JP7794566B2 - Temperature control holder with infrared sensor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a temperature control holder for an infrared sensor.

The temperature detector described in Patent Document 1 below is known. This temperature detector is an infrared sensor that includes an infrared detection element that detects infrared rays emitted from the object to be measured, a lens that receives the infrared rays emitted from the object to be measured and narrows the angle of the infrared light incident on the infrared detection element, and a lens barrel (referred to as a holder in Patent Document 1) that supports the lens. Since an infrared sensor cannot accurately detect temperature if the temperature near the infrared detection element becomes unstable, the infrared sensor is housed in a holder (referred to as a case in Patent Document 1), and the holder is provided with ventilation holes that allow temperature-controlled air to flow in to control the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-307940

However, the ventilation openings in the holder of the above-mentioned prior art are formed opposite the side of the lens barrel (see Figure 1 of Patent Document 1). Even if the temperature-controlled air is circulated and blown inside the thermostatic chamber, the temperature of the blown air is not stable. Therefore, if the temperature-controlled air flowing in from the ventilation openings directly hits the lens barrel, it can cause temperature detection errors in the infrared detection element. For this reason, the holder of the above-mentioned prior art could not be used in applications where high accuracy and stability of the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor are required, such as calibrating (adjusting) the infrared sensor.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a temperature control holder for an infrared sensor that can accurately and stably control the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor using temperature-controlled air.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a temperature control holder for an infrared sensor that houses an infrared sensor when controlling the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor with temperature-controlled air. The infrared sensor has a lens that receives infrared rays emitted from an object to be measured and a lens barrel that supports the lens. The lens barrel forms a ventilation surface for the temperature-controlled air at a position higher than the lens barrel, and the ventilation surface has a wall that opens larger than the outer shape of the lens barrel and forms a gap around the lens barrel for guiding the temperature-controlled air.

In the temperature control holder for the infrared sensor described above, the ventilation surface may be formed at a height that does not fall within the angle of view of the lens.

In the temperature control holder for the infrared sensor described above, the gap may be formed with dimensions smaller than the height of the ventilation surface, at least in the ventilation direction of the temperature-controlled air.

The temperature control holder for the infrared sensor may include a holder base to which the infrared sensor is attached and a holder cover connected to the holder base in an openable and closable manner, with the holder cover forming the wall portion.

In the above-mentioned temperature control holder for infrared sensors, multiple infrared sensors may be mountable on the holder base, and the holder cover may have multiple openings that form the gap between the infrared sensors mounted on the holder base.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a temperature control holder for an infrared sensor that can accurately and stably control the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor using temperature-controlled air.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a temperature control holder of an infrared sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature detection error of the infrared detection element and the wind speed of the temperature-controlled air when a wall portion is present and when a wall portion is not present according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a temperature control holder of an infrared sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a temperature control holder of an infrared sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a temperature control holder 10 of an infrared sensor 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
1, the infrared sensor 1 has a lens 2 that receives infrared rays emitted from a temperature measurement target 100, and a lens barrel 3 that supports the lens 2. The lens barrel 3 houses an infrared detection element (not shown) and other components.

The temperature measurement object 100 is, for example, a blackbody furnace used to calibrate (adjust) the infrared sensor 1. In this embodiment, the temperature control holder 10 is housed in a large thermostatic chamber together with the temperature measurement object 100. Temperature-controlled air 200 circulates within the thermostatic chamber to control the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor 1.

The temperature control holder 10 comprises a holder base 11 on which the infrared sensor 1 is attached, and a wall 12 that stands upright from the holder base 11 and forms a ventilation surface 13 for the temperature-controlled air 200 at a position higher than the telescope tube 3. The temperature control holder 10 is made, for example, from a lightweight aluminum material with good thermal conductivity. In particular, the wall 12, which is positioned on the side facing the temperature measurement target 100, is preferably made from a black anodized aluminum material with a surface treatment.

In the following explanation, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is set, and the configuration and positional relationships of each component are sometimes explained with reference to this XYZ Cartesian coordinate system. The X-axis direction is the direction in which the temperature-controlled air 200 flows along the ventilation surface 13. The Z-axis direction is the height direction of the wall portion 12. The Y-axis direction is perpendicular to the X-axis and Z-axis directions.

The holder base 11 has a mounting surface 11a for the infrared sensor 1. The wall portion 12 extends in the Z-axis direction from the mounting surface 11a, and its upper end surface forms the ventilation surface 13. The ventilation surface 13 forms a plane parallel to the X-Y plane. Temperature-controlled air 200 flows along the X-axis direction on the ventilation surface 13.

The ventilation surface 13 is formed at a height H that does not fall within the angle of view 4 of the lens 2. The angle of view of the lens 2 is, for example, approximately 40°. The height H of the ventilation surface 13 is the distance from the bottom end of the lens barrel 3 to the top surface of the wall portion 12 (ventilation surface 13).

The wall portion 12 has an opening at the ventilation surface 13 that is larger than the outer shape of the lens barrel 3, forming a gap S that guides the temperature-controlled air 200 around the lens barrel 3. This opening in the wall portion 12 serves both as an infrared passage port through which infrared rays from the temperature measurement target 100 reach the infrared detection element inside the lens barrel 3, and as an air outlet that guides the temperature-controlled air 200 flowing along the ventilation surface 13 around the lens barrel 3.

The gap S between the wall 12 and the lens barrel 3 should be smaller than the height H of the ventilation surface 13, at least in the ventilation direction (X-axis direction) of the temperature-controlled air 200. In other words, if the dimension of the gap S in the ventilation direction of the temperature-controlled air 200 were larger than the height H of the ventilation surface 13, the temperature-controlled air 200 flowing along the ventilation surface 13 would be more likely to flow into the gap S, reducing the wind protection function of the wall 12. Note that the dimension of the gap S in directions other than the ventilation direction of the temperature-controlled air 200 (for example, the Y-axis direction) has little effect on the inflow of the temperature-controlled air 200, so it may be larger than the height H of the ventilation surface 13.

The gap S is preferably formed with a dimension in the range of 1/2 to 1/3 of the height H of the ventilation surface 13, at least in the ventilation direction (X-axis direction) of the temperature-controlled air 200. In other words, the dimension of the gap S in the ventilation direction of the temperature-controlled air 200 must not be too large. Conversely, if it is too small, the temperature-controlled air 200 flowing along the ventilation surface 13 will have difficulty flowing into the gap S, and the temperature control of the infrared sensor 1 by the temperature-controlled air 200 will not work properly.

2 is a graph showing the relationship between the temperature detection error of the infrared detection element and the wind speed of the temperature-controlled air 200 when the wall 12 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is present and when the wall 12 is not present. Note that Fig. 2 is a graph when the dimension of the gap S is set to 1/2 of the height H of the ventilation surface 13.
2, it can be seen that the wind speed region where the temperature detection error of the infrared detection element is stable at 0 is larger on the side with wall 12 (solid line) than on the side without wall 12 (dashed line). In other words, it can be seen that the presence of wall 12 shown in FIG. 1 prevents temperature-controlled air 200 from directly hitting lens barrel 3, and as a result, the temperature detection error of the infrared detection element is suppressed.

As described above, the temperature control holder 10 for the infrared sensor 1 of this embodiment is a temperature control holder 10 for the infrared sensor 1 that houses the infrared sensor 1 when controlling the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor 1 with temperature-controlled air 200. The infrared sensor 1 has a lens 2 that receives infrared rays emitted from the object 100 to be measured for temperature, and a lens barrel 3 that supports the lens 2. The ventilation surface 13 for the temperature-controlled air 200 is formed at a position higher than the lens barrel 3, and the ventilation surface 13 has a wall portion 12 that opens larger than the outer shape of the lens barrel 3 and forms a gap S around the lens barrel 3 for guiding the temperature-controlled air 200. With this configuration, the temperature-controlled air 200 does not directly hit the lens barrel 3, allowing the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor 1 to be controlled with high precision and stability.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ventilation surface 13 is formed at a height that does not fall within the field of view 4 of the lens 2. This configuration prevents the wall portion 12 from limiting the infrared detection angle (field of view) of the infrared sensor 1.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the gap S is formed with dimensions smaller than the height H of the ventilation surface 13, at least in the ventilation direction of the temperature-controlled air 200. This configuration allows the temperature-controlled air 200 flowing along the ventilation surface 13 to flow into the gap S while maintaining the wind blocking function of the wall portion 12.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same or equivalent components as those in the above-described embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be simplified or omitted.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a temperature control holder 10 of an infrared sensor 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in Figure 3, the temperature control holder 10 for the infrared sensor 1 of the second embodiment has a holder base 11 to which multiple infrared sensors 1 can be attached, and two holder covers 20 connected to the holder base 11 in an openable and closable manner.

The holder base 11 can accommodate up to 24 infrared sensors 1. In other words, the temperature control holder 10 for infrared sensors 1 of the second embodiment can calibrate (adjust) up to 24 infrared sensors 1 simultaneously.

The holder cover 20 has multiple openings 23 formed therein, which form the above-mentioned gap S between it and the infrared sensor 1 attached to the holder base 11. As shown in Figure 3, twelve openings 23 are formed on each holder cover 20.

The holder cover 20 is connected to the holder base 11 via hinges 21 so that it can be opened and closed. The holder cover 20 can also be fixed in a closed state to the holder base 11 using fasteners 22. A T-shaped handle 30 is attached to the side of the holder base 11 to make it easier to carry the temperature control holder 10.

The holder base 11 has positioning pins 14 that position the infrared sensor 1 and multiple bosses 15 that form the mounting surface 11a of the infrared sensor 1. The positioning pins 14 are inserted into positioning holes provided in the infrared sensor 1's board 5 (not shown in the above-mentioned Figure 1) that supports the lens barrel 3. The bosses 15 have screw holes into which the infrared sensor 1's board 5 can be screwed.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the temperature control holder 10 of the infrared sensor 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 4, the holder base 11 has a front case 11A that supports the plurality of infrared sensors 1, and a rear case 11B that supports an inspection board 40 that is electrically connected to the plurality of infrared sensors 1.

A space S1 is formed at the mating surface between the front case 11A and rear case 11B, allowing for the placement of electrodes 6 and other components that electrically connect the infrared sensor 1 and the inspection board 40. The inspection board 40 is covered by a rear cover 50. As shown in Figure 3, one end 41 of the inspection board 40 protrudes from the holder base 11 (rear cover 50) and can be electrically connected to, for example, an external inspection device (calibration device) (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 4, in the second embodiment, the holder cover 20 forms the wall portion 12 described above. In other words, the holder cover 20 forms a ventilation surface 13 for the temperature-controlled air 200 at a position higher than the lens barrel 3, and the opening at the ventilation surface 13 is larger than the outer shape of the lens barrel 3, forming a gap S for guiding the temperature-controlled air 200 around the lens barrel 3. Furthermore, the ventilation surface 13 is formed at a height that does not fall within the angle of view 4 of the lens 2, and the gap S is formed with dimensions smaller than the height H of the ventilation surface 13, at least in the ventilation direction (X-axis direction) of the temperature-controlled air 200.

According to the second embodiment configured as described above, as in the first embodiment, the holder cover 20 acts as a wind shield, preventing the temperature-controlled air 200 from directly hitting the lens barrel 3, making it possible to control the ambient temperature of the infrared sensor 1 with high precision and stability.

The second embodiment also includes a holder base 11 to which the infrared sensor 1 is attached, and a holder cover 20 that is openably and closably connected to the holder base 11, with the holder cover 20 forming the wall portion 12. With this configuration, opening and closing the holder cover 20 makes it easy to attach and remove the infrared sensor 1.

In addition, in the second embodiment, multiple infrared sensors 1 can be attached to the holder base 11, and the holder cover 20 has multiple openings 23 that form gaps S between the infrared sensors 1 attached to the holder base 11. With this configuration, multiple infrared sensors 1 can be calibrated (adjusted) simultaneously at the same ambient temperature.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated above, it should be understood that these are illustrative of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting. Additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention should not be deemed limited by the foregoing description, but rather by the scope of the claims.

1...Infrared sensor, 2...Lens, 3...Lens barrel, 4...Angle of view, 5...Substrate, 6...Electrode, 10...Temperature control holder, 11...Holder base, 11a...Mounting surface, 11A...Front case, 11B...Rear case, 12...Wall portion, 13...Ventilation surface, 14...Locating pin, 15...Boss, 20...Holder cover, 21...Hinge, 22...Fastener, 23...Opening, 30...Handle, 40...Inspection substrate, 41...One end, 50...Rear cover, 100...Temperature measurement object, 200...Temperature control air, S...Gap, S1...Space

Claims (5)

A temperature control holder with an infrared sensor that controls the environmental temperature of the infrared sensor by temperature-controlled air,
the infrared sensor has a lens that receives infrared rays radiated from an object to be measured, and a lens barrel that supports the lens;
A temperature control holder with an infrared sensor, characterized in that a ventilation surface for the temperature-controlled air is formed at a position higher than the lens barrel, and the ventilation surface has an opening that is larger than the outer shape of the lens barrel, and is provided with a wall portion that forms a gap that guides the temperature-controlled air from the lens side to the periphery of the lens barrel . 2. The temperature control holder with an infrared sensor according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation surface is formed at a height that does not enter the angle of view of the lens. The temperature control holder with infrared sensor described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the gap is formed with a dimension in the range of 1/2 to 1/3 of the distance from the lower end of the lens barrel to the upper end surface of the wall portion, at least in the ventilation direction of the temperature control air . a holder base to which the infrared sensor is attached;
a holder cover connected to the holder base so as to be openable and closable;
4. The temperature control holder with an infrared sensor according to claim 1, wherein the holder cover forms the wall portion. A plurality of the infrared sensors can be attached to the holder base,
The temperature control holder with infrared sensor according to claim 4, characterized in that the holder cover has a plurality of openings that form the gap between the holder cover and the infrared sensor attached to the holder base.