Connecting assembly, thermal imager and refrigeration type thermal imager

Abstract

The utility model provides a connecting assembly, a thermal imager and a refrigeration type thermal imager, and the connecting assembly comprises an infrared lens, a flange, a shutter, an infrared detector and a housing. The infrared detector is arranged in the shell, and the infrared lens is detachably connected with the shell through the flange; the shutter is arranged in the flange; the heat conductivity of the shell is larger than that of the flange. The connecting assembly, the thermal imager and the refrigeration type thermal imager provided by the utility model can effectively prevent the temperature rise of the shutter from being too high, and are beneficial to improving the image quality and the working stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of gas infrared detection devices, and particularly to a connection component, a thermal imager, and a refrigerated thermal imager. Background Art

[0002] A gas infrared thermal imager is an imaging device that uses infrared thermal imaging technology to achieve visualization by photoelectric conversion of the infrared radiation of a target object. It can visualize invisible gases and can be used to detect gas leaks, etc. To make up for the low efficiency of traditional grid-type gas detection, gas infrared thermal imager devices have been widely used in fields such as petroleum, chemical industry, law enforcement patrols, etc.

[0003] The infrared detector of a refrigerated gas infrared thermal imager includes a refrigerator and a Dewar assembly. Since the refrigerator itself will emit a certain amount of heat during operation, if this heat cannot be dissipated in time, it will cause the temperature of the infrared detector to rise. To facilitate the heat dissipation of the refrigerator, the outer shell of the refrigerated infrared thermal imager is mostly made of a material with good thermal conductivity to facilitate the heat dissipation of the refrigerator. However, when dissipating heat, this structure will transfer heat to the inside of the thermal imager through the outer shell. Since the wavelength band of the refrigerated gas infrared thermal imager is very narrow, only about 0.3 μm, the increase in the temperature of the infrared detector makes the temperature of the image shutter higher than the ambient temperature, resulting in serious deterioration of the image quality, especially when the ambient temperature is relatively high, this phenomenon is particularly serious. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on this, the present application provides a connection component, a thermal imager, and a refrigerated thermal imager to improve the problem of excessive shutter temperature caused by the temperature rise of the infrared detector in the prior art, resulting in deterioration of the image quality.

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

[0006] In a first aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a connection component, including an infrared lens, a flange, a shutter, an infrared detector, and an outer shell; the infrared detector is arranged in the outer shell, the infrared lens is detachably connected to the outer shell through the flange; the shutter is arranged inside the flange; the thermal conductivity of the outer shell is greater than the thermal conductivity of the flange.

[0007] In one embodiment, the flange is made of ABS or ABS plus polycarbonate material, and the outer shell is made of a metal material.

[0008] In one embodiment, the inner surface of the flange is provided with a low-radiation structure.

[0009] In one embodiment, the low-radiation structure is a concavo-convex structure provided on the inner surface of the flange, and the concavo-convex structure is used to increase the roughness of the inner surface of the flange; alternatively, the low-radiation structure is a low-radiation coating provided on the inner surface of the flange, and the low-radiation coating is used to reduce the reflectivity of the inner surface of the flange.

[0010] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a thermal imager, including the connection component as described above.

[0011] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a refrigerated thermal imager, including the connection component as described above.

[0012] In one embodiment, the infrared detector includes a Dewar assembly and a refrigerator. The Dewar assembly is provided at one end close to the flange; the refrigerator includes a compressor and an expander. The compressor and the expander are communicated through a connecting pipe. The expander and the Dewar assembly are coaxially connected, and the compressor is provided on a side of the expander away from the Dewar assembly.

[0013] In one embodiment, the axis of the compressor and the axis of the Dewar assembly are perpendicularly arranged.

[0014] In one embodiment, the housing includes a base and a housing covering the base. The infrared detector is fixed on the base, and the housing is respectively provided with heat dissipation structures at corresponding positions of the compressor and the expander.

[0015] In one embodiment, the refrigerated thermal imager further includes a circuit board assembly, and the circuit board assembly surrounds the outer periphery of the Dewar assembly.

[0016] In one embodiment, the refrigerated thermal imager is a refrigerated gas thermal imager.

[0017] The present application has at least the following beneficial effects: The thermal conductivity of the flange used in the connection component of the embodiment of the present application is lower than that of the housing, thereby reducing the heat transfer from the infrared detector to the flange, achieving the purpose of protecting the shutter inside the flange, reducing the temperature of the shutter, and preventing the problem of excessive shutter temperature caused by the temperature rise of the infrared detector, and improving the image quality of the refrigerated thermal imager. The thermal imager and the refrigerated thermal imager of the embodiments of the present application include the above-mentioned connection component, and thus also have the above-mentioned beneficial effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the refrigerated thermal imager according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] Figure 2 is Figure 1 the schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the refrigerated thermal imager of

[0020] Figure 3 is Figure 1 Internal structure schematic diagram of a refrigerated thermal imager (some components removed).

[0021] Figure 4 is Figure 2 Structural schematic diagram of an infrared detector.

[0022] Figure 5 Arrangement structure schematic diagram of a circuit board assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 6 Imaging quality comparison chart of the refrigerated thermal imager and the conventional refrigerated thermal imager according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] The meanings of the reference numerals in the drawings are as follows:

[0025] 1. Infrared lens; 2. Flange; 3. Housing; 31. Base; 311. Isolation plate; 312. Groove; 313. Cover plate; 32. Shell; 321. Heat dissipation structure; 4. Dewar assembly; 41. Exhaust pipe; 42. Detector signal module; 43. Ceramic lead ring; 44. Getter pin; 45. Mounting flange; 5. Refrigerator; 51. Expander; 52. Compressor; 53. Connecting pipe; 6. Refrigerator drive module; 7. Imaging hardware module; 71. Power supply module; 72. Image processing module; 73. Analog-to-digital conversion module; 8. Shutter. Detailed implementation manners

[0026] The technical solutions of the present application will be further elaborated in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the specification and specific embodiments.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field 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 manner of this application. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0028] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to this application. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more.

[0029] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "installed", "connected", and "coupled" 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 directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific situations.

[0030] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , the connection component of the embodiment of the present application includes an infrared lens 1, a flange 2, a shutter 8, an infrared detector, and a housing 3; the infrared detector is arranged inside the housing 3, and the infrared lens 1 is detachably connected to the housing 3 through the flange 2; the shutter 8 is arranged inside the flange 2; the thermal conductivity of the housing 3 is greater than that of the flange 2.

[0031] The inventor found in the process of implementing the present application that in the conventional design, the flange 2 and the housing 3 are usually made of the same material, both of which are made of materials with good thermal conductivity. This will cause the shutter 8 inside the flange 2 to be extremely susceptible to the heat transfer of the infrared detector, resulting in an excessive temperature rise of the shutter 8, thereby causing serious deterioration of the image quality. Therefore, in the present application, the flange 2 at the shutter 8 is made of a material different from that of the housing 3, and the thermal conductivity of the flange 2 is lower than that of the housing 3, so that the heat of the infrared detector is not easily transferred from the flange 2 to the internal shutter 8, thereby improving the image quality and avoiding serious deterioration.

[0032] Specifically, in this embodiment, to facilitate the heat dissipation of the refrigerator 5, the housing 3 can be made of a material with high thermal conductivity. For example, a material with a thermal conductivity ≥ 150 W / m·K can be used, such as a metal material, etc., to accelerate the heat dissipation speed of the infrared detector. To avoid heat transfer between the shutter 8 and the infrared detector, the flange 2 can be made of a material with low thermal conductivity, and the thermal conductivity of the flange 2 is lower than that of the detector housing 32. For example, the flange 2 can be made of a low thermal conductivity material with a thermal conductivity ≤ 0.3 W / m·K, such as ABS or ABS plus polycarbonate material. To further reduce the thermal conductivity of the flange 2, a low-radiation structure (not shown) can also be provided on the inner surface of the flange 2. The low-radiation structure can be a concavo-convex structure provided on the inner surface of the flange 2, and the concavo-convex structure is used to increase the roughness of the inner surface of the flange 2; or, the low-radiation structure can be a low-radiation coating provided on the inner surface of the flange 2, and the low-radiation coating is used to reduce the reflectivity of the inner surface of the flange 2. The low-radiation coating is realized by coating a layer of material that can reflect or absorb radiation on the substrate surface. These materials are usually metals or metal compounds, such as silver, copper, aluminum, titanium dioxide, etc. They can reflect a part of the radiation or convert it into other forms of energy, thereby reducing the exposure of the irradiated substance.

[0033] An embodiment of the present application further provides a thermal imager, including the above-mentioned connection component.

[0034] Specifically, as Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown, in this embodiment, the thermal imager is a refrigerated thermal imager, for example, it can be a refrigerated gas thermal imager. The infrared detector in this embodiment includes a Dewar assembly 4 and a refrigerator 5. The Dewar assembly 4 is provided at one end close to the flange 2. The refrigerator 5 includes a compressor 52 and an expander 51. The compressor 52 and the expander 51 are connected through a connecting pipe 53. The expander 51 and the Dewar assembly 4 are coaxially connected. The compressor 52 is provided on the 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 vertically arranged. The compressor 52 is provided on the side of the expander 51 away from the Dewar assembly 4, while the flange 2 is connected to one side of the Dewar assembly 4. This structure physically isolates the compressor 52 from the shutter 8 inside the flange 2. 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 preventing the temperature of the shutter 8 from rising too high.

[0035] As Figure 4 shown, the refrigerator 5 in this embodiment is preferably a linear Stirling refrigerator. The connecting pipe 53 in this embodiment is a copper pipe, and the connection points of the compressor 52 and the expander 51 are arranged as close as possible to reduce the length of the connecting pipe 53 used. This connection method can make the overall structure of the infrared detector more compact, and the compressor 52 and the Dewar assembly 4 are isolated from each other. The Dewar assembly 4 mainly includes an infrared optical window, a cold shield, and a detector chip, and its exterior includes an exhaust pipe 41, a ceramic lead ring 43, a getter pin 44, and a mounting flange 45, etc. The Dewar assembly 4 is a conventional product, and its specific structure will not be described in detail here.

[0036] As Figure 1 shown, the housing 3 of this embodiment includes a base 31 and a housing 32 covering the base 31. The infrared detector is fixed on the base 31, and the housing 32 is respectively provided with heat dissipation structures 321 at the corresponding positions of the compressor 52 and the expander 51. The housing 3 is used to accommodate the infrared detector, and the Dewar assembly 4 and the refrigerator 5 are respectively fixed on the base 31. The heat dissipation structure 321 is mainly used to increase the surface area of the housing 32 to facilitate heat dissipation. For example, a plurality of fins or other heat dissipation structures 321 can be added to the outer wall of the housing 32, or the outer surface of the housing 32 can be set into regular or irregular concave and convex shapes.

[0037] As Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown, the refrigerated thermal imager of this embodiment further includes an infrared lens 1 and a circuit board assembly. The infrared lens 1 is connected to the refrigerated gas infrared detector through the flange 2, and the circuit board assembly is arranged around the periphery of the Dewar assembly 4.

[0038] As Figure 2 and Figure 5 shown, the circuit board assembly includes an imaging hardware module 7 and a cooler drive module 6. The cooler drive module 6 is arranged side by side with the Dewar assembly 4 along the axial direction of the Dewar assembly 4, that is, the cooler drive module 6 is arranged on one side of the Dewar assembly 4 to facilitate the maintenance, disassembly and assembly of the cooler drive module 6. To avoid interference between the cooler drive module 6 and the Dewar assembly 4, a partition plate 311 can be arranged between the cooler drive module 6 and the Dewar assembly 4. The partition plate 311 can not only play a role in heat insulation, but also avoid electromagnetic interference between the Dewar assembly 4 and the cooler drive module 6. In this embodiment, the cooler drive module 6 is arranged at the bottom of the Dewar assembly 4, that is, on the side close to the base 31. An openable cover plate 313 is arranged on the base 31. By opening the cover plate 313, the drive module at the bottom can be directly disassembled, assembled and maintained. The cover plate 313 is detachably connected to the base 31, or the cover plate 313 is hinged to the base 31. The partition 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 cooler drive module 6. The cover plate 313 covers the groove 312. This structure can enclose the cooler drive module 6 in a sealed cavity, isolate it from the Dewar assembly 4 to the greatest extent, and can more effectively prevent heat transfer and electromagnetic interference between the cooler drive module 6 and the Dewar assembly 4.

[0039] As Figure 5As shown in the figure, the imaging hardware module 7 includes a power supply module 71, an image processing module 72, and an analog-to-digital conversion module 73. The power supply module 71, the image processing module 72, the analog-to-digital conversion module 73, and the cooler drive module 6 are jointly arranged around the outer periphery of the Dewar assembly 4. In this embodiment, each circuit board assembly that is usually integrated and designed as an integrated structure is modularly decomposed and arranged around the Dewar assembly 4. Each module occupies one side of the Dewar assembly 4. This design not only makes full use of the space, which is beneficial to reducing the overall volume of the thermal imager, but also is conducive to the heat dissipation of each module, thereby improving the performance of the entire thermal imager and the image output quality. The Dewar assembly 4 further includes a detector signal module 42. The detector signal module 42 is respectively signal-connected to the image processing module 72, the analog-to-digital conversion module 73, and the cooler drive module 6, and is used to supply power to the infrared detector, provide a drive signal for the infrared detector, and transmit the output signal of the infrared detector. The analog-to-digital conversion module 73, that is, the ADC module, is signal-connected to the image processing module 72, and is used to receive the analog output signal of the infrared detector, convert it into a digital signal, and then transmit it to the image processing module 72. The image processing module 72 in this embodiment is an FPGA image processing module 72, which is electrically connected to the power supply module 71, and is used to receive the digital signal transmitted by the analog-to-digital conversion module 73, convert it into an image and output it. At the same time, it is also used to provide a drive signal for the infrared detector, and as the main control component of the thermal imager, it realizes functions such as controlling the core (infrared detector). The power supply module 71 is respectively electrically connected to the image processing module 72 and the detector signal module 42, and is used to supply power to the thermal imager and implement the core control serial port and the video interface. The cooler drive module 6 is used to supply power to the cooler 5 and perform temperature feedback of the cooler 5.

[0040] In the connection component, the thermal imager, and the cooled thermal imager according to the embodiments of the present application, by improving the material and structure of the flange, as well as the arrangement structure of the cooler and the housing heat dissipation structure, the heat transfer between the cooler and the shutter is reduced, and the temperature rise of the shutter is greatly reduced. After testing, compared with the gas thermal imager with a conventional structure, for the gas thermal imager with the structure according to the embodiments of the present application, the temperature rise of its shutter drops by about 8 °C, and the image quality is significantly improved. As Figure 6 shown, in the left figure A is the image of gas detection presented by a conventional cooled thermal imager, and in the right figure B is the image of gas detection presented by the cooled thermal imager according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0041] It should be noted that in this text, the term "including", "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent in such process, method, article or device. Without further limitation, an element defined by the statement "including one..." does not exclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or device including that element.

[0042] As described above, the above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A connection assembly, characterized in that: The invention comprises an infrared lens (1), a flange (2), a shutter (8), an infrared detector and a housing (3); the infrared detector is arranged in the housing (3); the infrared lens (1) is detachably connected to the housing (3) via the flange (2); the shutter (8) is arranged inside the flange (2); and the thermal conductivity of the housing (3) is greater than the thermal conductivity of the flange (2).

2. The connection assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The flange (2) is made of ABS or ABS plus polycarbonate material, and the shell (3) is made of metal material.

3. The connection assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that The inner surface of the flange (2) is provided with a low-radiation structure.

4. The connection assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that The low-emissivity structure is a concave-convex structure provided on the inner surface of the flange (2), and the concave-convex structure is used to increase the roughness of the inner surface of the flange (2); or, the low-emissivity structure is a low-emissivity coating provided on the inner surface of the flange (2), and the low-emissivity coating is used to reduce the reflectivity of the inner surface of the flange (2).

5. A thermal imager, characterized in that: Comprising a connection assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A refrigerated thermal imager, characterized in that: It comprises a connection assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the infrared detector comprises a Dewar assembly (4) and a refrigerator (5), wherein the Dewar assembly (4) is arranged at one end close to the flange (2); the refrigerator (5) comprises a compressor (52) and an expander (51), wherein the compressor (52) and the expander (51) are connected via a connecting pipe (53), wherein the expander (51) and the Dewar assembly (4) are coaxially connected, and wherein the compressor (52) is arranged on a side of the expander (51) away from the Dewar assembly (4).

7. The refrigerated thermal imager according to claim 6, characterized in that: The axis of the compressor (52) and the axis of the Dewar assembly (4) are arranged perpendicularly.

8. The refrigerated thermal imager according to claim 6, characterized in that: The housing (3) comprises a base (31) and a shell (32) covered on the base (31); the infrared detector is fixed on the base (31); and the shell (32) is provided with heat dissipation structures (321) at corresponding positions of the compressor (52) and the expander (51).

9. The refrigerated thermal imager according to claim 6, characterized in that: It also includes a circuit board assembly, which is arranged around the outer periphery of the Dewar assembly (4).

10. The cooled thermal imager according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that: The refrigerated thermal imager is a refrigerated gas thermal imager.

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