4) and the refrigerator drive module (6); the isolation plate (311) is used for heat insulation and preventing electromagnetic interference.

2. The refrigerated thermal imager according to claim 1, characterized in that: The refrigerator further comprises a base (31) and a shell (32); the Dewar assembly (4) and the refrigerator (5) are respectively fixed on the base (31); the shell (32) and the base (31) together constitute a space for accommodating the Dewar assembly (4) and the refrigerator (5); and the refrigerator drive module (6) is arranged on a side of the Dewar assembly (4) close to the base (31).

3. The refrigerated thermal imager according to claim 2, characterized in that: An openable cover plate (313) is provided at a position on the bottom surface of the base (31) corresponding to the refrigerator drive module (6).

4. The refrigerated thermal imager according to claim 3, characterized in that: An inwardly recessed groove (312) is provided at one end of the base (31) away from the Dewar assembly (4), the cover plate (313) is covered on the groove (312), and the refrigerator drive module (6) is arranged in the groove (312).

5. The refrigerated thermal imager according to claim 2, characterized in that: The refrigerator (5) comprises a compressor (52) and an expander (51), wherein the expander (51) and the compressor (52) are connected via a connecting pipe (53), the expander (51) and the Dewar assembly (4) are coaxially connected, the compressor (52) is arranged on a side of the expander (51) away from the Dewar assembly (4), and the axis of the compressor (52) and the axis of the Dewar assembly (4) are arranged perpendicularly.

6. The refrigerated thermal imager according to claim 5, characterized in that: The shell (32) and the base (31) are respectively made of metal materials, and the shell (32) is provided with heat dissipation structures (321) near the compressor (52) and the expander (51).

7. The refrigerated thermal imager according to claim 5, characterized in that: The refrigerator (5) is a linear Stirling refrigerator (5).

8. The cooled thermal imager according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The refrigerated thermal imager is a refrigerated gas thermal imager.

Images