TW201910742A - Gas image detecting system including a gas image sensing unit, a signal processing unit, a display, and a laser unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A gas image detecting system includes a gas image sensing unit, a signal processing unit, a display, and a laser unit, wherein the gas image sensing unit is a Dewar, and includes a filter such as a narrow-bandwidth cooling filter, and a photo sensor chip. The signal processing unit is electrically connected to the photo sensor chip, and the display is electrically connected to the signal processing unit. The laser unit is configured to generate a laser light with predetermined wavelength, so as to project the laser light with the specific wavelength into the environment to be detected. When there is a gas to be detected (such as alkanes or alkenes), the gas will absorb the laser light, and the surrounding environment will reflect the laser light and its radiation back to the gas image sensing unit. After the gas passes through the filter and the signal processing is performed by signal processing unit, an image of the leaked invisible gas can be instantly displayed on the display.

Description

Gas image detection system

The invention relates to a detection system, in particular to a gas image detection system which can effectively detect whether a pipeline leaks and can instantly display a leaked invisible gas to a display. It can be combined with a spectrometer to show the type and concentration of the leaked gas.

According to; almost all aviation and ship fuels such as diesel, heavy oil, JP4, JP5, etc., will volatilize many harmful and explosive dangerous gases, and are colorless, odorless, such as alkanes, alkenes; when stored in A small amount of leakage has occurred in the oil tank or pipeline. It is not an easy task to find the location of the leaked oil quickly and accurately.

The traditional gas leak detection system can not directly observe the position of the gas leak by the image, and it needs to be tested by the leak detection medium (such as the leak detection liquid); it is inconvenient for the general harmful and explosive dangerous gas.

When the gas transmission pipeline buried under the surface of the ground and the storage tank and related pipelines in the factory are damaged, some gases such as methane and ethylene are colorless and odorless gases, which are difficult to be observed; some detection instruments in the past Hydrocarbon detectors, thermal imaging cameras, and Lehman radars must be detected at a considerable concentration of air leaks.

Please refer to US Patent No. 455627, which is a gas image detection system using a mechanical thermal imager combined with a fixed-wavelength laser; however, its optical structure and optical alignment are complicated, and the scanning frequency of laser light must be hot. The scanning frequency of the camera can be synchronized.

Therefore, in order to detect the micro-leakage position at an early stage for effective prevention, it is necessary and urgent to design an effective and highly sensitive gas image detector.

Therefore, the present inventors have based on the concept of continuous improvement and innovation, and have been working on the design and development of the technology for many years, as well as actively researching and developing ideas, and through numerous practical design experiments, the present invention has been produced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to provide a gas image detecting system capable of effectively detecting whether a pipeline leaks and which can leak a leaking invisible gas to a display on a display. Combined with a spectrometer (such as an infrared Fourier converter), it shows the type and concentration of the leaked gas.

For the above purposes, the present invention comprises a gas image sensing unit, a signal processing unit, a display, and a laser unit, wherein the gas image sensing unit is a Dewar, which contains a filter. a light sheet, a light sensing chip, the filter is configured to filter a predetermined wavelength of light entering the gas image sensing unit, the light sensing chip is configured to receive light passing through the filter; the signal processing unit, The gas image sensing unit is electrically connected to convert the signal received by the gas image sensing unit into an analog or digital image signal; the display is electrically connected to the signal processing unit for receiving the image signal to display the gas image The laser unit is configured to generate laser light of a predetermined wavelength, and the laser light is projected by the scanner into the environment to be detected. When the gas to be detected (such as alkane or alkene) is present, the gas will absorb the laser light, and the environment will reflect the laser light and its own radiation back into the gas image detecting unit, and the laser light and radiation pass through. The filter, after being processed by the signal processing unit, can instantly display the leaking invisible gas to the display.

The following is a detailed description of the present invention and the detailed description of the various features and features of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 , and FIG. 3 , the first embodiment of the gas image detecting system of the present invention comprises a gas image sensing unit 10 , a signal processing unit 20 , a display 30 , and a mine . Shooting unit 40. This will be explained in detail below:

In the first embodiment, the gas image sensing unit 10 is a sealed Dewar, having a window for light penetration at one end thereof, and a filter 11 and a photo sensor wafer 12 therein. The filter 11 is configured to filter a predetermined wavelength of light entering the gas image sensing unit 10, and the photo sensor wafer 12 is configured to receive light passing through the filter 11.

In the first embodiment, in the gas image sensing unit 10, the filter 11 is a low-temperature-cooled narrow-bandwidth cool-cooling filter, and the bandwidth Δλ of the narrow-bandwidth cool-cooled filter is 2 um~ In one of the 20um segments, the filter 11 can also be replaced by a grating; the photo sensor wafer 12 is a linear array or a two-dimensional focal plane array infrared sensing wafer, and the gas image sensing unit 10 can set the wavelength. A photosensor wafer 12 of different materials ranging from 0.7-5.5 um to 7.5-20 um, which may be: palladium telluride (ptsi), indium antimonide (InSb), mercury cadmium telluride (MCT), or gallium arsenide. One of infrared sensing materials such as aluminum (AlGaAs). The photo sensor wafer 12 further includes a readout component, which may be one of a charge coupled component, a charge scan component, and a metal oxide component. The photosensor wafer 12 has pixel resolution. For N*M, the N*M is one of 128*128, 320*240, 640*480, 1024*960, etc., where N is the number of pixels in the horizontal direction; M is the number of pixels in the vertical direction.

In the first embodiment, the signal processing unit 20 is electrically connected to the photo sensor wafer 12 of the gas image sensing unit 10 for converting the light received by the photo sensor wafer 12 into an image (analog or digital). )signal.

In the first embodiment, the display 30 is electrically connected to the signal processing unit 20 for receiving the image signal to display a gas image.

In the first embodiment, the laser unit 40 is configured to generate laser light of a predetermined wavelength and project through a scanner 80 to the environment to be detected.

In the first embodiment, the predetermined wavelength laser of the laser unit 40 is one of different types of gas lasers, solid state lasers, liquid lasers, and semiconductor lasers.

In the first embodiment, the gas image sensing unit 10, the signal processing unit 20, the display 30, and the laser unit 40 are disposed on a carrier 50.

In the first embodiment, the gas image detecting system of the present invention comprises an infrared spectrometer 60, such as a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry), and the infrared spectrometer 60 is electrically connected to the display 30, According to the specific infrared absorption spectrum of various volatile gases, the type and concentration of the gas to be detected are identified.

In the first embodiment, the gas image detecting system of the present invention comprises a beam splitter 70. The beam splitter 70 is disposed at an oblique angle and is disposed in front of the light source inlet of the gas image sensing unit 10 for use in a light source (eg, The laser light reflected by the surrounding environment and the radiation of the surrounding environment itself are reflected into the gas image sensing unit 10 and the infrared spectrometer 60.

In the first embodiment, the gas image detecting system of the present invention comprises a scanner 80 disposed at a front side of the laser unit 40 for diverging or expanding the laser light of the laser unit 40 to The viewing angle of the gas detection system is matched.

Referring to FIG. 3, when the first embodiment of the present invention is used, the laser unit 40 and the scanner 80 scatter and expand the predetermined wavelength of the laser light into the environment to be detected, when the gas to be detected is detected. When the gas (such as alkane or alkene) is present, the gas absorbs the laser light, and the environment reflects the laser light and its own radiation through the beam splitter 70 back to the gas image sensing unit 10, after passing through the filter 11. The light sensor chip 12 receives the light passing through the filter 11 and is processed by the signal processing unit 20 to obtain an image signal, and the image signal can be used by the signal processing unit 20 to detect the gas. The type and concentration can also be used to visually display the leaked gas in the display 30.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first embodiment of the present invention displays an image of the leaked gas displayed on the display 30, and the gas to be detected (ie, the leaked gas) is dark. Part A, the surrounding environment is a light color portion B, and the signal processing unit 20 can also artificially add color (color) to increase the image contrast between the two to more effectively detect the leaked gas.

It is worth mentioning that the filter 11 in the gas image sensing unit 10 (such as a narrow-bandwidth cool filter) has a center wavelength of different gas absorption wavelengths, and the width can be appropriately adjusted. In order to achieve the best contrast of the leaking gas image.

In the gas image detecting system of the present invention, the signal processing unit 20 can detect the concentration of the gas by using a gray scale alignment and an algorithm according to temperature, humidity, flow rate and distance.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, the laser light and the radiation reflected by the surrounding environment of the first embodiment of the present invention may also be reflected into the infrared spectrometer 60 through the beam splitter 70, and may be displayed on the display 30. An infrared spectrum is displayed to identify which gas is leaking and its concentration.

Referring to FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , in a second embodiment of the present invention, the gas image detecting system of the present invention comprises a mirror 90 having a variable angle and mounted thereon. The gas image sensing unit 10 is located in front of the light source inlet for reflecting the light source (such as the laser light reflected by the surrounding environment and the radiation of the surrounding environment) into the gas image sensing unit 10 and the infrared spectrometer 60 for measuring Gas type and concentration.

Referring to FIG. 3, in the third embodiment of the present invention, the gas image detecting system of the present invention comprises a scanner 80. The scanner 80 is an optical scanner, and the scanner 80 is disposed on the side of the laser unit 40. In front, it is used to adjust the scanning angle range of incident laser light.

Referring to FIG. 9, in a third embodiment of the present invention, the gas image detecting system of the present invention comprises an A/O (Acoustic-Optics) modulator 91, which is acousto-optic (A/O, Acoustic- An Optics modulator 91 is disposed in front of the laser unit 40 for modulating any of the scanning directions, angles, and ranges of the laser light of the laser unit 40.

Referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 , the gas image detecting system of the present invention can be carried in various ways such as portable, fixed station, vehicle-mounted (as shown in FIG. 10 ) and aircraft mounted (such as FIG. 11 ). Detection.

Referring to FIG. 12, in a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the gas image detecting system of the present invention comprises a beam amplifier 92 disposed at a front side of the laser unit 40 for using the laser unit. 40 laser light expanded.

The invention has at least the following features:

1. The position, range and direction of the gas leak can be detected quickly and easily. The sensitivity is greatly improved compared with the traditional gas detector, and the image can be instantly displayed on the display. It can also be used with different spectrometers (such as infrared Fu-converter) to detect gas types and concentrations.

2. It can be detected by various methods such as portable, fixed station, vehicle-mounted, and aircraft-loaded.

3. The detection distance can be adjusted to several centimeters to several kilometers as needed.

4. It has the function of traditional infrared thermal image, and can also be used for night plant maintenance and related thermal image and thermal pollution prevention.

5. It can be expanded to the purpose of air pollution control and can detect a variety of different gas components and concentrations.

The above embodiments of the present invention are provided for convenience of explanation only. When the meaning of the case cannot be limited, the various transformation designs according to the scope of the listed patent application should be included in the patent scope of the present application.

10‧‧‧ gas image sensing unit

11‧‧‧Filter

12‧‧‧Photosensor chip

20‧‧‧Signal Processing Unit

30‧‧‧ display

40‧‧‧Laser unit

50‧‧‧ board

60‧‧‧Infrared Spectrometer

70‧‧‧beam splitter

80‧‧‧Scanner

90‧‧‧Mirror

91‧‧‧A/O, Acoustic-Optics modulator

92‧‧‧ Beam Amplifier

A‧‧‧Dark part

B‧‧‧light part

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a view showing the use of the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is an image view of the first embodiment showing the leaked invisible gas displayed in the display. Fig. 5 is an infrared spectrum diagram shown in the first embodiment. Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a view showing the use of the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a diagram showing another use case of the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 10 is a view showing an example of the use of the vehicle of the present invention. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the use of the aircraft of the present invention. Figure 12 is a plan view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (12)

A gas image detecting system includes: a gas image sensing unit, which is a Dewar, containing a filter and a photo sensor chip, wherein the filter is used for filtering into the a predetermined wavelength of light in the gas image sensing unit, the light sensor chip is configured to receive light passing through the filter and convert the light into an image signal; a signal processing unit electrically connecting the light sensor a chip for processing the image signal to be converted into a gas image; a display electrically connected to the signal processing unit for receiving the image signal to display the gas image; and a laser unit for generating gas absorption A predetermined wavelength of laser light is projected onto the area to be detected. The gas image detecting system of claim 1, wherein the filter is one of a narrow bandwidth cool filter or a grating. The gas image detecting system according to claim 2, wherein the bandwidth Δλ of the narrow-bandwidth cool-cooling filter is one of a range of 2 um to 20 um. The gas image sensing unit of claim 1, wherein the photo sensor wafer is a two-dimensional focal plane array type infrared material wafer, and the two-dimensional focal plane array type infrared material wafer has a pixel resolution of N. *M, the N*M is one of 128*128, 320*240, 640*480, 1024*960, where N is the number of pixels in the horizontal direction; M is the number of pixels in the vertical direction. The gas image detecting system of claim 1, wherein the laser light of the predetermined wavelength of the laser unit is one of a gas laser, a liquid laser, a solid laser, and a semiconductor laser. For example, the gas image detecting system described in claim 1 is integrated with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry), which is a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer , FTIR, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry) can accurately measure the gas concentration and type, and generate a measurement data, and transmit the measurement data to the display. The gas image detecting system of claim 1, comprising a beam splitter having a beveled shape and mounted at a front of the gas image sensing unit light source inlet for controlling reflection The direction of light. The gas image detecting system of claim 1, wherein the scanner comprises a scanner disposed at a front side of the laser unit for expanding the laser light of the laser unit. The gas image detecting system of claim 1, comprising a mirror having a variable angle and being disposed at a front of the gas image sensing unit light source inlet for controlling the reflection The direction of light. The gas image detecting system of claim 1, comprising an A/O (Acoustic-Optics) modulator, the A/O, Acoustic-Optics modulator And disposed at a front side of the laser unit for modulating any one of a scanning direction, an angle, and a range of the laser light of the laser unit. The gas image detecting system of claim 1, comprising a beam amplifier disposed at a front side of the laser unit for expanding the laser light of the laser unit. The gas image detecting system according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit can detect the concentration of the gas by using a gray scale comparison and an algorithm according to temperature, humidity, flow rate and distance.