US 12,306,065 B2
Container leakage detection using thermal imaging
Timothy Pope, Quebec (CA); Samuel Ouellet, Quebec (CA); and Robert Brown, Quebec (CA)
Assigned to Institut National D'Optique, Quebec (CA)
Appl. No. 17/771,867
Filed by Institut National D'Optique, Quebec (CA)
PCT Filed Oct. 23, 2020, PCT No. PCT/CA2020/051425
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 26, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/081628, PCT Pub. Date May 6, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/929,155, filed on Nov. 1, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0390313 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. G01M 3/00 (2006.01); G01N 25/72 (2006.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01); G06V 10/40 (2022.01); G01J 5/00 (2022.01); G01N 21/88 (2006.01); G06V 10/143 (2022.01)
CPC G01M 3/002 (2013.01) [G06T 7/0004 (2013.01); G06V 10/40 (2022.01); G01J 2005/0077 (2013.01); G01N 21/8851 (2013.01); G01N 25/72 (2013.01); G06V 10/143 (2022.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inspection system for detecting leakage from a liquid-holding container enclosed in an overwrap made of a material that is opaque to thermal radiation, the inspection system comprising:
a heat source configured to apply a thermal stimulation to an exterior of the overwrap;
a thermal imaging device configured to sense thermal radiation emanating from a scene encompassing the liquid-holding container, and to generate a sequence of thermal images of the scene based on the sensed thermal radiation, the sequence of thermal images being representative of a time evolution of a temperature distribution at the exterior of the overwrap in response to the applied thermal stimulation; and
a control and processing unit operatively connected to the thermal imaging device and configured to analyze the sequence of thermal images by assessing whether the sequence of thermal images includes a thermal feature representative of a thermal spot in the temperature distribution and indicative of leaked liquid being present in an interstitial volume defined between the liquid-holding container and the overwrap to provide a determination that a leak exists in the liquid-holding container.