Thermal imaging system for internal combustion engines

摘要

A thermal imaging system for use in an internal combustion engines employs a removable optical housing that is inserted through a hole in the cylinder wall. The distal end of the housing supports a lens made of a material such as polycrystalline spinel or sapphire to provide a desired field of view within the cylinder and to project an image from the field of view through the internal passageway of the optical housing. A camera receives and records the image provided by the lens and optical housing. In the preferred embodiment, the distal portion of the optical housing is secured to the cylinder wall by means of threads or a breech-mount mechanism to permit quick and easy removal and cleaning of the lens. A thermocouple or heat flux gauge can be mounted to the cylinder wall within the field of view of the thermal imaging system to provide a reference point for temperature measurements.