Thermal image device with self-diagnosis function of lens temperature abnormality

Abstract

To solve such problems that, in an under-high-temperature-environment reliability test of an electronic component monitored by using a thermal image device that converts the temperature on the basis of the radiation luminance of received infrared ray, if a filter or the like is installed in front of a lens of the thermal image device, the radiation luminance is reduced and the temperature becomes inaccurate, therefore, the lens of the thermal image device installed inside a constant temperature bath receives the infrared ray from the electronic component or the temperature thereof rises due to the high temperature atmosphere, causing the focus shifting and abnormal monitoring.MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM: There is provided a thermal image device with a self-diagnosis function of lens temperature abnormality which detects a temperature abnormality of a lens that causes unacceptable focus shifting by determining the defocused state of the captured image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a thermal imaging device having a function of self-diagnosing lens temperature abnormalities by comparing normal image information of a subject when there is no lens temperature abnormality with currently acquired image information. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to understand the heating state of materials that are the subject of heating work or the state of electronic components during reliability tests in high-temperature environments, they are monitored using a thermography device (hereafter referred to as a thermal imaging device) that captures temperature distribution as a thermal image. Infrared rays emitted from materials or electronic components are guided to the infrared imaging element of the thermal imaging device, and the result converted from the radiance of the received infrared rays into temperature is converted into black and white gradation or color tone (red for high temperature, blue for low temperature, etc.) to obtain a two-dimensional thermal image. When guiding the infrared rays to the infrared imaging element, a lens can be used to obtain an image with a wider field of view.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a focus evaluation method and a charged particle beam device, which calculates the standard deviation of a brightness histogram of an image obtained by irradiating a charged particle beam in a scanning electron microscope for length measurement, divides the value related to the standard deviation by a value related to an edge amount of a pattern included in the image, and uses the value obtained based on the division to determine the focus adjustment state of the image. In addition to the above method, a charged particle beam focus evaluation method is also disclosed, which is characterized in that the standard deviation of the brightness histogram of the image is calculated after image processing is performed on the image using a Gaussian filter and a Laplacian filter [a1]. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2010-182423 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The image sensor or the electronic circuit that converts the signal from the image sensor into a thermal image is cooled because it is vulnerable to high temperatures. On the other hand, the lens faces the subject, which is the material to be heated, and cannot be cooled directly. Since the temperature is converted according to the radiation intensity (brightness) of the received infrared light, even if a filter or window made of a material that transmits infrared light is installed to block heat, the infrared light will attenuate when passing through the transparent material, which may affect the measurement results. In environments such as 150°C to 200°C, such as reliability tests of electronic components in high-temperature environments, the decrease in radiation intensity may affect the measurement results if the window is passed through, and since a window cannot be installed in front of the lens, the lens is heated by the radiant heat from the reliability test environment atmosphere and the subject. A heated lens expands thermally and its refractive index changes depending on the temperature of the lens itself, so if the lens becomes abnormal in temperature, the thermal image acquired will be out of focus beyond the allowable range. In addition, the transmittance changes due to temperature changes in the lens itself, which changes the radiance value and the temperature indication value obtained by conversion.

[0006] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for determining the focus adjustment state of a scanning electron microscope for length measurement, but does not disclose a method for identifying the cause when the focus is poor. There was a problem that the temperature abnormality of the lens could not be detected for a thermal imaging device that has a lens and acquires a thermal image.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function that determines whether the lens has a temperature abnormality based on normal image information when there is no temperature abnormality in the lens or threshold information for determining a temperature abnormality in the lens, current image information related to the image of the current subject, and a determination rule, without adding any additional parts, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems related to a thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function, the present application provides, as a first invention, an image capture unit (A) that captures an image of a subject at a fixed distance via a lens; a normal image information storage unit (B) for storing normal image information, which is information about an image at the fixed distance acquired when there is no abnormality in the lens temperature; a current image information storage unit (C) for storing current image information which is information relating to an image of a subject at the fixed distance being acquired; a determination rule storage unit (D) for storing a determination rule for determining that there is an abnormality in the lens temperature by comparing the stored normal image information with the current image information; a temperature abnormality determination unit (E) for determining whether the lens has a temperature abnormality based on the stored normal image information, current image information, and a determination rule; The present invention provides a thermal imaging device having a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function.

[0009] As the second invention, based on the first invention, The thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality according to claim 1 is provided, wherein the subject at a fixed distance is a pattern (F) for determining a defocus state.

[0010] As the third invention, based on the second invention, The defocus state determination pattern (F) is a pattern in which areas of high emissivity and areas of low emissivity are adjacent to each other and arranged repeatedly in an alternating manner. [Toru Watanabe 2] We provide a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormalities.

[0011] As a fourth invention, based on either the second or third invention, A thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormalities is provided, which has a defocus state determination pattern (F) whose width in the repeating direction of high emissivity regions and low emissivity regions is 7 to 20 times the instantaneous field of view of one pixel of the imaging element of the image acquisition section (A).

[0012] As a fifth invention, based on any one of the second to fourth inventions, The thermal imaging device has a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in lens temperature, and the defocus state determination pattern (F) is a repeating pattern of 7 or more pairs of high emissivity regions and low emissivity regions.

[0013] As a sixth invention, based on any one of the second to fifth inventions, The emissivity of the high emissivity region is 0.9 or more. The thermal imaging device has a defocus state determination pattern (F) and is equipped with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in lens temperature.

[0014] As a seventh invention, based on any one of the second to sixth inventions, The emissivity of the low emissivity region is 0.35 or less. The thermal imaging device has a defocus state determination pattern (F) and is equipped with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in lens temperature.

[0015] As an eighth invention, based on any one of the first to seventh inventions, A heating device is provided that is equipped with a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting abnormalities in lens temperature.

[0016] As the ninth invention, based on the eighth invention, The defocus state determination pattern (F) provides a heating device that is disposed at a position where the heating state is substantially the same as that of the heating object (G).

[0017] As a tenth invention, based on either the eighth or ninth invention, The thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function provides a heating device having an alarm output unit (H) that outputs an alarm indicating a temperature abnormality when it is determined that the lens has a temperature abnormality.

[0018] As an eleventh invention, an image acquisition unit (A) that acquires an image of a defocus state determination pattern (F) at a fixed distance via a lens; a threshold information storage unit (J) that stores threshold information for determining a temperature abnormality of the lens; a current image information storage unit (C) for storing current image information which is information relating to an image of a defocus state determination pattern (F) at the fixed distance being acquired; a determination rule storage unit (D) for storing a determination rule for determining that there is an abnormality in the lens temperature by comparing the stored threshold value information with current image information; a temperature abnormality determination unit (E) for determining whether the lens has a temperature abnormality based on the stored threshold value information, the current image information, and a determination rule; The present invention provides a thermal imaging device having a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function.

[0019] Furthermore, there are also provided an operating method for the thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function, which is the computer of the first to eleventh inventions, and a readable operating program. The operating program may be recorded on a recording medium. Effect of the Invention

[0020] The thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration provides a thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function that judges whether the lens has a temperature abnormality based on normal image information when there is no temperature abnormality in the lens, current image information related to the image of the current subject, and a judgment rule. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] Functional block diagram of the invention according to embodiment 1 [Diagram 2] Flowchart of the invention according to embodiment 1 [Diagram 3] Schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of the invention according to the first embodiment [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the focus deviation (lens temperature abnormality) determination method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5a] Schematic diagram of the configuration of the invention according to embodiment 2 [Figure 5b] Defocus state determination pattern (F) example 1 according to the second embodiment [Figure 5c]Defocus state determination pattern (F) example 2 according to the second embodiment [Figure 5d] Arrangement example 1 of the defocus state determination pattern (F) in the present invention [Figure 5e] Arrangement example 2 of the defocus state determination pattern (F) in the present invention [Figure 5f] Arrangement example 3 of the defocus state determination pattern (F) in the present invention [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the defocus state determination according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] Defocus state determination pattern (F) example 1 according to the third embodiment [Figure 8] Defocus state determination pattern (F) example 2 according to the third embodiment [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a defocus state determination pattern (F) according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] Example of defocus state determination pattern (F) according to the fifth embodiment [Figure 11] Example of defocus state determination pattern (F) according to the sixth embodiment [Figure 12] Example of defocus state determination pattern (F) according to the seventh embodiment [Figure 13] Schematic diagram of the configuration of the invention according to embodiment 8 [Figure 14] 9. Schematic diagram of the configuration of the invention according to embodiment 9. [Figure 15] Functional block diagram of the invention according to embodiment 10 [Figure 16] Flowchart of the invention according to embodiment 10 [Figure 17] 10. Schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of the invention according to embodiment 10. [Figure 18] Functional block diagram of the invention according to embodiment 11 [Figure 19] Flowchart of the invention according to embodiment 11 [Figure 20] 11. Schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of the invention according to embodiment 11 [Figure 21]Overall configuration of the present invention [Figure 22] Schematic diagram of the hardware configuration of the present invention. [Diagram 23] Schematic diagram of the overall configuration example 2 of the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] <Prerequisites for the explanation of all embodiments> <Hardware that can constitute the present invention> The present invention is, in principle, an invention that utilizes a computer, but at least a part of it is realized by software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. In this case, the software uses hardware resources to perform various calculations and realizes various functions through the required data and information. It can be said that information processing by software is specifically realized using hardware resources.

[0023] The hardware for realizing all or part of the constituent elements of the present invention is composed of the basic components of a computer, such as a CPU, a memory, a bus, an input / output device, various peripheral devices, a user interface, etc. The various peripheral devices may include a storage device, an internet interface, an internet device, a LAN device, a Wifi (registered trademark) device, a display, a display interface, a keyboard, a mouse, a speaker, a microphone, a camera, a thermal imaging device, a video, a television, a CD device, a DVD device, a Blu-ray device, a USB memory, a USB memory interface, a removable hard disk, a general hard disk, a projector device, an SSD, a telephone, a fax, a copy machine, a printer, a movie editing device, various sensor devices, etc.

[0024] The system does not necessarily have to be made up of a single unit, but may be made up of multiple units connected by communication. The communication may be a LAN, a WAN, Wifi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared communication, ultrasonic communication, near field communication (NFC), or a mobile phone network, and may be partially installed across national borders.

[0025] <Fulfillment of the Laws of Nature in All Embodiments of the Present Invention>

[0026] The present invention functions in cooperation with a computer and software. In the present invention, infrared rays emitted from the heating object or the defocus state determination pattern (F) are guided to an infrared imaging element via an optical system and converted into an electric signal, and the obtained electric signal is processed by an electronic circuit to obtain a two-dimensional thermal image that expresses temperature as a change in tone or color. The thermal imaging device of the present invention, which obtains a thermal image from the electric signal from the infrared imaging element and determines whether there is a temperature abnormality based on normal image information when there is no temperature abnormality in the held lens, current image information, and a determination rule, is a computer as described below, and performs calculation processing based on the electric signal from the infrared imaging element that receives the infrared rays emitted from the heating object or the defocus state determination pattern (F) as described above, so the present invention is an invention that utilizes the laws of nature.

[0027] <Hardware configuration>

[0028] FIG. 21 shows an outline of an overall configuration example 1 of the present device. FIG. 21 shows an example of the case where the thermal imaging device of the present invention is used for reliability testing of electronic components in a high-temperature environment. FIG. 21 shows a thermostatic chamber (2120), a heating object (G) (2107) placed in the thermostatic chamber (2120) which is a reliability test sample in a high-temperature environment, such as a substrate mounted with an electrolytic capacitor or IC, a defocus state determination pattern (F) (2106) located behind the heating object (G) (2107) (the side farther from the lens) and close to the depth of field of the lens, a lens (2108), an image acquisition unit (A) (2101), a flat panel display (2104), and a display (2105). The figure shows a thermal imaging device (2100) consisting of a normal image information storage unit (B) (2102), a current image information storage unit (C) (2103), a judgment rule storage unit (D) (2104), a temperature abnormality judgment unit (E) (2105), etc., an Internet line (2150) (which may be a LAN line) to which the thermal imaging device (2100) of the present invention is connected, a server device (2151), and a PC (2152) for an operator to remotely operate the thermal imaging device of the present invention. The thermal imaging device of the present invention is installed in the thermostatic chamber (2120) so that the lens faces directly in order for the thermal imaging device (2100) to obtain images of the heating object (G) (2107) and the defocus state judgment pattern (F) (2106). The inside of the housing of the thermal imaging device of the present invention is cooled by cooling water passing through a water-cooling pipe arranged inside, and the lens (2108) is exposed to a high-temperature atmosphere in a thermostatic bath (2129), and infrared rays are poured from the subject, the heating object (G) (2107) and the defocus state determination pattern (F) (2106). The image acquisition unit (A) (2101) that receives the infrared rays acquires an image of the subject (the heating object (G) and / or the defocus state determination pattern (F)) and outputs the image to a server device (2151) or a PC (2152) via an Internet line (2150). In addition, the result of the judgment of whether the lens has an abnormal temperature based on the normal image information, the current image information, and the judgment rule is also output to the server device (2151) or the PC (2152) via the Internet line (2150).

[0029] Instead of the configuration in which the heating object and the thermal imaging device of the present invention are placed together in a thermostatic chamber as shown in FIG. 21, as shown in FIG. 23, a thermal processing chamber (2320), a heater (2321), a heating object (G) (2307), a defocus state determination pattern (F) (2306), a lens (2310), an image acquisition unit (A) (2301) (part surrounded by a dotted line in FIG. 23), and a normal image information storage unit (A) (2301) are placed in the thermal processing chamber (2320). The thermal imaging device (2300) may be configured with a thermal imaging device (2300) including a holding unit (B) (2302), a current image information holding unit (C) (2303), a judgment rule holding unit (D) (2304), a temperature abnormality judgment unit (E) (2305), etc., an Internet line (2350) (which may be a LAN line) to which the thermal imaging device (2300) of the present invention is connected, a server device (2351), and a PC (2352) for an operator to remotely operate the thermal imaging device of the present invention. The thermal processing tank (2320) has a window through which the thermal imaging device (2300) can obtain an image of the heating object (G) (2307) or the defocus state judgment pattern (F) (2306), and infrared rays are directed to the lens (2308) of the thermal imaging device (2300) through the window. The image acquisition unit (A) (2301) receives the infrared light and acquires an image of the subject (heating object and / or defocus state determination pattern), and outputs the image to a server device (2351) or a PC (2352) via an Internet line (2350). The result of judging whether or not there is a temperature abnormality based on normal image information, current image information, and a judgment rule is also output to the server device (2351) or a PC (2352) via the Internet line (2350). Note that unlike other figures, the image acquisition unit (A) and the thermal imaging device in FIG. 23 are not provided with a cooling mechanism. The present invention can also be applied to a thermal imaging device that is not provided with a cooling mechanism.

[0030] Fig. 22 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer part in the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality according to each embodiment of the present invention. Taking a configuration similar to that of a PC as an example, the hardware configuration of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 22. Note that when a server is used in this system, the server may also be configured similarly to that of a PC, and the description of the hardware configuration will be omitted since it is the same as the following description of the hardware configuration.

[0031] As shown in this figure, the computer is composed of a chipset, CPU, non-volatile memory, main memory, various buses, BIOS (or UEFI), various peripheral devices such as USB and LAN, interfaces for connecting communication lines, a real-time clock, etc., and expansion cards such as a graphic card, which are configured on a motherboard. These operate in cooperation with an operating system, device drivers (for various interfaces such as USB, cameras, infrared imaging elements, microphones, speakers or headphones, displays, etc. for incorporating various devices), various programs, etc. Using input signals from a keyboard or mouse connected via a USB terminal (or PS / 2 port), the various programs and various data constituting the present invention are configured to efficiently utilize these hardware resources to execute various processes. It is connected to an Internet line through a LAN terminal or the like. It may be connected to the Internet line using WiFi (registered trademark) or via a mobile phone line network. The infrared imaging element of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality of the present invention or the calculation board that processes the signal output by the infrared imaging element is connected via a USB or other data communication path, and the output signal from the infrared imaging element or the output from the calculation processing board is processed by the computer part.

[0032] The following describes examples of main components constituting a computer as hardware, although the present invention is not limited to these examples. Chipset

[0033] A "chipset" is a set of large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs) that are mounted on the motherboard of a computer and integrate a communication function between the external bus of the CPU and a standard bus that connects non-volatile memory and peripheral devices mounted on the motherboard, that is, a bridge function. In the past, it was a two-chip configuration consisting of a north bridge that was connected to the CPU and performed processing that required high speed, such as between the main memory and a graphics card equipped with a chip (GPU) for graphics processing, and a south bridge that was connected to the north bridge and performed processing between a relatively slow interface. In recent years, the north bridge function has been integrated into the CPU, and only the previous south bridge remains, but it is still called a chipset. In this specification, we will explain the single-chip configuration of only the south bridge with the north bridge function built into the CPU. The effects of the present invention will not change whether it is a two-chip configuration of a north bridge and a south bridge as described above, or if there is no chipset with the south bridge function integrated into the CPU.

[0034] (South Bridge) When the chipset is a single chip configuration, the south bridge is responsible for I / O functions such as PCI Express interface (slot), SATA (Serial ATA) or eSATA interface, USB interface, LAN (Ethernet) interface, real-time clock, and sound functions. When the chipset is a single chip configuration, it is the chip that controls interfaces such as displays, external connections such as USB / LAN terminals, SATA for connecting to HDDs and SSDs, and PCI Express, and is connected to the CPU via a point-to-point hardware interface (for example, DMI: Direct Media Interface). Some chips support RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks: a technology that recognizes and displays multiple HDDs as a single drive) for non-volatile memory (such as HDDs). In addition, to support devices that are rarely used in recent years and where high-speed operation is not required or possible, such as PS / 2 ports, floppy disk drives, serial ports such as RS-232C, parallel ports such as IEEE1284 for printers, and ISA buses, a separate LSI called a super I / O chip is used, which connects to the south bridge via a low pin count bus.

[0035] <Bus> There are parallel buses and serial buses. A parallel bus prepares signal lines for the number of bits and transmits data in synchronization with a clock. A dedicated line for the clock signal is set up in parallel with the data line, and synchronizes data demodulation on the receiving side. A serial bus transfers data one bit at a time. A bus is used to connect peripheral devices and various control units on the motherboard to the CPU (MPU). The internal bus connects the CPU core to cache memory and other internal memory, while the external bus connects the CPU to memory outside the CPU. The external bus that connects the memory controller built into the CPU to the main memory is a 64-bit parallel bus in the case of a DDR4 standard that uses DDR4-SDRAM (Double-Data-Rate4 Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory). For example, if the DDR4-3200 memory standard is supported, the bandwidth is 3200MHz maximum memory operating frequency x 64 (bit) bus width ÷ 8 (bit → byte conversion) = 25.6 (GB / s). The connection between the CPU and the south bridge is a point-to-point connection such as DMI (Direct Media Interface) as mentioned above. External expansion buses such as PCI Express and SATA are connected by chipsets. Parallel buses include GPIB, IDE / (parallel)ATA, SCSI, PCI, etc. A serial bus transfers data one bit at a time. Because there is a limit to how fast it can be, the improved version of PCI, PCI Express, uses point-to-point wiring and a serial transfer method. USB and SATA also transfer data serially.

[0036] CPU

[0037] The CPU reads a sequence of instructions called a program in main memory in order, interprets and executes them, and outputs information consisting of signals to the main memory. The CPU functions as the center of calculations within a computer. The CPU is composed of the CPU core, which is the center of calculations, and its peripheral parts, and includes registers, cache memory (primary, secondary, tertiary), an internal bus that connects the cache memory to the CPU core, a memory controller, a timer, and an interface with the connection bus to the south bridge. If the CPU has an integrated graphics function (GPU), it also includes a graphics interface and an internal bus that connects to the CPU core. If an external graphics board is used with a CPU with a built-in GPU, it is connected to the graphics interface (PCI Express, etc.) built into the CPU. Note that a single CPU (chip) may have multiple CPU cores. The embodiment is described as a two-core type, but is not limited to this. Also, a configuration may be provided with multiple CPU chips. A program may also be built into the CPU.

[0038] <Non-volatile memory>

[0039] (HDD)

[0040] The basic structure of a hard disk drive consists of a magnetic disk, a magnetic head, and an arm on which the magnetic head is mounted. External interfaces include SATA (previously ATA) and SAS (Serial Attached SCSI, previously SCSI). HDD interfaces are broadly divided into the ATA and SCSI types mentioned above. The ATA type is a method of sending data unilaterally to the physically connected device, and since it relies on the BIOS (or UEFI) on the motherboard, it constantly requires CPU processing time. The SCSI type is a method of sending data accurately while checking the status of the connected device, and since the HDD has a control system inside, the load on the CPU can be reduced. The ATA type is inexpensive and has a large capacity, but the SCSI type evolved from a system for servers, and is excellent in terms of speed and expandability, and since it can process SCSI commands in multithreading, it is highly reliable even under high-load environments. HDDs have an excellent cost per unit of capacity, but as mentioned above, they contain moving parts which take time to access and there is the risk of mechanical failure. Therefore, for server equipment that requires high reliability, RAID can be used to distribute reading and writing to multiple HDDs simultaneously, or the same file can be written to multiple HDDs.

[0041] (Flash memory) Currently, two types of flash memory are commonly used: NAND flash memory and NOR flash memory. Although there are pros and cons regarding read / write speed, NAND flash memory is more advantageous for high integration and is used for data storage. Compared to hard disk drives, it is small because it has no moving parts and does not generate vibration or noise during operation. However, the cost per capacity has not yet fallen to the point where it can replace hard disk drives. Although it is more expensive than hard disk drives, it has the advantage of being compact and resistant to shocks. Smartphones and mobile information terminals usually have a memory capacity of around 64GB to 256GB for data storage purposes, so flash memory is used to make them smaller and lighter. In PCs and other devices, solid-state drives (SSDs) made of flash memory are beginning to be used for frequently accessed drives that store the OS and application software.

[0042] <Main memory>

[0043] The CPU directly accesses and executes various programs in main memory. Main memory is a volatile memory that uses DRAM. Programs in main memory are expanded from non-volatile memory to main memory upon receiving a program start command. The CPU then executes the program according to various execution commands and execution procedures within the program.

[0044] Operating System (OS)

[0045] An operating system is used to manage the resources available to applications on a computer, to manage various device drivers, and to manage the computer itself (the hardware). In small computers, firmware may be used as the operating system.

[0046] ≪UEFI≫

[0047] In recent years, UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) has been used as a successor to the previously used BIOS, which plays a similar role [Toru Watanabe 3][a4]. UEFI is also stored in a flash ROM and installed on the motherboard, just like BIOS. The flash ROM chip containing UEFI causes the CPU to execute procedures to start up the computer hardware and run the operating system, and is most typically the hardware that the CPU reads first when it receives a computer startup command. This contains the addresses of the operating system stored on the disk (non-volatile memory), and the operating system is sequentially loaded into main memory by the UEFI loaded into the CPU and becomes operational. UEFI also has a check function that checks the presence or absence of various devices connected to the bus. The check results are stored in main memory and are made available to the operating system as appropriate. UEFI may also be configured to check external devices, etc.

[0048] <Thermal imaging device> The following explains the infrared lens and infrared imaging element, which are the main components of a thermal imaging device that receives infrared rays and obtains a two-dimensional thermal image that represents the temperature of the subject in grayscale or color tones.

[0049] <Thermal imaging device: infrared lens> Infrared lenses are made of materials that transmit infrared light in the wavelength range detected by the infrared detector. Glass transmits mainly visible light and up to near infrared light, but its transmittance drops in the mid-wavelength infrared range of wavelengths above 2 μm. Infrared lens materials include zinc sulfite (ZnS), chalcogenide (amorphous material consisting of a compound of five elements: oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, and polonium), and zinc selenide (ZnSe). The wavelengths of infrared light generally used for measurement are in the range of about 8 μm to 13 μm, so germanium, ZnS, and silicon are used. Lens materials can be selected appropriately based on their price and performance.

[0050] <Thermal imaging device: Infrared detection element> As an infrared detection element, the near-infrared region can be detected by removing the infrared cut filter even with video cameras and digital cameras that use CCD elements, whose main purpose is to receive visible light. There are two types of thermal image detectors for detecting mid-wavelength infrared and far-infrared emitted from objects in order to measure radiation temperature, etc.: thermal detectors (uncooled type) and quantum detectors (cooled type). In thermal detectors, the temperature change of the sensor caused by the incoming infrared rays is detected as a change in physical phenomena such as changes in electrical resistance, thermoelectromotive force, and pyroelectric effect, which are converted into an electrical signal and output for measurement. Thermal coupling is a phenomenon in which the two sensors try to match their temperatures, but since each sensor is very small, their own temperature has almost no effect. The other type of quantum detector is a sensor that converts the incoming infrared rays directly into quanta. It measures the infrared photons by converting them into electrical signals proportional to the number of lattices. It has the characteristics of faster response and higher sensitivity than thermal detectors, but it is easily affected by thermal noise such as heat emitted by the measurement circuit itself, which can result in temperature errors, so it must basically be cooled to a sufficiently low temperature using liquid nitrogen or the like.

[0051] Thermal detectors include bolometers, pyrometers, thermocouples, and thermopile elements consisting of thermocouples connected in series. Microbolometers, which use MEMS technology to arrange bolometers two-dimensionally, are made by erecting pillars called stats on a silicon substrate using microfabrication technology, and molding a thin film of a thermal element made of vanadium oxide or amorphous silicon in the air to form a two-dimensional lattice.

[0052] <Thermal imaging device: Image processing> An example will be given in which a bolometer is used as the infrared imaging element. When infrared light hits the thin film of vanadium oxide or amorphous silicon in the thermal element of the bolometer, the temperature changes up and down. The resistance value changes with the temperature change, and by passing a current and measuring the resistance value, the amount of infrared energy can be measured. From the correlation between the amount of infrared energy and temperature, the signal from the microbolometer is calculated as the amount of infrared energy, and a temperature image is created by applying the brightness gradation, contrast, or color pattern as the apparent temperature distribution.

[0053] As shown in the figure, the present invention can basically be configured with a general-purpose computer program and various devices. The computer basically operates in a form in which a program recorded in a non-volatile memory is loaded into the main memory, and processing is executed by the main memory, the CPU, and various devices. Communication with the devices is performed via an interface connected to a bus line. Possible interfaces include a display interface, USB, a LAN terminal, a PCI Express interface, and a communication buffer.

[0054] Each of the functional blocks constituting the thermal imaging device with the lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function described below can be realized by hardware, software, or both hardware and software. Specifically, in the case of those that use a computer, examples of such hardware components include a CPU, main memory, GPU, image memory, graphics board, bus, or secondary storage device (non-volatile memory such as a hard disk or flash memory, storage media such as CDs or DVDs, and drives for reading these media), input devices such as operation buttons used to input information, a mouse, a touch panel, an electronic pen used solely for the purpose of touching a touch panel, a joystick or a joystick-like pointer position input device, and other external peripheral devices, as well as interfaces for such external peripheral devices, communication interfaces such as a LAN terminal, a GPS receiving interface, a GPS calculation unit, a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a rotation detection sensor, processing devices for signals from these sensors, a camera, an infrared imaging element, an image file processing circuit, a speaker, a microphone, an audio file processing circuit, communication interfaces, a barcode reader, an electronic card reader, a POS terminal, biometric authentication devices such as a face authentication device, an encryption device, a fingerprint authentication device, a palm print authentication device, and a retina authentication device, and driver programs and other application programs for controlling such hardware. In particular, it utilizes smartphones, tablet devices, mobile phones, smart watches, personal computers, data center server equipment, wired and wireless networks and interfaces.

[0055] The CPU performs arithmetic processing according to the program deployed on the main memory, and processes and stores data input from input devices and other interfaces and held in the memory or hardware, and generates commands for controlling the hardware and software. The above programs may be realized as multiple modularized programs, or may be realized as a single program by combining two or more programs.

[0056] The present invention may also be partially configured as software. Furthermore, storage media on which such software is recorded are naturally included within the technical scope of the present invention (this is not limited to this embodiment, but applies throughout the entire specification).

[0057] <Terminology used in the present invention>

[0058] "Identification information" refers to symbols, letters, codes, etc. that are used to identify something. However, there may be cases where the identification information itself is the information that is identified. For example, identification information that identifies character string record A may be character string record A itself. Therefore, identification information may be a mere symbol, letter, code, or a name or coordinates that are identified by that symbol, letter, code, etc. at the same time.

[0059] The term "association" is used in this specification to include cases where two or more pieces of information are directly associated with each other, as well as cases where two or more pieces of information are indirectly associated with each other via one or more other pieces of information. Indirect association is not necessarily limited to association within one device (a device with a single housing), but also includes cases where association is made across multiple devices.

[0060] "Based on" includes both cases where it is based on the object itself and cases where it is based on the object after some processing. For example, "determining based on normal video information, current video information, and a determination rule" may be a determination using "normal video information, current video information, and a determination rule" itself, or may be a determination using information obtained by processing "normal video information" and / or "current video information" and "determination rule".

[0061] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0062] <Overview of embodiment 1> Mainly claims 1, 12, and 13 The thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality of the present invention in embodiment 1 is a device for acquiring information on the heating state of a heating object (G), which is an object to be heated in a heating furnace or the like or kept at high temperature in a thermostatic chamber, as a thermal image through a lens. It is configured to judge whether the temperature of the lens is abnormal and the lens is deformed or the refractive index is changed based on normal image information acquired and stored by the image acquisition unit (A) (image when the lens is not deformed or the refractive index is not changed by heat), current image information being acquired, and a judgment rule. If the lens temperature is abnormal, it is considered that the information on the heating state of the heating object (G) has not been acquired correctly, so some kind of action (for example, stopping the work, changing the work content, investigating and inspecting the heating object after the work is completed, recording the part where the abnormality occurred, etc.) must be taken.

[0063] <Functional configuration of embodiment 1> 1 shows a functional block diagram of a thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of embodiment 1 as an example of using the thermal imaging device of the present invention to obtain thermal images of electronic components undergoing reliability testing in a high temperature environment in a thermostatic chamber. The thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function (0100) of embodiment 1 has an image acquisition unit (A) (0101), a normal image information storage unit (B) (0102), a current image information storage unit (C) (0103), a judgment rule storage unit (D) (0104), and a temperature abnormality judgment unit (E) (0105).

[0064] The above schematic structure is an example for carrying out the present invention, and the structure may be omitted or a new structure may be added as appropriate within the scope of the problems to be overcome by the present invention and its effects. In this specification, the embodiment is mainly described using an example in which the thermal imaging device of the present invention is placed in a thermostatic chamber together with an electronic component as a heating object for reliability testing in a high-temperature environment of the electronic component, but the present invention can be applied to various examples of acquiring thermal images, such as quenching, annealing, tempering, annealing of materials, resin extrusion, and monitoring after drying of nonwoven fabrics and papermaking heating rolls. In the following specification, an example in which the heating object and the thermal imaging device of the present invention are placed together in a thermostatic chamber as described above, but at least the image acquisition unit (A) of the thermal imaging device may be placed in the thermostatic chamber (other than the image acquisition unit (A) may be placed separately outside the thermostatic chamber). Alternatively, a configuration in which a heating object on a heater is measured by a thermal imaging device at a predetermined distance away without using a thermostatic chamber may be used (see FIG. 23). It can also be used to measure the cooling process of an object in a high temperature state, rather than an object that is constantly heated by a heater or the like. In addition, in the figures in this specification, the thermal imaging device is shown as being cooled by cooling water, but the present invention can also be applied to a thermal imaging device that is configured to cool only a part of the thermal imaging device, such as the image acquisition unit (A), or that is configured without a cooling mechanism. The same applies to the following explanations of embodiment 1 and onwards.

[0065] <Description of the configuration of embodiment 1> <Embodiment 1: Video Acquisition Unit (A) (0101)> The 'image capture unit (A)' (0101) is configured to capture an image of a subject at a fixed distance via a lens.

[0066] The "subject" is an object whose image is acquired in order to judge the defocus state (defocus state judgment) used to judge the temperature abnormality of the lens. The subject may be the heating object (G) to be described later, which is the object to be heated, or may be a dedicated object for judging the temperature abnormality of the lens (pattern (F) for judging the defocus state to be described later), or images of both may be acquired simultaneously in one field of view. In the case of a dedicated object for judging the temperature abnormality of the lens, it may be an object with a pattern of two types of areas with high emissivity and low emissivity in a plane facing the lens side, or an object with a clearly defined contour formed by unevenness on a surface facing the lens side. When a dedicated object is used, the heating object only needs to be at a distance within the depth of field of the image acquisition unit (A). If it is difficult to detect the defocus state from the image of the heating object (G) without using the dedicated object, a part with a clear contour in the image of the heater, tool, or device during the heating operation, which may be included in the field of view of the image acquisition unit (A) other than the heating object to be heated, can also be used as an example of a subject for detecting the defocus state and judging the temperature abnormality of the lens.

[0067] The thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the present invention captures a thermal image of an object undergoing some heating operation or being held at high temperature. Therefore, the thermal imaging device of the present invention and the object are configured to be at a fixed distance during the heating operation (holding high temperature). If the specifications of the heating operation (holding high temperature) change, the distance may change, so it is preferable that the image capture section (A) of the thermal imaging device of the present invention is not a fixed focus type limited to one fixed distance (however, this does not prevent it from being a fixed focus type).

[0068] The heating operation in which the thermal imaging device of the present invention is used is mainly batch processing in which a certain number of heating objects (G) are processed at once, but it may also be applied to continuous processing if the time required to acquire the thermal image (exposure time in photography) is sufficiently short. In the case of a continuous type, the heating object (G) must be moved to a certain fixed distance (within the range of the depth of field of the image acquisition unit (A)) from the image acquisition unit (A).

[0069] In FIG. 1 and similar figures thereafter, the dotted line that is on the outside of the housing of the image acquisition unit (A) and surrounds the entire image acquisition unit (A) indicates the part that is the image acquisition unit (A) including the lens.

[0070] In FIG. 1, the normal image information storage unit (B), current image information storage unit (C), judgment rule storage unit (D), temperature abnormality judgment unit (E), and alarm output unit (H) described in the embodiment described below are arranged in the same housing as the image acquisition unit (A), but they may also be configured to be installed in a location outside (preferably far enough away that they are less susceptible to the effects of heat).

[0071] The "image acquisition unit (A) (0101)" acquires an image of a subject at a fixed distance. An example of the image acquisition unit (A) is composed of at least one lens, a focus adjustment mechanism for adjusting the focus according to the subject position, an image pickup element capable of capturing a two-dimensional image, a calculation board for receiving an image signal output from the image pickup element and generating it as a two-dimensional image, and an image output means for outputting the image generated by the calculation board. The optical system consisting of the lens may be provided with an aperture, a shutter, and a shielding plate for protecting the lens (which may also serve as a heat shield) as necessary. As described above, it is preferable to use a thermopile element arranged two-dimensionally as the image pickup element, or an element capable of imaging two-dimensionally such as a CCD. A two-dimensional image may be acquired by scanning image pickup elements arranged one-dimensionally or a single image pickup element. The calculation board may also be composed of a normal image information storage unit (B), a current image information storage unit (C), a judgment rule storage unit (D), and a temperature abnormality judgment unit (E) described later, or may share components such as a memory and a CPU. A part of the configuration may be configured on a separate server device or a PC connected by communication. After the focus adjustment mechanism adjusts the focus on the subject (the heating object (G) that is the object of the heating operation and / or the defocus state determination pattern (F) for determining the focus deviation) before the start of the heating operation, the heating operation is performed without changing the setting.

[0072] The heating operation mainly means an operation for raising the temperature of the object to a level higher than normal temperature (or room temperature), but the thermal imaging device of the present invention can also be applied to an operation for lowering the temperature.

[0073] <Embodiment 1: Normal Video Information Storage Unit (B) (0102)> The "normal image information storage unit (B)" (0102) is configured to store normal image information, which is information about an image at the fixed distance acquired when there is no abnormality in the temperature of the lens. When there is no abnormality in the temperature of the lens, information about an image of a subject at a fixed distance acquired by the image acquisition unit (A) through the lens is stored as normal image information by the normal image information storage unit (B).

[0074] "Normal image information" is image information that serves as a reference when determining whether a temperature abnormality in the lens exists from a change in the image information of the subject. For example, when acquiring an image of a subject during a heating operation, the image information acquired before heating or immediately after the start of heating can be the normal image information. "Normal image information" may be the acquired image of the subject itself, or image information resulting from processing the acquired image. The normal image information may not be an image, but may be some kind of numerical information obtained after processing the image. It is preferable that the normal image information is stored in chronological order, and it is more preferable that it is stored in association with acquisition time information, which is information indicating the acquisition time.

[0075] "Normal image information" is image information when there is no abnormality in the lens temperature, and is image information acquired before or immediately after the start of heating work (heating up or maintaining high temperature), so even image information acquired in a state where the image is not completely in focus but is slightly out of focus can be used as normal image information. This is because it is sufficient to detect a state where the image is more out of focus compared to normal image information.

[0076] <Current Video Information Storage Unit (C) (0103) of the First Embodiment> The "current image information storage unit (C)" (0103) is configured to store current image information, which is information related to the image of the subject at the fixed distance that is being acquired. The current image information storage unit (C) stores information related to the image of the subject at the fixed distance that is being acquired by the image acquisition unit (A) via the lens as current image information.

[0077] The "current image information" is image information to be compared with the standard normal image information when determining whether the lens has a temperature abnormality from a change in the image information of the subject. For example, when acquiring an image of a subject during a heating operation, the image information acquired continuously or periodically (e.g., every second, every 10 seconds, every 30 seconds, every minute, etc.) or appropriately during the heating operation can be used as the current image information to determine whether the lens has a temperature abnormality at the time the current image information is acquired. The "current image information" may be the acquired image of the subject itself, or image information resulting from processing the acquired image. The current image information may not be an image, but may be some kind of numerical information obtained after processing the image. The current image information is preferably stored in chronological order, and more preferably stored in association with acquisition time information, which is information indicating the acquisition time.

[0078] <Determination rule storage unit (D) (0104) of embodiment 1> The 'determination rule storage unit (D)' (0104) is configured to store a determination rule that is a rule for determining that there is an abnormality in the lens temperature by comparing the stored normal image information with the current image information.

[0079] The "judgment rule" is a rule for judging that there is a temperature abnormality of the lens by comparing the stored normal image information with the current image information. When the temperature of the lens rises (or falls), the constituent material of the lens (such as quartz glass) deforms according to its thermal expansion coefficient and the refractive index changes according to the temperature dependency of the refractive index, and the focus that was adjusted when the lens had no temperature abnormality gradually becomes out of focus. The normal image information is image information when there is no temperature abnormality of the lens, and the current image information is an image of a subject undergoing heating work, and is image information in which there is a possibility that the lens has a temperature abnormality. For this reason, by judging whether the current image information is out of focus compared to the normal image information, it is possible to judge whether there is a temperature abnormality of the lens at the time the current image information was acquired.

[0080] The judgment rule may include a processing method required for comparison, for example, when the normal video information and the current video information are stored as images acquired by the video acquisition unit (A) and the two video information need to be processed for comparison. When the two video information have already been processed before being stored and the two stored video information can be compared immediately (for example, when they have been processed to some numerical information), the judgment rule is composed of a comparison method and judgment criteria.

[0081] <Embodiment 1 Temperature Abnormality Determination Unit (E) (0105)> The 'temperature abnormality determination unit (E)' (0105) is configured to determine whether or not the lens has a temperature abnormality based on the stored normal image information, current image information, and a determination rule.

[0082] The reason for detecting the defocus and judging whether the lens has a temperature abnormality is to determine whether the thermal imaging device of the present invention, which monitors whether the heating operation (high temperature environment reliability test) of the heating object (G) is being performed normally, is operating normally. If the thermal imaging device of the present invention is not operating normally, the temperature of the heating object (G) may not be at an appropriate value, the heating object (G) may be heated unevenly, or an electronic component with an abnormality may not be detected, and the heating object (G) may be defective or the defective object may be overlooked. Therefore, when the temperature of the lens is judged to be abnormal, an error notification may be issued to prompt the worker or manager to take measures such as changing the working conditions, using an alternative device, or evaluating and inspecting the actual product during the heating operation, or an error notification may be issued to the control device that controls the heating operation to end the heating operation.

[0083] A known method can be used to detect the temperature abnormality of the lens as a focus error, such as a method of extracting and using edges in an image of a subject.

[0084] <Embodiment 1: Method for determining out-of-focus> A method of determining out-of-focus using a Sobel filter for video information will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows, as an example, a raw video (thermal image) of a heating object (G), which is a plate with circular protrusions arranged on one side, a video obtained by processing the video with a known Sobel filter, a histogram of the luminance gradation of each pixel of the filtered video, and a table showing the standard deviation of the luminance gradation distribution (0 to 255 gradations) of the histogram for three levels of out-of-focus (none, small out-of-focus, large out-of-focus). Note that variance can also be used instead of the standard deviation (this can also be used in the following embodiments). When variance is used, the value changes more than the standard deviation, making it easier to detect out-of-focus.

[0085] <Embodiment 1: Method for determining out-of-focus: method for processing image information> (1) The image sensor of the image acquisition unit (A) receives infrared rays emitted from the object to be heated (in this example, a plate with many circular protrusions arranged on its surface), and acquires black and white image information that has been gradation-processed according to the radiance of the infrared rays (Figure 4 Raw Image Sequence). (2) The acquired image information is processed using a Sobel filter (edges are emphasized). The Sobel filter process emphasizes the boundaries (edges) where the gradation changes significantly in the image information before Sobel filter processing. (Fig. 4 Sobel filter processing sequence) (3) Take a histogram of the luminance gradation of each pixel of the image information after Sobel filter processing (Fig. 4 Histogram column). (4) Obtain the standard deviation of the luminance gradation histogram (Figure 4, Standard Deviation column). (5) When the standard deviation becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold, it is determined that the defocus is not permissible and that the lens temperature is abnormal. After the determination, it is preferable to configure the alarm output unit to output an alarm indicating that the lens temperature is abnormal, as in the embodiment described later. If the lens temperature is abnormal, the focus will be shifted, making it impossible to obtain a correct image during heating work, and the temperature distribution may become unclear. In addition, since thermal imaging devices other than lenses (e.g., computing boards) may also be affected by heat, it is important to detect lens temperature abnormalities. It is preferable to obtain in advance a standard deviation threshold (the above-mentioned predetermined threshold) that is the criterion for determining that the lens temperature is abnormal in the thermal imaging device to be used. For example, in the case of FIG. 4, a standard deviation of 10 is set as the threshold, and if it becomes 10 or less, it is determined that the temperature is abnormal. A rule for determining that the temperature is abnormal based on the previously obtained threshold is stored in the determination rule storage unit (D). If the subject for determining lens temperature abnormality from defocus is always the same and the same heating operation is performed, the standard deviation value may be used as the threshold value, but if the subject changes for each heating operation batch or the heating operation specifications (e.g., the maintained temperature) change, it is preferable to set a rule that determines that there is a temperature abnormality when the temperature is below a specified ratio of the standard deviation when there is no defocus. The specified ratio of the standard deviation when there is no defocus is 30% or less, preferably 50% or less, more preferably 60% or less, and most preferably 70% or less.

[0086] As shown in the raw image in Figure 4, the temperature of the circular protrusions of the heated object is higher than other parts, and they appear whiter than other areas in the thermal image. When Sobel filter processing is performed, the edges in the image are emphasized, the inside of the circular protrusions and other areas appear black, and the edges of the circular protrusions and the edges of the plate appear emphasized and white. The histograms of the luminance gradation of each pixel in the image after Sobel filter processing are shown in the histogram column in Figure 4. The horizontal axis of each histogram shows the luminance gradation display from 0 to 255, and the vertical axis shows the number of pixels (frequency) of each gradation. The maximum peak value of the histogram differs depending on whether the focus is "none," "small," or "large," but in order to compare the spread of the histograms, the vertical axis of the graph in Figure 4 is normalized to the maximum value of each graph. The maximum brightness gradation is 255 (white) when there is no focus deviation, 136 gradations (mid-tones) when there is little focus deviation, and 64 gradations (dark mid-tones) when there is a lot of focus deviation. The distribution of brightness gradations approaches darker gradations and becomes a narrower range distribution according to the degree of focus deviation. Note that it is not limited to 256 gradations (8-bit) such as 0 to 255 gradations. It is preferable to increase the number of gradations to 16 bits or more rather than 8 bits, such as 65536 gradations (16-bit) processing from 0 to 65535 gradations, because it allows for more detailed control.

[0087] When the image is out of focus, the contours in the raw image become blurred, and even after Sobel filtering, the edges do not become white as they do when the image is not out of focus, but remain in gray (mid-tone). When the image is out of focus, the luminance gradation of the image after Sobel filtering does not reach a wide range of black and white gradations, but ends up with a gradation distribution in a narrow range from black to gray. Therefore, when the image is out of focus, the standard deviation is smaller than when the image is in focus.

[0088] Instead of the Sobel filter used in processing the above image information, a method generally used for edge detection similar to the Sobel filter (e.g., Laplacian filter) may be used. Also, instead of the above method, a frequency spectrum may be generated by fast Fourier transforming the brightness levels of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit (A) when there was no abnormality in the lens temperature and the image of the subject currently being acquired, and the spectral intensity of the frequency region in which a characteristic spectrum occurs in the image acquired when there was no abnormality in the lens temperature is compared with the spectral intensity of the frequency region corresponding to the frequency region in the currently acquired image for judgment.

[0089] The "normal video information" and the "current video information" may be the acquired video itself, or, as explained in the above description of the video information processing method, may be obtained by processing each video with a Sobel filter, converting the pixel luminance gradation into a histogram, and using the standard deviations of each as the "normal video information" and the "current video information". Alternatively, they may be spectral intensities, or when other processing methods are used, corresponding numerical values ​​may be stored as the respective video information. In that case, a judgment rule corresponding to each processing method is stored in the judgment rule storage unit (D).

[0090] <Embodiment 1: Thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function (0100)> The "thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function" (0100) is composed of an image acquisition unit (A) (0101), a normal image information storage unit (B) (0102), a current image information storage unit (C) (0103), a judgment rule storage unit (D) (0104), and a temperature abnormality judgment unit (E) (0105). The thermal imaging device of the present invention is placed in a thermostatic chamber and acquires an image of an object being heated at a fixed distance during the heating operation, so it is subjected to radiant heat from the heated object. Since electronic components are sensitive to heat, they are covered with a case, and the case is cooled to protect the components contained therein. In FIG. 1, for example, the lens (0110) is exposed, but the other components are covered with a case, and water-cooled piping that circulates cooling water is arranged inside the case for cooling.

[0091] <Embodiment 1: Thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function: Description of the device using an example> Again, the device will be described below. <Embodiment 1: Thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function: Example of the system configuration> An example of a system of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The example of FIG. 1 is an example of a case where the temperature state of each electronic component, which is the heating object (G), is monitored using the thermal imaging device of the present invention while maintaining a high temperature as a heating operation in a thermostatic chamber for reliability testing of electronic components (electrolytic capacitors, ICs, etc.) in a high temperature environment. A substrate on which an electronic component (electrolytic capacitor, IC, etc.) is mounted, which is the heating object (G) (0107), is placed in a thermostatic chamber. An image acquisition unit (A) (0101) is placed at a certain distance away so that a lens (0110) faces the heating object (G) (0107). The lens side of the electronic component, which is the heating object (G), is within the depth of field range of the image acquisition unit (A). The certain distance is fixed during high temperature maintenance. Before starting work, the focus is adjusted for the heating object using a focus adjustment mechanism. Once the focus is adjusted before starting work, the setting is not moved or changed during work. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the following example of a focus error detection method.

[0092] <Embodiment 1: Thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function: Operation of this system> (1) Acquisition of normal image information: Immediately before the start of heating, when the heating object (G) is at room temperature, an image of the heating object (G) is acquired at a certain distance from the lens, and as described in the above-mentioned method for determining focus deviation, the image of the heating object (E) is subjected to Sobel filter processing, the distribution of luminance gradation of each pixel in the image is made into a histogram, the standard deviation of the histogram is calculated, and this is associated with image acquisition time information and stored in the normal image information storage unit (B) (0102) as normal image information.

[0093] (2) During heating operation (high temperature maintenance) (image acquisition): high temperature maintenance is started. An image of the heating object (G) is acquired periodically (e.g., every second, every 10 seconds, every 30 seconds, every minute, etc.) with the same distance from the lens as before the start of the operation, and as described in the above-mentioned method for determining focus deviation, the image is subjected to Sobel filter processing, the distribution of luminance gradation of each pixel in the image is made into a histogram, the standard deviation of the histogram is calculated, and this is associated with image acquisition time information as current image information and stored in the current image information storage unit (C) (0103).

[0094] (3) During heating operation (high temperature maintenance) (determination of out-of-focus: determination of lens temperature abnormality): The temperature abnormality determination unit (E) (0105) determines whether the focus has shifted (lens temperature abnormality) based on the determination rule (e.g., if the standard deviation of the luminance gradation histogram of the image after Sobel filter processing of the normal image is 30% or less for the current image, it is determined that there is out-of-focus (lens temperature abnormality)) stored in the determination rule storage unit (D) (0104), the stored normal image information (standard deviation), and the latest stored current image information (standard deviation). If the standard deviation is greater than 30% according to the above rule, it is not determined that there is an abnormality in the lens temperature, so the high temperature maintenance is continued.

[0095] (4) During heating (high temperature maintenance) (when out of focus (abnormal lens temperature) is determined): When the lens temperature is determined to be abnormal during heating or high temperature maintenance, the thermal imaging device of the present invention can display an error message indicating that the lens temperature is abnormal on its own display panel, notify the abnormal state with an error indicator light provided on the device, or send an error message to a server device or a device monitoring management monitor via a communication line such as a LAN line. Furthermore, since it is not possible to properly monitor the temperature state of electronic components during high temperature maintenance, which may cause the electronic components to become defective (unsuitable test state due to abnormal temperature management or abnormal temperature of electronic components), the device may be configured to output a signal requesting the controller that controls the thermostatic chamber for reliability testing under high temperature conditions to stop maintaining the high temperature.

[0096] Correction information is stored in advance, which is information that associates numerical information (e.g., the standard deviation of the gradation distribution) obtained by processing an image (thermal image) of the subject (e.g., obtaining the standard deviation of the luminance gradation histogram of the image after Sobel filter processing) with the temperature of the subject (which may be a temperature measured by a separate thermometer). When heating an object to be heated similar to the subject for which the correction information was obtained, numerical information (e.g., the standard deviation of the gradation distribution after the same processing as above) obtained based on the current image information may be stored, and after the heating operation is completed, the temperature may be obtained from the standard deviation and the temperature at the time of the completed heating operation may be corrected. In addition, when the temperature obtained during the heating operation differs from the temperature obtained based on the numerical information at that time (e.g., standard deviation) and the relationship between the standard deviation and temperature obtained in advance and stored, the latter temperature may be used for calibration.

[0097] <Processing flow of embodiment 1> Fig. 2 is a flowchart of the operation method of the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function, which is the computer of embodiment 1. As shown in this figure, the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of embodiment 1 has a judgment rule storage step (d) (S0201), a heating object setting step (S0202), an image acquisition step (a) (S0203), a normal image information storage step (b) (S0204), a heating start step (S0205), an image acquisition step (a) (S0206), a current image information storage step (c) (S0207), a heating object temperature acquisition step (S0208), a heating object temperature storage step (S0209), a temperature abnormality judgment step (e) (S0210), an abnormality response step (S0211), and a heating end step (S0212).

[0098] Here, the operation method of the thermal imaging device with the self-diagnosis function of the lens temperature abnormality, which is a computer, is as follows: The determination rule storage step (d) (S0201) performs a process of storing a determination rule, which is a rule for determining that there is a temperature abnormality by comparing the stored normal image information with the current image information, The heating object setting step (S0202) performs a process of setting the heating object at a predetermined position where the heating operation is performed, The image capturing step (a) (S0203) includes a process of capturing an image of a subject at a fixed distance through a lens; The normal image information storage step (b) (S0204) performs a process of storing normal image information, which is information about an image at the fixed distance acquired when there is no abnormality in the lens temperature, The heating start step (S0205) performs a process of starting heating of the heating object, The image capturing step (a) (S0206) includes a process of capturing an image of a subject at a fixed distance through a lens; The current image information holding step (c) (S0207) performs a process of holding current image information, which is information about an image of a subject at the fixed distance that is being acquired, The heating object temperature acquisition step (S0208) performs a process of acquiring the temperature of the heating object, The heating object temperature holding step (S0209) performs a process of holding the acquired temperature of the heating object, The temperature abnormality determination step (e) (S0210) performs a process of determining whether or not there is a temperature abnormality based on the stored normal image information, the current image information, and a determination rule, If an abnormality (temperature abnormality) is determined in the temperature abnormality determination step (e) (S0210), an abnormality response step (S0211) performs a process to respond to the abnormality (such as stopping heating (ending heating)), If the temperature is judged to be normal in the temperature abnormality judgment step (e) (S0210), a judgment is made as to whether to continue the heating operation. If the heating operation is continued, the process is returned to before the image acquisition step (S0206), To end the heating process, The heating end step (S0212) performs a process of ending the heating operation of the heating object. When performing another batch operation such as heating another heating object, the process returns to before the judgment rule storage step (S0201) after the heating end step. If there is no change in the judgment rule, the process may return to before the heating object setting step (S0202). In the heating object temperature acquisition step (S0208), the temperature of the heating object may be acquired from an image (thermal image) acquired during the heating operation, or may be acquired from current image information. This is an operating method in which a series of processes are executed by a thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function, which is a computer. This process can be applied whether the heating work for the heating object is a batch type or a continuous type.

[0099] <Description of Hardware in First Embodiment>

[0100] <Hardware configuration of embodiment 1> The hardware configuration of the computer part of the thermal imaging device with the lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0101] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the computer part of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in lens temperature according to the first embodiment. As shown in this figure, the computer part of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in lens temperature according to the present embodiment includes a "CPU (Central Processing Unit)" for performing various calculation processes, a "chipset", a "main memory", a "non-volatile memory" for storing various programs and data (information), an "I / O controller", a "USB, SATA, LAN terminal, etc.", a "BIOS (UEFI)", a "PCI Express slot", a "real-time clock", and a "graphics card" as an expansion board. These are connected to each other by a data communication path such as a "system bus" to transmit and receive information and perform processing. The infrared imaging element or a calculation board for processing signals output by the infrared imaging element is connected to the calculation board by a USB or other data communication path, and the output signal from the infrared imaging element or the output from the calculation processing board is processed by the computer part.

[0102] The various programs and data (information) stored in the non-volatile memory are expanded into the main memory when the system is started up, and upon receiving an execution command, the CPU sequentially executes the programs to perform calculations using the data.

[0103] When this system starts up, the various programs and data (information) stored in the "non-volatile memory" are read, expanded, and stored in the "main memory," which also provides a work area for those programs. By receiving execution commands, the "CPU" sequentially executes the programs using the data to perform calculations. Note that multiple addresses are assigned to this "main memory" and "non-volatile memory," and programs executed by the "CPU" can identify and access these addresses to exchange data with each other and perform processing. In this embodiment, the programs stored in the "main memory" are an image acquisition program (a), a normal image information storage program (b), a current image information storage program (c), a judgment rule storage program (d), a temperature abnormality judgment program (e), a heating object temperature acquisition program, and a heating object temperature storage program. In addition, the "main memory" and the "non-volatile memory" store images, normal image information, current image information, judgment rules, temperatures, etc.

[0104] The "CPU" executes the judgment rule holding program (d) stored in the "main memory" to hold a judgment rule, which is a rule for determining that there is a temperature abnormality by comparing the held normal image information with the current image information. The heating object is set at a predetermined position. Then, the image acquisition program (a) stored in the "main memory" is executed to acquire an image of the object at a fixed distance through the lens. The normal image information holding program (b) stored in the "main memory" is executed to hold normal image information, which is information about the image at the fixed distance acquired when there is no temperature abnormality in the lens. Heating of the heating object is started. The image acquisition program (a) stored in the "main memory" is executed to acquire an image of the object at a fixed distance through the lens. The current image information holding program (c) stored in the "main memory" is executed to hold current image information, which is information about the image of the object at the fixed distance being acquired. The heating object temperature acquisition program stored in the "main memory" is executed to acquire the temperature of the heating object, and the heating object temperature holding program stored in the "main memory" is executed to hold the temperature of the heating object. Then, the temperature abnormality judgment program (e) stored in the "main memory" is executed to judge whether there is a temperature abnormality based on the retained normal image information, current image information, and judgment rules. If it is judged to be abnormal (temperature abnormal), abnormality countermeasures are taken. If it is judged to be normal, and the heating operation has ended, heating is stopped. The acquired normal image information and current image information, as well as the result of the judgment, are displayed on a display via the graphics card, and are output from "USB, SATA, LAN terminal, etc." via a LAN line or Internet line to a server device or PC.

[0105] <Effects of the First Embodiment> The thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality of this embodiment 1 provides a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function that determines whether the lens has a temperature abnormality based on normal image information when there is no temperature abnormality in the lens, current image information related to the image of the current subject, and a judgment rule, without adding any parts, etc.

[0106] <Overview of the Second Embodiment> Mainly Claim 2 The subject of the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function according to the present invention, according to the second embodiment based on the first embodiment, is configured to be a defocus state determination pattern (F).

[0107] <Functional configuration of embodiment 2> FIG. 5a shows a thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the second embodiment based on the first embodiment. A defocus state determination pattern (F) (0506) is installed as a subject of the device to detect focus deviation in order to determine lens temperature abnormality. FIG. 5a shows an example in which the defocus state determination pattern (F) (0506) is placed on the back side of the heating object (G) (0507), but the defocus state determination pattern (F) may be placed on the back, side, or front of the heating object (G) as shown in FIG. 5d, FIG. 5e, and FIG. 5f. Both the heating object (F) and the defocus state determination pattern (F) are placed within the depth of field of the image acquisition unit (A) and are placed so as to be within the same field of view.

[0108] <Description of the configuration of embodiment 2> <Embodiment 2: Defocus state determination pattern (F) (0506)> The "defocus state determination pattern (F)" (0506) is an object at a fixed distance. When acquiring a video that is a thermal image during the heating operation of the heating object (G), the defocus state determination pattern (F) (0506) is the object, and the distance from the lens (0510) is kept constant (considered to be a fixed distance). If the distance changes during the heating operation, the focus will be shifted, and it cannot be distinguished from focus shift caused by temperature abnormality of the lens. For the defocus state determination pattern (F) (0506) whose focus was adjusted before heating or immediately after the start of heating, if the heating operation progresses and the temperature of the lens rises, deformation due to thermal expansion of the lens or a change in refractive index due to the temperature rise occurs, the focus will be shifted. When the focus shift reaches an unacceptable level, the lens is determined to have a temperature abnormality. If the focus shift is large, it becomes difficult to distinguish temperature abnormalities of the heating object (G) itself and local temperature deviations (unevenness). In the case of reliability testing of electronic components in high temperature environments, it is unclear whether there are any temperature abnormalities in the electronic components during the heating process (maintaining high temperature) and whether all of the electronic components are truly in good condition. If the electronic components that are the objects to be heated during high temperature environment testing cannot be monitored properly, there is a possibility that one of the electronic components may have become defective, so it is important to detect temperature abnormalities in the lens.

[0109] As shown in Fig. 5a, the defocus state determination pattern (F) (0506) is placed behind the heating object (G) (0507) with respect to the image acquisition unit (A) (0501) and within the depth of field of the image acquisition unit (A). Desirably, as shown in Fig. 5a, the heating object (G) (0507) and the defocus state determination pattern (F) are placed within the same field of view of the image acquisition unit (A). As shown in Fig. 5e, they may be placed next to the heating object, or as shown in Fig. 5f, they may be placed on the surface of the heating object while being considered to be within the depth of field.

[0110] When the heating object (G) has a flat surface without any irregularities, it is difficult to detect the defocus state from the image of the heating object (G) itself, as explained in the first embodiment. Therefore, a defocus state determination pattern (F) is used, which is adjusted for focus when there is no abnormality in the lens temperature and makes it easier to detect out-of-focus. A known method can be used to detect the defocus state. An example of a known method is a method of extracting and using edges in the image of the defocus state determination pattern (F), as explained in the first embodiment. Therefore, the defocus state determination pattern (F) is preferably a shape with many contours in the pattern, as in the example of FIG. 4, and it is preferable that there is a large difference in the emissivity of the areas on both sides of the contours.

[0111] The "defocus state determination pattern (F)" may be, for example, a pattern in which the observation surface is flat and areas of high and low emissivity are adjacent to each other (see Figure 5b, checkerboard pattern), or a pattern in which the observation surface is uneven, as shown in Figures 4 and 5c.

[0112] When using the "pattern for determining a defocus state (F)" to determine a temperature abnormality of the lens from focus error, if the heating object and the "pattern for determining a defocus state (F)" are in the same field of view of the image acquisition unit (A), only the portion of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit (A) that shows the "pattern for determining a defocus state (F)" may be cut out and used. When the image is cut out, the image processing described below is performed on the cut out portion to determine focus error.

[0113] <Second embodiment: Determination method using defocus state determination pattern> A defocus state determination method using a Sobel filter for image information is described with reference to FIG. 6. [Watanabe Toru 5] FIG. 6 shows the state of defocus state determination pattern (F) in which low emissivity regions and high emissivity regions are alternately arranged in vertical stripes as an example. The black regions in the vertical stripes shown in the raw image (thermal image) column are low emissivity regions, and the white regions are high emissivity regions. FIG. 6 shows an image (thermal image) of the defocus state determination pattern (F) in the raw image column, and an image obtained by processing the image through a known Sobel filter in the Sobel filter processing column. A histogram of the luminance gradation of each pixel in the Sobel filter processed image (as in FIG. 4, the left side of the horizontal axis is black: 0 gradation, and the right side is white: 255 gradation) is shown in the histogram column to the right, and the standard deviation of the luminance gradation distribution of the histogram is shown in the standard deviation column further to the right. The vertical and horizontal axis ranges of the histograms are the same for all three types. The processing of video information has been explained in the first embodiment, so a detailed description is omitted.

[0114] <Embodiment 2: Defocus state determination method using defocus state determination pattern: no out-of-focus> Unlike the plate with multiple circular protrusions in Figure 4, the emissivity is almost uniform within the high and low emissivity areas, and the emissivity changes in steps at the boundaries between these areas. Therefore, in the raw image in focus (top row "none" (before heating begins)), the boundaries between black and white areas are clearly separated, and even after Sobel filter processing, a clear thin white line is visible at the boundary. As a result, in the histogram of pixel brightness gradations after Sobel filter processing, the distribution is biased toward dark gradations, but it also has a large tail in the bright gradation range. Therefore, the standard deviation is the largest of the three, at 26.81.

[0115] <Embodiment 2: Defocus state determination method using defocus state determination pattern: small focus deviation> As the lens temperature rises, the image begins to lose focus. In the example shown in the middle row of the raw video sequence under "small focus deviation," the boundary between black and white is starting to blur a little. When Sobel filter processing is performed, the white line indicating the boundary becomes a mid-tone line and its width widens slightly. Looking at the histogram of the luminance gradation of the image after Sobel filter processing, we can see that the tail of the light gradation range is narrowing. As a result, the standard deviation is smaller than when there is "no focus deviation," at 17.16.

[0116] <Embodiment 2: Defocus state determination method using defocus state determination pattern: large defocus> When the lens temperature rises further than when "small defocus" is selected, the focus becomes even further out of focus, causing the boundary between black and white to become blurred, as shown in the "large defocus" row at the bottom of the raw video sequence. When Sobel filter processing is performed, the white line indicating the boundary becomes a line of even darker gradations than when "small defocus" is selected, and its width widens, becoming more than twice as thick as when no defocus is selected. Looking at the histogram of luminance gradations of the video after Sobel filter processing, the tail to the right of the peak in the dark gradation range towards the mid-gradations becomes even narrower than when "small defocus" is selected. As a result, the standard deviation is smaller than when "small defocus" is selected, at 14.28.

[0117] By using the defocus state determination pattern (F), it becomes easier to determine the defocus state and the temperature abnormality of the lens.

[0118] Correction information is stored in advance, which is information relating the standard deviation of the luminance gradation histogram of the image after the image (thermal image) of the defocus state determination pattern (F) is processed through a Sobel filter, and the temperature of the object (which may be a temperature measured by a separate thermometer) and the standard deviation. When the object is heated in the same manner as when the correction information was previously acquired, the standard deviation acquired based on the current image information may be stored, and after the heating operation is completed, the temperature may be calculated from the standard deviation and the temperature at the time of the completed heating operation may be corrected. Also, when the temperature obtained during the heating operation differs from the temperature obtained based on the standard deviation at that time and the correction information previously acquired and stored, the latter temperature may be used for calibration.

[0119] In this embodiment 2, by using the subject as a pattern (F) for determining the defocus state, it is possible to easily determine the defocus state (i.e., determine whether the lens is at an abnormal temperature) even when it is difficult to detect the defocus state from the image of the heated object itself.

[0120] <Overview of the Third Embodiment> Mainly Claim 3 The defocus state determination pattern (F) of the thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the present invention in embodiment 3 is configured as a pattern in which areas of high emissivity and areas of low emissivity are adjacent to each other and arranged alternately and repeatedly.

[0121] <Functional configuration of embodiment 3> 7 and 8 show examples of defocus state determination patterns (F) of a thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function according to the third embodiment based on the second embodiment.

[0122] <Description of the configuration of embodiment 3> <Third embodiment: Defocus state determination patterns (F) (0706), (0806)> The "defocus state determination pattern (F)" is configured to be a pattern in which high emissivity regions and low emissivity regions are adjacent and alternately arranged repeatedly. The material used to create the high emissivity regions or low emissivity regions is appropriately determined based on the processing temperature during the heating process and the specifications of the infrared wavelength range that can be detected by the image sensor of the image acquisition unit (A) (e.g., central wavelength 10 μm, etc.).

[0123] By using a pattern in which areas of high infrared emissivity and areas of low emissivity are alternately arranged, the edge at the boundary between the two is more emphasized, making it easier to detect blurring of the edge when the focus is shifted due to an abnormality in the lens temperature.

[0124] FIG. 7 shows an example of a pattern (F) (0706) for determining a defocus state. FIG. 7 shows a black and white vertical striped pattern. White indicates areas with high emissivity, and black indicates areas with low emissivity. The pattern may be horizontal stripes instead of vertical stripes, or may be diagonal. A pattern with clear boundaries is preferable for determining a defocus state. Therefore, a checkerboard pattern or polka dot pattern may be used instead of a striped pattern.

[0125] Figure 8 shows another example of the defocus state determination pattern (F) (0806). Figure 8 shows an example in which a circle is divided into 48 sectors, with areas of high emissivity and areas of low emissivity arranged alternately. Instead of a circle, the sectors may be divided into even thinner sectors. A pattern in which the sectors are further divided into a checkerboard pattern may also be used.

[0126] In this embodiment 3, by configuring the defocus state determination pattern (F) to be a pattern in which areas of high emissivity and areas of low emissivity are adjacent to each other and repeatedly arranged alternately, the boundary between the areas of high emissivity and areas of low emissivity becomes prominent, making it easier to determine the defocus state (determine whether the lens temperature is abnormal).

[0127] <Overview of embodiment 4> Mainly claim 4 The high emissivity and low emissivity regions of the defocus state determination pattern (F) of the thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality of the present invention in embodiment 4 are configured so that each width in the repeating direction is 7 to 20 times the instantaneous field of view of one pixel of the imaging element of the image acquisition unit (A).

[0128] <Functional Configuration of Fourth Embodiment> Fig. 9 shows a schematic structural diagram of the defocus state determination pattern (F) of the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the fourth embodiment based on either the second or third embodiment. Fig. 9 shows an example of vertical stripes as the defocus state determination pattern (F), but is not limited to vertical stripes.

[0129] <Description of the Configuration of the Fourth Embodiment> <Fourth embodiment: Defocus state determination pattern (F) (0906)> The "defocus state determination pattern (F)" (0906) is configured so that the width of each of the high emissivity and low emissivity regions in the repeating direction is 7 to 20 times the instantaneous field of view of one pixel of the image capture element of the image acquisition unit (A).

[0130] "Instantaneous field of view", also known as spatial resolution, represents the size seen by one pixel of an image sensor when multiple image sensors are arranged in one or two dimensions. Instantaneous field of view is expressed as the angle seen by one pixel, and its unit is mrad (milliradian). In radian units, 1π (rad) = 180 degrees. Multiplying this instantaneous field of view by the measurement distance (m) approximately gives the measurement size (mm) of one element at that distance.

[0131] In Figure 9, each square divided by solid lines drawn in a grid pattern shows the instantaneous field of view, where each square corresponds to one pixel of the image sensor. The dotted lines show the outlines of the high and low emissivity regions of the defocus state determination pattern (F) (0906), and the low emissivity regions are colored gray for the sake of explanation in Figure 9. The left side shows the case where the width of each region in the repeating direction corresponds to the instantaneous field of view, and the right side shows the case where the width corresponds to nine times the instantaneous field of view. In the pixel of the image sensor that is on the boundary between the high and low emissivity regions, the brightness is averaged according to the area ratio of the two regions. For example, if the brightness of the high emissivity region is 10 and that of the low emissivity region is 0, the brightness of the part of the instantaneous field of view where the boundary of the regions is exactly in the middle will be 5. In the example on the left side of Figure 9, since the width of the region corresponds to one instantaneous field of view, all the regions will have intermediate brightness such as brightness 5, and there will be no regions with brightness 10 or 0, and the captured image will be a solid screen with intermediate brightness such as brightness 5. If the width of the region is about three times the instantaneous field of view, the image will have two pixels in the center with a brightness of 10 or 0, and pixels with a brightness of 5 on either side of them (e.g. 0, 0, 5, 10, 10, 5, 0, , ).In this case, the boundary area accounts for a large proportion of the image, and the blurring of the region boundaries is already large, making it difficult to detect focus deviations from the degree of blurring of the boundaries.

[0132] Therefore, the width of the repeat direction of the high emissivity region or low emissivity region is preferably 7 times or more, more preferably 8 times or more, and most preferably 10 times or more, of the instantaneous field of view of one pixel of the imaging element. This is because, when in focus, the ratio of the number of pixels showing the original brightness within the width to the pixels of intermediate brightness at the boundary (one pixel on each side) is less than 20% at 7 times, less than 13% at 8 times, and about 11% at 10 times. In addition, infrared imaging elements are special and those with a large number of pixels are expensive, and the load on the image processing increases with the number of pixels. Therefore, when there are constraints on cost and processing capacity, the width of the repeat direction of the region is preferably 30 times or less, more preferably 20 times or less, and most preferably about 10 to 11 times, of the instantaneous field of view of one pixel of the imaging element.

[0133] In this embodiment 4, by specifying the width in the repeating direction of the high and low emissivity areas of the defocus state determination pattern (F) with respect to the instantaneous field of view of one pixel of the imaging element, the repeating edges of the areas can be detected well, and temperature abnormalities can be appropriately determined.

[0134] <Overview of embodiment 5> Mainly claim 5 The defocus state determination pattern (F) of the thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the present invention in embodiment 5 is configured so that the repeated arrangement of pairs of high emissivity areas and low emissivity areas is repeated in seven or more pairs.

[0135] <Functional configuration of embodiment 5> Fig. 10 shows a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the defocus state determination pattern (F) of the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of embodiment 5 based on any one of embodiments 2 to 4. Fig. 10 shows an example of vertical stripes as the defocus state determination pattern (F), but is not limited to vertical stripes.

[0136] <Description of the configuration of embodiment 5> <Fifth embodiment: Defocus state determination pattern (F) (1006)> The "defocus state determination pattern (F)" (1006) is configured such that the repeated arrangement of pairs of high emissivity regions and low emissivity regions is repeated in seven or more pairs.

[0137] As shown in FIG. 10, the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1006) is configured such that the repeated arrangement of pairs of high emissivity regions and low emissivity regions is composed of 7 or more pairs. This is to ensure the height of the peak when acquiring an image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1006) and converting the image into a histogram after edge enhancement. If the number of repetitions is small, the number of edges in the image obtained by enhancement using a Sobel filter process or the like will be small. If the number of edges is small, the number of pixels corresponding to the edges will be small, so the histogram will appear crushed, and it will be difficult to grasp the phenomenon of the focus becoming blurred and the standard deviation of the histogram becoming small. Therefore, it is preferable to repeat 7 or more pairs, and more preferable to repeat 10 or more pairs. The upper limit of the number of pairs is determined by the relationship between the number of pixels of the image sensor and the width of each region. The width of the region is determined so as to have a width that is 7 times or more (most preferably 10 times or more) the instantaneous field of view of one pixel of the image sensor, and a pattern (F) (1006) for determining the defocus state is configured so that the number of repetitions is 7 sets or more (most preferably 10 times or more).

[0138] In the fifth embodiment, by determining a lower limit for the number of repeated arrangements of pairs of high emissivity regions and low emissivity regions, the peak height can be increased in the luminance gradation histogram of the edge-enhanced image, making it easy to determine the defocus state.

[0139] <Overview of embodiment 6> Mainly claim 6 In the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the defocus state determination pattern (F) has an emissivity of a region with high emissivity of 0.9 or more.

[0140] <Functional configuration of embodiment 6> Fig. 11 shows a schematic structural diagram of the defocus state determination pattern (F) of the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the sixth embodiment based on any one of the embodiments 2 to 5. Fig. 11 shows an example of vertical stripes as the defocus state determination pattern (F), but is not limited to vertical stripes.

[0141] <Description of the configuration of embodiment 6> <Sixth embodiment> Defocus state determination pattern (F) (1106) The "defocus state determination pattern (F)" (1106) is configured so that the emissivity of the high emissivity region is 0.9 or more.

[0142] The emissivity of the high emissivity region of the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1106), an example of which is shown in Figure 11, is 0.9 or more. The high emissivity region is formed by using a material with a high emissivity of 0.9 or more, or by applying a material with a low emissivity to the surface of the material to be the high emissivity region. The emissivity of the high emissivity region is preferably 0.9 or more, and more preferably 0.95 or more.

[0143] Materials with an emissivity of 0.9 or more include carbon such as charcoal and smoke (50-1000°C), and oxidized nichrome (50-500°C). Alternatively, black body paint (e.g., emissivity 0.95) that is commercially available and has an emissivity close to that of a black body can be used. Depending on the temperature range in which the thermal image is acquired, a material with a high emissivity within the temperature range can be appropriately selected to form the thermal sensor.

[0144] In the sixth embodiment, by setting the emissivity of the high emissivity region of the defocus state determining pattern (F) to 0.9 or more, it becomes easy to detect the defocus state and to judge the temperature abnormality of the lens.

[0145] <Overview of embodiment 7> Mainly claim 7 In the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the seventh embodiment of the present invention, the defocus state determination pattern (F) in the low emissivity region is configured to have an emissivity of 0.35 or less.

[0146] <Functional configuration of embodiment 7> Fig. 12 shows a schematic structural diagram of the defocus state determination pattern (F) of a thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of embodiment 7 based on any one of embodiments 2 to 6. Fig. 12 shows an example of vertical stripes as the defocus state determination pattern (F), but is not limited to vertical stripes.

[0147] <Description of the configuration of embodiment 7> <Seventh embodiment: Defocus state determination pattern (F) (1206)> The "defocus state determination pattern (F)" (1206) is configured so that the emissivity of the high emissivity region and the low emissivity region is 0.35 or less.

[0148] The emissivity of the low emissivity region of the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1206), an example of which is shown in FIG. 12, is 0.35 or less. The low emissivity region may be formed by using a material with a low emissivity of 0.35 or less, or by selecting a material with a low emissivity and applying a material with a high emissivity to the surface of the material to be used as the high emissivity region. Alternatively, the low emissivity region may be formed by applying a material with a low emissivity to the surface of a material with a high emissivity. Alternatively, the low emissivity region may be formed by attaching a plate-shaped member to the surface of the material with a high emissivity, or by alternately attaching a member made of a material with a high emissivity and a member made of a material with a low emissivity. The emissivity of the low emissivity region is preferably 0.35 or less, and more preferably 0.3 or less.

[0149] Materials with an emissivity of 0.35 or less include aluminum, gold, platinum, tungsten, etc. Depending on the temperature range in which the thermal image is acquired, a material with a low emissivity within that temperature range can be appropriately selected to form the thermal sensor.

[0150] In particular, by repeatedly arranging high emissivity regions having an emissivity of 0.9 or more as in the sixth embodiment and low emissivity regions having an emissivity of 0.35 or less as in the seventh embodiment, the edges of the edge-enhanced image of the acquired thermal image stand out, making it even easier to determine the defocus state.

[0151] In the seventh embodiment, by setting the emissivity of the low emissivity area of ​​the defocus state determination pattern (F) to 0.35 or less, it becomes easy to detect the defocus state and to judge the temperature abnormality of the lens.

[0152] <Overview of embodiment 8> Mainly claim 8 The heating device of this embodiment is configured to include the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function according to any one of the first to seventh embodiments of the present invention.

[0153] <Functional configuration of embodiment 8> Fig. 13 shows a schematic structural diagram of a heating device equipped with a thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function according to any one of the embodiments 1 to 7, in which a reliability test of electronic components in a high temperature environment is performed using a thermostatic chamber. In Fig. 13, a defocus state determination pattern (F) is used to show an example of a striped pattern, but the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0154] <Description of Configuration of Embodiment 8> <Embodiment 8 Heating device (1330)> The "heating device" (1330) is configured to include a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting lens temperature abnormalities.

[0155] The "heating device" is, for example, a heating device (1330) used for reliability testing of electronic components under high temperature environment shown in FIG. 13, which is composed of a thermostatic chamber (1320) in which reliability testing is performed under high temperature environment for the electronic component, which is the heating object (G) (1307), and a thermal imaging device (1300) with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the present invention to check whether there is an abnormality in the temperature state of the electronic component during the reliability test (abnormal heat generation, etc.). In addition, it can be used to acquire various thermal images, such as annealing treatment such as hardening, annealing, and tempering of steel, monitoring of the extrusion state of resin, and monitoring the heating state of nonwoven fabric after papermaking. In FIG. 13, a defocus state judgment pattern (F) (1306) is arranged on the back of the processing object (G) (1307) so as to be within the range of the depth of field of the image acquisition unit (A) of the thermal imaging device of the present invention, so as to be within the same field of view (arrangements such as those in FIG. 5e and FIG. 5f are also acceptable). The front side of the heating object (G) (1307) faces the thermal imaging device of the present invention. The thermal imaging device of the present invention is also installed in the thermostatic chamber (1320), and the light radiated from the electronic components can reach the lens (1310) of the image acquisition unit (A) (1301) without passing through anything other than the high-temperature atmosphere inside the thermostatic chamber. If there is any material on the optical path from the surface of the heating object (G) (1307) to the lens (1310), the infrared rays radiated from the surface of the heating object (G) (1307) are absorbed and the radiance is attenuated, causing errors in temperature measurement or preventing normal acquisition, so it is preferable to have as few materials between the heating object (G) and the defocus state determination pattern (F) and the lens as possible.

[0156] The parts of the thermal imaging device with the lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the present invention other than the lens are covered and cooled by a housing with water-cooling piping through which cooling water flows, but it is not possible to place cooling members in front of or behind the lens so as not to block the optical path. For the above reasons, it is also difficult to place a filter or the like in front of the lens. Therefore, when infrared rays emitted from the heating object (G) (1307) and the defocus state judgment pattern (F) (1306) pass through the lens (1310), they are absorbed to some extent by the lens, and the temperature of the lens rises due to the high temperature atmosphere in the thermostatic chamber. When the lens temperature rises, the lens expands thermally and the refractive index changes with the temperature rise, so the focus shifts from the state set before or immediately after the heating operation starts.

[0157] In order to detect defocusing, the focus is adjusted (preferably in focus, but a slightly defocused state is acceptable) before or immediately after the start of heating when there is no abnormality in the lens temperature, and normal image information, which is an image of the defocus state determination pattern (F), is stored, and current image information of the defocus state determination pattern (F) is acquired constantly or periodically (e.g., once every minute) while monitoring the heating operation and stored in chronological order. The stored normal image information and the stored current image information are each subjected to Sobel filter processing, and the standard deviation of the luminance gradation histogram of the processed image is acquired and compared, and if the standard deviation is equal to or less than a predetermined value (or equal to or less than a predetermined percentage of the standard deviation obtained by processing the normal image information), it is determined that there is an abnormality in the lens temperature. The normal image information is processed once at the beginning, and the resulting processed information (e.g., numerical information such as the standard deviation) is stored and compared with the processed information of the current image information.

[0158] If there is an abnormality in the lens temperature, the focus will also be off on the heating object (e.g. electronic components, steel plates, etc.) that is at approximately the same distance as the defocus state judgment pattern (F), and an image of the heating state will not be obtained correctly. For example, this means that the heating operation may not have been performed correctly because the heating object may have an uneven temperature during the heating operation or may not have reached the specified temperature. In addition, since there is a risk that parts of the thermal imaging device other than the lens may also be heated and go into an abnormal state, it is preferable to output a notification that the lens temperature is abnormal or to perform a process to stop the heating operation.

[0159] By using the heating device of this embodiment, any abnormality (such as abnormal lens temperature) in the thermal imaging device monitoring the object to be heated can be immediately detected, and processing can be performed without uneven heating caused by failure to monitor properly.

[0160] <Overview of the 9th embodiment> Mainly claim 9 The heating device of the ninth embodiment is configured such that the defocus state determination pattern (F) of the thermal imaging device with the lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the eighth embodiment is arranged at a position where the heating state is approximately the same as that of the object to be heated (G).

[0161] <Functional Configuration of Embodiment 9> Fig. 14 shows a schematic structural diagram of the defocus state determination pattern (F) and the heating target (F) of the heating device of embodiment 9 based on embodiment 8. Fig. 14 shows an example of vertical stripes as the defocus state determination pattern (F), but is not limited to vertical stripes.

[0162] <Description of Configuration of Embodiment 9> <Embodiment 9: Object to be heated (G) (1407)> The "heating object (G)" (1407) is monitored for its heating state by the thermal imaging device of the present invention with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality.

[0163] In the example shown in Fig. 14, the heating object (G) (1407) is, for example, a metal material to be hardened, tempered, annealed, normalized, etc. If a thermocouple or the like is attached for temperature measurement, heat is transferred to the thermocouple only at that part, causing the temperature to drop, or the temperature can only be measured at the part where the thermocouple is attached, so it is preferable to use a thermal imaging device like the present invention, which can grasp whether the heating state is uniform over a surface rather than a point.

[0164] <Ninth embodiment> Defocus state determination pattern (F) (1406) The "defocus state determination pattern (F)" (1406) is arranged at a position where the heating state of the heating object (G) is almost the same.

[0165] 14 shows an example of the positional relationship between the heating object (G) (1407), the lens (1409), the image pickup element of the image acquisition unit (A) (not shown), and the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1406). The heating object (G) (1407) and the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1406) are both placed so that they are heated in approximately the same state by the heater (1421) located on the back side of the lens (1409), and so that the heating object (G) (1407) and the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1406) are equidistant from the lens.

[0166] Alternatively, in a reliability test of electronic components in a high temperature environment as in the example shown in Figure 13 in the above embodiment, a substrate on which the electronic components are mounted and a defocus state determination pattern (F) located on its back surface are both placed in a constant temperature bath, and both are arranged in positions where they are equally heated.

[0167] The purpose of using the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1406) is to determine temperature abnormalities of the lens, and the purpose of determining temperature abnormalities of the lens (1409) is to enable normal monitoring of the heating state of the heating object (G) (1407). As shown in the example of FIG. 14, the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1406) and the heating object (G) (1407) are within the range of the depth of field of the image acquisition unit (A), and the distance from the image acquisition unit (A) does not change during heating (fixed distance). It is preferable that both are within the same field of view of the image acquisition unit (A). If the heating object (G) (1407) is heated but the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1406) is not heated, the temperature of the heating object (G) (1407) rises, the radiance of infrared rays increases, and the brightness becomes brighter on the thermal image. The unheated defocus state determination pattern (F) (1406) has low infrared radiance and is darker than the heating object (G) on the image. If a large bright area (heating object (G)) and a smaller, darker defocus state determination pattern (F) are in the same field of view, it becomes difficult to distinguish the boundary within the defocus state determination pattern (G) and to detect the focus deviation. Therefore, the heating state of the heating object (G) and the defocus state determination pattern (F) must be approximately the same, and they are both placed at a position where their heating states are approximately the same.

[0168] By arranging the heating object (G) and the defocus state determination pattern (F) at positions where the heating state is approximately the same as in this embodiment 9, temperature abnormalities in the lens caused by heating of the heating object (G) can be determined from the image information of the defocus state determination pattern (F).

[0169] <Overview of embodiment 10> Mainly claim 10 The heating device of the present embodiment 10 based on any one of the embodiments 8 and 9 is configured such that the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of any one of the embodiments 1 to 9 is equipped with an alarm output unit (H).

[0170] <Functional configuration of embodiment 10> FIG. 15 shows a functional block diagram of a heating device of the present embodiment 10 based on the embodiment 8. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the heating device of the present embodiment 10 is configured to include an alarm output unit (H) in the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the embodiment 1. The heating device (1530) shown in FIG. 15 is arranged in a thermostatic chamber for reliability testing of electronic components under high temperature conditions, a substrate on which an electronic component is mounted as a heating object (G) (1507), a pattern (F) (1506) for determining a defocus state on the back of the substrate, and the thermal imaging device (1500) of the present invention. The thermal imaging device (1500) is connected to a server device (1551) and a PC (1552) via an Internet line (1550). The same effect can be obtained even if the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of any one of the embodiments 2 to 7 is used as a base. The same effect can be obtained even if the heating device of the embodiment 9 is used as a base.

[0171] <Description of the Configuration of the Tenth Embodiment> <Embodiment 10: Alarm output unit (H) (1508)> The heating device (1530) is configured so that an "alarm output unit (H)" (1508) is provided within the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality so as to output an alarm indicating a temperature abnormality when it is determined that the lens has a temperature abnormality.

[0172] The alarm can be output to a worker who uses the heating device (1530) to perform heating work by displaying the alarm as an alarm message on a display such as a heating device control panel, outputting as a voice message, or turning on an error indicator light. If the heating device or its control device is connected to a LAN line or an Internet line (1550) as shown in FIG. 15, the alarm can also be output to a server device (1551) or a PC (1552) of a remote administrator or the like via the line. When outputting to the server device (1551), it is preferable to associate at least time information indicating the date and time of the alarm with heating device identification information that identifies the heating device, and further associate heating object identification information that identifies the heating object (G) (1507) (e.g., electronic parts) that is being heated (maintained at high temperature) with the information and transmit it to the server device (1551), and the server device (1551) that receives the information retains it as history information. The server device (1551) can also be configured to send a notification of the occurrence of an alarm to personnel related to the heating device (1530) (other than personnel directly involved in the work when the alarm occurred) when an alarm is received. The notification is sent by a short message to a mobile phone, an automatic call to a mobile phone + automatic voice notification, a push notification to a smartphone, or an email to a mobile phone (including a smartphone) or a PC (1552).

[0173] When the alarm output unit (H) (1508) of the thermal imaging device (1500) with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality outputs an alarm, the thermal imaging device (1500) with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality can insert a heat shield between the lens (1510) and the subject (the object to be heated (G) and / or the pattern for determining a defocus state (F)) or at least temporarily increase the cooling capacity of the cooling device (e.g., water cooling) provided in the housing of the image acquisition unit (A) (e.g., increase the amount of cooling water supply, etc.) to cool the lens (1510) to some extent while being careful not to damage the lens (1510).

[0174] Alternatively, when the control device of the heating device (1530) receives an alarm output from the alarm output unit (H) (1508) of the thermal imaging device (1500) with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality, the control device of the heating device (1530) can be configured to perform processing to stop the heating operation. Detection of an abnormality in the lens temperature means that monitoring of the heating object (G) (1507) is not being performed normally, and therefore the temperature information of the heating object (G) (electronic component) currently being heated (maintained at high temperature) becomes unclear, which may result in a failure of the reliability test, or the material being processed during the heating operation may not be processed normally and become defective.

[0175] <Processing flow of embodiment 10> 16 is a flow chart of the operation method of the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function, which is a computer in the heating device of embodiment 10 based on embodiment 8. As shown in this figure, the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of embodiment 10 has a judgment rule storage step (d) (S1601), a heating object setting step (S1602), an image acquisition step (a) (S1603), a normal image information storage step (b) (S1604), a heating start step (S1605), an image acquisition step (a) (S1606), a current image information storage step (c) (S1607), a heating object temperature acquisition step (S1608), a heating object temperature storage step (S1609), a temperature abnormality judgment step (e) (S1610), an alarm output step (h) (S1611), and a heating end step (S1612). The same effect can be obtained based on any one of the thermal imaging devices with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function according to the second to seventh embodiments. The same effect can be obtained based on the heating device according to the ninth embodiment.

[0176] Here, the operation method of the thermal imaging device with the self-diagnosis function of the lens temperature abnormality, which is a computer, is as follows: The determination rule storage step (d) (S1601) performs a process of storing a determination rule, which is a rule for determining whether a temperature abnormality exists by comparing the stored normal image information with the current image information, The heating object setting step (S1602) performs a process of setting the heating object at a predetermined position where the heating operation is performed, The image capturing step (a) (S1603) includes a process of capturing an image of a subject at a fixed distance through a lens; The normal image information storage step (b) (S1604) performs a process of storing normal image information, which is information about an image at the fixed distance acquired when there is no abnormality in the lens temperature; The heating start step (S1605) performs a process of starting heating of the heating object, The image capturing step (a) (S1606) performs a process of capturing an image of a subject at a fixed distance through a lens, A current image information holding step (c) (S1607) performs a process of holding current image information, which is information about an image of a subject at the fixed distance that is being acquired, The heating object temperature acquisition step (S1608) performs a process of acquiring the temperature of the heating object, The heating object temperature holding step (S1609) performs a process of holding the acquired temperature of the heating object, The temperature abnormality determination step (e) (S1610) performs a process of determining whether or not there is a temperature abnormality based on the stored normal image information, current image information, and a determination rule, If an abnormality (temperature abnormality) is determined in the temperature abnormality determination step (e) (S1610), an alarm output step (h) (S1611) performs processing to output an alarm indicating a temperature abnormality when it is determined that the lens has a temperature abnormality; If the temperature is judged to be normal in the temperature abnormality judgment step (e) (S1610), a judgment is made as to whether to continue the heating operation. If the heating operation is continued, the process returns to before the image acquisition step (S1606), To end the heating process, The heating end step (S1612) performs a process of ending the heating operation of the heating object. When performing another batch operation such as heating another heating object, the process returns to before the judgment rule storage step (S1601) after the heating end step. If there is no change in the judgment rule, the process may return to before the heating object setting step (S1602). In the heating object temperature acquisition step (S1608), the temperature of the heating object may be acquired from an image (thermal image) acquired during the heating operation, or may be acquired from current image information. This is an operating method in which a series of processes are executed by a thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function, which is a computer. This process can be applied whether the heating work for the heating object is a batch type or a continuous type.

[0177] <Embodiment 10: Description of Hardware>

[0178] <Embodiment 10 Hardware Configuration> The hardware configuration of the computer part of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in the lens temperature in the heating device of the present embodiment 10 based on the embodiment 8 will be described with reference to Fig. 17. The same effect can be obtained even if the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in the lens temperature is based on any one of the computers of the embodiments 2 to 7. The same effect can be obtained even if the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in the lens temperature in the heating device of the embodiment 9 is based on the same effect.

[0179] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the computer part of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for the lens temperature abnormality in the heating device of the present embodiment 10. As shown in this figure, the computer part of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for the lens temperature abnormality in this embodiment includes a "CPU (Central Processing Unit)" that performs various calculation processes, a "chipset", a "main memory", a "non-volatile memory" that stores various programs and data (information), an "I / O controller", a "USB, SATA, LAN terminal, etc.", a "BIOS (UEFI)", a "PCI Express slot", a "real-time clock", and a "graphics card" as an expansion board. These are connected to each other by a data communication path such as a "system bus" to transmit and receive information and process it. An infrared imaging element or a calculation board that processes signals output by the infrared imaging element is connected by a USB or other data communication path, and the output signal from the infrared imaging element or the output from the calculation processing board is processed by the computer part.

[0180] The various programs and data (information) stored in the non-volatile memory are expanded into the main memory when the system is started up, and upon receiving an execution command, the CPU sequentially executes the programs to perform calculations using the data.

[0181] When this system starts up, the various programs and data (information) stored in the "non-volatile memory" are read, expanded, and stored in the "main memory," which also provides a work area for those programs. By receiving execution commands, the "CPU" sequentially executes the programs using the data to perform calculations. Note that multiple addresses are assigned to this "main memory" and "non-volatile memory," and programs executed by the "CPU" can identify and access these addresses to exchange data with each other and perform processing. In this embodiment, the programs stored in the "main memory" are an image acquisition program (a), a normal image information storage program (b), a current image information storage program (c), a judgment rule storage program (d), a temperature abnormality judgment program (e), an alarm output program (h), a heating object temperature acquisition program, and a heating object temperature storage program. In addition, the "main memory" and the "non-volatile memory" store images, normal image information, current image information, judgment rules, alarms, temperatures, etc.

[0182] The "CPU" executes the judgment rule holding program (d) stored in the "main memory" to hold a judgment rule, which is a rule for determining that there is a temperature abnormality by comparing the held normal image information with the current image information. The heating object is set at a predetermined position. Then, the image acquisition program (a) stored in the "main memory" is executed to acquire an image of the object at a fixed distance through the lens. The normal image information holding program (b) stored in the "main memory" is executed to hold normal image information, which is information about the image at the fixed distance acquired when there is no temperature abnormality in the lens. Heating of the heating object is started. The image acquisition program (a) stored in the "main memory" is executed to acquire an image of the object at a fixed distance through the lens. The current image information holding program (c) stored in the "main memory" is executed to hold current image information, which is information about the image of the object at the fixed distance being acquired. The heating object temperature acquisition program stored in the "main memory" is executed to acquire the temperature of the heating object, and the heating object temperature holding program stored in the "main memory" is executed to hold the temperature of the heating object. Then, a temperature abnormality judgment program (e) stored in the "main memory" is executed to judge whether or not there is a temperature abnormality based on the held normal image information, current image information, and judgment rules. If it is judged that there is a temperature abnormality, an alarm output program stored in the "main memory" is executed to output an alarm. For example, the alarm is output by displaying the acquired judged normal image information, current image information, and the result of the judgment (that there is a temperature abnormality) on a display via a graphics card, or by outputting that there is a temperature abnormality from "USB, SATA, LAN terminal, etc." to a server device or PC via a LAN line or Internet line. If it is judged to be normal, and if the heating operation is finished, heating is stopped.

[0183] By providing the alarm output unit (H) of this embodiment, it is possible to quickly notice when an abnormality in the lens temperature is detected. If an abnormality in the lens temperature is detected, it is possible that the object to be heated has not been monitored properly and has become defective, and an alarm can be output to allow for a quick response.

[0184] <Overview of embodiment 11> Mainly claim 11 The thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function of the present invention in embodiment 11 is a device for acquiring information on the heating state of a heating object, which is a processing object to be heated in a heating furnace or the like or kept at high temperature in a thermostatic chamber, as a thermal image through a lens. It is configured to judge whether the lens temperature is abnormal and the lens is deformed or the refractive index is changed based on threshold information for judging temperature abnormality of the lens acquired and stored in advance, current image information being acquired by the image acquisition unit (A), and a judgment rule. In the case of a temperature abnormality, it is considered that the information on the heating state of the heating object has not been acquired correctly, so some kind of response (e.g., stopping the work, changing the work content, or investigating and inspecting the actual heating object after the work is completed) is required.

[0185] <Embodiment 11: Functional Configuration> Fig. 18 shows a functional block diagram of a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality according to embodiment 11. Fig. 18 shows an example of a reliability test of an electronic component in a high temperature environment. The thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality (1800) according to embodiment 11 includes an image acquisition unit (A) (1801), a current image information storage unit (C) (1803), a judgment rule storage unit (D) (1804), a temperature abnormality judgment unit (E) (1805), and a threshold information storage unit (J).

[0186] <Embodiment 11: Description of Configuration> In the case where the configuration is the same as that of the above embodiment, the description may be omitted. In the case where there is a difference in function between the eleventh embodiment and this embodiment, the difference will be mainly described. <Embodiment 11: Video Acquisition Unit (A) (1801)> The 'image acquisition unit (A)' (1801) is configured to acquire an image of a defocus state determination pattern (F) at a fixed distance via a lens.

[0187] The "subject" in this embodiment is the defocus state determination pattern (F) whose image is acquired in order to determine the defocus state (defocus state determination) used to determine the temperature abnormality of the lens. However, it is sufficient that the defocus state determination pattern (F) is included in the field of view of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit (A), and there is no prohibition on the heating object (G) that is the target of the heating operation being included in the same field of view.

[0188] <Embodiment 11: Threshold holding unit (J) (1809)> The 'threshold storage unit (J)' (1809) is configured to store threshold information for determining whether the lens is abnormally conditioned on its temperature.

[0189] The "threshold information" is, for example, a threshold for the standard deviation of the luminance gradation distribution histogram for each pixel of the image after the raw image (thermal image) is subjected to Sobel filter processing, which was described as an example of the image processing method in the above embodiment. An image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) is acquired before heating (or immediately after the start of heating), and the threshold is determined based on the standard deviation obtained by performing the above processing. One of values ​​such as 30%, 50%, or 70% of the standard deviation acquired before heating is held as the threshold. Alternatively, the standard deviation acquired before heating may be held as threshold information, and a rule for judgment may be set such that a value below a predetermined ratio of the threshold information is judged to be a temperature abnormality.

[0190] In addition, when a different process is performed without using the Sobel filter process or the Laplacian filter process, the corresponding threshold information can be stored. It is also possible to configure the temperature abnormality determination unit (E) to appropriately select and use a determination rule to be used for the determination according to the method of image processing. For example, a frequency spectrum is generated by fast Fourier transforming the brightness level of an image acquired by the image acquisition unit (A) when there is no lens temperature abnormality, threshold information based on the spectral intensity of a frequency region where a characteristic spectrum occurs is stored, and a frequency spectrum is generated by fast Fourier transforming the brightness level of an image of a subject currently being acquired, and the spectral intensity of the frequency region corresponding to the characteristic frequency region is compared with the threshold information to make a determination.

[0191] <Embodiment 11: Current Video Information Storage Unit (C) (1803)> The "current image information storage unit (C)" (1803) is configured to store current image information, which is information related to the image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) at the fixed distance being acquired. The current image information storage unit (C) (1803) stores, as current image information, information related to the image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) at the fixed distance being acquired by the image acquisition unit (A) (1801) via a lens. The image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) may be cut out from an image including an image of the heating target (G) that is the target of the heating operation. In the example of FIG. 18, a part of the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1806) visible from the image acquisition unit (A) (1801) may be cut out in a "R" shape that extends around the periphery of the board on which electronic components are mounted.

[0192] The "current image information" is image information to be compared with the reference threshold information when determining whether the lens has a temperature abnormality from a change in the image information of the defocus state determination pattern (F). For example, when acquiring an image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) during a heating operation (maintaining a high temperature), the image information acquired continuously or periodically (e.g., every second, every 10 seconds, every 30 seconds, every minute, etc.) or appropriately during the heating operation (maintaining a high temperature) can be used as the current image information to determine whether the lens has a temperature abnormality at the time the current image information is acquired. The "current image information" may be the acquired image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) itself, or may be image information resulting from processing the acquired image. The current image information may not be an image, but may be some kind of numerical information obtained after processing the image. The current image information is preferably stored in chronological order, and more preferably stored in association with acquisition time information that indicates the acquisition time.

[0193] <Embodiment 11: Determination rule storage unit (D) (1804)> The 'determination rule storage unit (D)' (1804) is configured to store a determination rule that is a rule for determining that there is an abnormality in the lens temperature by comparing the stored threshold value information with the current image information.

[0194] The "judgment rule" is a rule for judging that there is a temperature abnormality of the lens by comparing the stored threshold information with the current image information. The threshold information is information based on the image information of the defocus state judgment pattern (F) (1806) when the focus is adjusted without any temperature abnormality of the lens (preferably in focus, but a slightly out-of-focus state is acceptable), and the current image information is an image of a subject being heated, and is image information in which there is a possibility that the lens has a temperature abnormality. Therefore, by judging whether the current image information is in a state where it is out of focus, it is possible to judge whether there is a temperature abnormality of the lens at the time the current image information is acquired.

[0195] The rule may include a processing method required for comparison, for example, when the current video information is stored as the video acquired by the video acquisition unit (A) (1801) and the current video information needs to be processed for comparison. When the current video information has already been processed before being stored and the stored current video information can be immediately compared with the threshold information (for example, when it has been processed to some kind of numerical information), the judgment rule is composed of the comparison method and the judgment criterion (threshold information).

[0196] <Embodiment 11: Temperature Abnormality Determination Unit (E) (1805)> The 'temperature abnormality determination unit (E)' (1805) is configured to determine whether or not the lens has a temperature abnormality based on the stored threshold value information, the current image information, and the determination rule.

[0197] The reason for detecting deviation from the adjusted focus and judging whether the lens has an abnormal temperature is to grasp whether the thermal imaging device of the present invention, which monitors whether the heating operation of the heating object (G) is being performed normally, itself is operating normally. If the thermal imaging device of the present invention is not operating normally, the temperature of the heating object (G) (e.g. electronic parts) may be abnormal, or the heating operation (high temperature retention) may be performed unevenly, which may result in an unclear result of the reliability test in a high temperature environment, or, for example, if the heating operation is annealing a steel plate, the heating object (G) may become defective. Therefore, when the lens temperature is judged to be abnormal, an error notification is issued to prompt the worker or manager to take measures such as changing the working conditions, using an alternative device, or evaluating and inspecting the actual product during the heating operation, or an error notification is issued to the control device that controls the heating operation to end the heating operation.

[0198] <Embodiment 11: Thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function (1800)> The “thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function” (1800) is composed of an image acquisition unit (A) (1801), a threshold information storage unit (J) (1809), a current image information storage unit (C) (1803), a judgment rule storage unit (D) (1804), and a temperature abnormality judgment unit (E) (1805).

[0199] <Embodiment 11: Thermal imaging device with lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function: Explanation of the device using an example> Again, the device will be described below. <Embodiment 11: Thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality: Configuration example of this system> An example of a system of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 18. The example of FIG. 18 is an example of a case where a reliability test of an electronic component in a high temperature environment is performed by placing a substrate on which an electronic component is mounted as an object to be heated (G), a pattern for determining a defocus state (F) arranged on the back side of the substrate, and the thermal imaging device of the present invention in a thermostatic chamber to monitor the temperature of the electronic component. An image acquisition unit (A) (1801) is placed at a certain distance so that a lens (1810) faces the object to be heated (G) (1807) and the pattern for determining a defocus state (F) (1806). The object to be heated (G) (1807) and the pattern for determining a defocus state (F) (1806) are within the depth of field of the image acquisition unit (A) (1801). The certain distance is fixed during the heating operation (high temperature maintenance) in order to perform the heating operation (high temperature maintenance). Before or immediately after starting the heating operation (heating up and maintaining a high temperature), the focus is adjusted for the heating object (G) (or the defocus state determination pattern (F)) using the focus adjustment mechanism. Once the focus is adjusted before starting the operation, the setting is not moved or changed during the operation. Note that the following examples of operations and methods for determining out-of-focus are not limited to these.

[0200] <Embodiment 11: Thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality: Operation of this system> (1) Threshold information storage: Immediately before the start of heating, when the heating target (G) is at room temperature, an image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) at a certain distance from the lens after focus adjustment is acquired, and the image is subjected to Sobel filter processing as described in the other embodiments above, the distribution of the luminance gradation of each pixel of the image is made into a histogram, and the standard deviation of the histogram is calculated. The calculated standard deviation is multiplied by a predetermined ratio (e.g., 50%) to obtain a value, which is stored as threshold information in the threshold information storage unit (J) (1809).

[0201] (2) During heating operation (maintaining high temperature) (image acquisition): Starts the heating operation (heating up the thermostatic chamber and maintaining high temperature). Periodically (e.g., every second, every 10 seconds, every 30 seconds, every minute, etc.), an image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) (which may be cut out from an image including an image of the heated object (G)) is acquired, in which the distance from the lens remains the same as before the start of the operation), and as described in the above-mentioned method for determining out-of-focus, the image is subjected to Sobel filter processing, the distribution of the luminance gradation of each pixel in the image is made into a histogram, the standard deviation of the histogram is calculated, and the calculated standard deviation is associated with image acquisition time information as current image information and stored in the current image information storage unit (C) (1803).

[0202] (3) During heating operation (maintaining high temperature) (determining out-of-focus: determining lens temperature abnormality): Based on the determination rules (e.g., if it falls below the stored threshold information, it is determined that it is out-of-focus (lens temperature abnormality)), the stored threshold information, and the stored latest current image information (standard deviation), the temperature abnormality determination unit (E) (1805) determines whether the focus has shifted compared to when the threshold information was obtained (whether the lens temperature is abnormal). If it is greater than the threshold information according to the above rules, it is not determined that the lens temperature is abnormal, so the heating operation (maintaining high temperature) continues.

[0203] (4) During heating operation (high temperature holding) (when out of focus (abnormal lens temperature) is determined): When the lens temperature is determined to be abnormal during heating operation (high temperature holding), the thermal imaging device of the present invention can display an error message indicating that the lens temperature is abnormal on its own display panel, notify the abnormal state with an error indicator light provided on the device, or transmit an error message to a server device or a device monitoring management monitor via a communication line such as a LAN line or an Internet line. Furthermore, since it may become impossible to detect defects due to abnormal temperatures of electronic components in a reliability test under high temperature environment due to the inability to properly monitor the temperature state of electronic components during heating operation (high temperature holding), and since it may become impossible to properly monitor the heating state of a metal plate in the case where the heating operation is a heating process of a metal plate, the metal plate may become defective (defects due to abnormal temperature management or abnormal temperature distribution), the device may be configured to output a signal requesting the thermostatic chamber or the control device that controls the heating operation to stop the heating operation (high temperature holding).

[0204] It is advisable to store correction information that associates numerical information (e.g., the standard deviation of the gradation distribution) obtained by processing the image (thermal image) of the defocus state determination pattern (F) (1806) when the temperature conditions are changed (e.g., obtaining the standard deviation of the luminance gradation histogram of the image after Sobel filter processing) with the temperature of the subject (which may be a temperature measured with a separate thermometer). The temperature after the heating operation (high temperature maintenance) is completed can be obtained from numerical information (e.g., the standard deviation of the gradation distribution after the above-mentioned processing) obtained based on the current image information stored in chronological order during the heating operation (high temperature maintenance), and the temperature at the time of the completed heating operation (high temperature maintenance) can be corrected. Also, if the temperature obtained during the heating operation (high temperature maintenance) differs from the temperature obtained based on the numerical information (e.g., standard deviation) based on the current image information at that time and the relationship between the standard deviation and temperature obtained in advance and stored, it can be configured to calibrate to the latter temperature.

[0205] <Embodiment 11 Processing Flow> 19 is a flowchart of the operation method of the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature anomaly self-diagnosis function, which is a computer of embodiment 11. As shown in this figure, the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature anomaly self-diagnosis function of embodiment 11 has a judgment rule storage step (d) (S1901), a heating object setting step (S1902), a threshold value storage step (j) (S1903), a heating start step (S1904), an image acquisition step (a) (S1905), a current image information storage step (c) (S1906), a heating object temperature acquisition step (S1907), a heating object temperature storage step (S1908), a temperature anomaly judgment step (e) (S1909), an anomaly response step (S1910), and a heating end step (S1911).

[0206] Here, the operation method of the thermal imaging device with the self-diagnosis function of the lens temperature abnormality, which is a computer, is as follows: The determination rule storage step (d) (S1901) performs a process of storing a determination rule for determining that there is an abnormality in the lens temperature by comparing the stored threshold value information with current image information, The heating object setting step (S1902) performs a process of setting the heating object at a predetermined position where the heating operation is performed, The threshold information storage step (j) (S1903) performs a process of storing threshold information for determining whether the lens temperature is abnormal, The heating start step (S1904) performs a process of starting heating of the heating object, The image acquisition step (a) (S1905) performs a process of acquiring an image of a defocus state determination pattern (F) at a fixed distance through a lens, A current image information holding step (c) (S1906) performs a process of holding current image information which is information about an image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) at the fixed distance being acquired, The heating object temperature acquisition step (S1907) performs a process of acquiring the temperature of the heating object, The heating object temperature holding step (S1908) performs a process of holding the acquired temperature of the heating object, A temperature abnormality determination step (e) (S1909) performs a process of determining whether or not the lens has a temperature abnormality based on the stored threshold information, the current image information, and a determination rule; If an abnormality (temperature abnormality) is determined in the temperature abnormality determination step (e) (S1909), an abnormality response step (S1910) performs a process to respond to the abnormality (such as stopping heating (ending heating)), If the temperature is judged to be normal in the temperature abnormality judgment step (e) (S1909), a judgment is made as to whether to continue the heating operation. If the heating operation is continued, the process is returned to before the image acquisition step (S1905), To end the heating process, The heating end step (S1911) performs a process of ending the heating operation. When performing another batch operation such as heating another heating object, the process returns to before the judgment rule storage step (S1901) after the heating end step. If there is no change in the judgment rule, the process may return to before the heating object setting step (S1902). In the heating object temperature acquisition step (S1907), the temperature of the heating object may be acquired from an image (thermal image) acquired during the heating operation, or may be acquired from current image information. This is an operating method in which a series of processes as described above is executed by a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in the lens temperature, which is a computer.

[0207] <Embodiment 11: Description of Hardware>

[0208] <Embodiment 11 Hardware Configuration> The hardware configuration of the computer part of the thermal imaging device with the lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function in this embodiment 11 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0209] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the computer part of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality in this embodiment 11. As shown in this figure, the computer part of the thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality in this embodiment includes a "CPU (Central Processing Unit)" that performs various calculation processes, a "chipset", a "main memory", a "non-volatile memory" that stores various programs and data (information), an "I / O controller", a "USB, SATA, LAN terminal, etc.", a "BIOS (UEFI)", a "PCI Express slot", a "real-time clock", and a "graphics card" as an expansion board. These are connected to each other by a data communication path such as a "system bus" to transmit and receive information and perform processing. The infrared imaging element or a calculation board that processes the signal output by the infrared imaging element is connected to the calculation board by a USB or other data communication path, and the output signal from the infrared imaging element or the output from the calculation processing board is processed by the computer part.

[0210] The various programs and data (information) stored in the non-volatile memory are expanded into the main memory when the system is started up, and upon receiving an execution command, the CPU sequentially executes the programs to perform calculations using the data.

[0211] When this system starts up, the various programs and data (information) stored in the "non-volatile memory" are read, expanded, and stored in the "main memory," which also provides a work area for those programs. By receiving execution commands, the "CPU" sequentially executes the programs using the data to perform calculations. Note that multiple addresses are assigned to this "main memory" and "non-volatile memory," and programs executed by the "CPU" can identify and access these addresses to exchange data with each other and perform processing. In this embodiment, the programs stored in the "main memory" are an image acquisition program (a), a threshold information storage program (j), a current image information storage program (c), a judgment rule storage program (d), a temperature abnormality judgment program (e), a heating object temperature acquisition program, and a heating object temperature storage program. In addition, the "main memory" and the "non-volatile memory" store images, normal image information, current image information, judgment rules, temperatures, threshold information, and the like.

[0212] The "CPU" executes the judgment rule holding program (d) stored in the "main memory" to hold judgment rules, which are rules for determining that there is a temperature abnormality of the lens by comparing the threshold information held and the current image information. The heating object is set at a predetermined position. The threshold information holding program (j) stored in the "main memory" is executed to hold threshold information for determining a temperature abnormality of the lens. Heating of the heating object is started. The image acquisition program (a) stored in the "main memory" is executed to acquire an image of the defocus state judgment pattern (F) at a fixed distance through the lens. The current image information holding program (c) stored in the "main memory" is executed to hold current image information, which is information regarding the image of the defocus state judgment pattern (F) at the fixed distance being acquired. The heating object temperature acquisition program stored in the "main memory" is executed to acquire the temperature of the heating object, and the heating object temperature holding program stored in the "main memory" is executed to hold the temperature of the heating object. Then, the temperature abnormality judgment program (e) stored in the "main memory" is executed to determine whether the lens has a temperature abnormality based on the held threshold information, the current image information, and the judgment rule. If an abnormality (temperature abnormality) is determined, an abnormality response is performed. If it is judged to be normal, and if the heating operation is complete, the heating is stopped. The acquired normal image information, current image information, and the result of the judgment are displayed on the display via the graphics card, or output to a server device or PC via a LAN line or Internet line from "USB, SATA, LAN terminal, etc."

[0213] <Effects of the Eleventh Embodiment> The thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality of this embodiment 11 acquires and stores threshold information for determining whether the lens has a temperature abnormality before heating or immediately after heating has started, and can determine whether the lens has a temperature abnormality based on the threshold information, current image information, and judgment rules, thereby reducing the number of processing steps during heating work.

[0214] <5. Effects> By using a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality having the above configuration, it is possible to provide a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function that determines whether or not the lens has a temperature abnormality based on normal image information when there is no temperature abnormality in the lens, current image information related to the image of the current subject, and a judgment rule. [Explanation of symbols]

[0215] Thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality··0100 Image acquisition section (A)...0101 Normal video information holding section (B)...0102 Current video information holding section (C)...0103 Judgment rule storage unit (D) ··· 0104 Temperature abnormality determination section (E)...0105

Claims

1. An image capture unit (A) that captures an image of a subject at a fixed distance via a lens; a normal image information storage unit (B) for storing normal image information, which is information about an image at the fixed distance acquired when there is no abnormality in the lens temperature; a current image information storage unit (C) for storing current image information which is information relating to an image of a subject at the fixed distance being acquired; a determination rule storage unit (D) for storing a determination rule for determining that there is an abnormality in the lens temperature by comparing the stored normal image information with the current image information; a temperature abnormality determination unit (E) for determining whether the lens has a temperature abnormality based on the stored normal image information, current image information, and a determination rule; A thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for abnormal lens temperature.

2. 2. The thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function according to claim 1, wherein the subject at the fixed distance is a pattern (F) for determining a defocus state.

3. 3. A thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in lens temperature according to claim 2, wherein the defocus state determination pattern (F) is a pattern in which an area with high emissivity and an area with low emissivity are adjacent to each other and alternately arranged repeatedly.

4. 3. The thermal imaging device with self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormality as described in claim 2, wherein the high emissivity area and the low emissivity area have a defocus state determination pattern (F) whose width in the repeating direction is 7 to 20 times the instantaneous field of view of one pixel of the image acquisition unit (A).

5. 3. The thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting abnormal lens temperature according to claim 2, wherein the repeated arrangement of pairs of high emissivity regions and low emissivity regions is a defocus state determination pattern (F) consisting of seven or more repeated pairs.

6. 3. A thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting an abnormality in a lens temperature according to claim 2, wherein the defocus state determination pattern (F) has an emissivity of 0.9 or more in an area with high emissivity.

7. 3. The thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function according to claim 2, wherein the defocus state determination pattern (F) has an emissivity of 0.35 or less in an area with low emissivity.

8. A heating device comprising the thermal imaging device with a lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. 9. The heating device according to claim 8, wherein the defocus state determination pattern (F) is disposed at a position where the heating state is substantially the same as that of the heating object (G).

10. 9. The heating device according to claim 8, wherein the thermal imaging device with the lens temperature abnormality self-diagnosis function has an alarm output unit (H) that outputs an alarm indicating a temperature abnormality when it is determined that the lens has a temperature abnormality.

11. an image acquisition unit (A) that acquires an image of a defocus state determination pattern (F) at a fixed distance via a lens; a threshold information storage unit (J) that stores threshold information for determining a temperature abnormality of the lens; a current image information storage unit (C) for storing current image information which is information relating to an image of the defocus state determination pattern (F) at the fixed distance being acquired; a determination rule storage unit (D) for storing a determination rule for determining that there is an abnormality in the lens temperature by comparing the stored threshold value information with current image information; a temperature abnormality determination unit (E) for determining whether the lens has a temperature abnormality based on the stored threshold value information, the current image information, and a determination rule; A thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for abnormal lens temperature.

12. An image capturing step (a) of capturing an image of a subject at a fixed distance through a lens; a normal image information storage step (b) for storing normal image information which is information about an image at the fixed distance acquired when there is no abnormality in the lens temperature; a current image information holding step (c) for holding current image information which is information regarding an image of a subject at the fixed distance being acquired; a determination rule storing step (d) for storing a determination rule for determining whether or not there is a temperature abnormality by comparing the stored normal image information with the current image information; a temperature abnormality determination step (e) of determining whether or not there is a temperature abnormality based on the stored normal image information, the current image information, and a determination rule; A method for operating a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for detecting abnormalities in lens temperature, the method comprising:

13. An image capturing step (a) of capturing an image of a subject at a fixed distance through a lens; a normal image information storage step (b) for storing normal image information which is information about an image at the fixed distance acquired when there is no abnormality in the lens temperature; a current image information holding step (c) for holding current image information which is information regarding an image of a subject at the fixed distance being acquired; a determination rule storing step (d) for storing a determination rule for determining whether or not there is a temperature abnormality by comparing the stored normal image information with the current image information; a temperature abnormality determination step (e) of determining whether or not there is a temperature abnormality based on the stored normal image information, the current image information, and a determination rule; This is a program that can be read and operated by a computer in a thermal imaging device with a self-diagnosis function for lens temperature abnormalities.

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