System for predicting errors on components of rotating machines by thermography

Abstract

A system for computer-based detection of damage on machine components, such as misalignments and mechanical damage on bearings and clutches, with which mathematical linkage of the temperatures of selected regions of thermography pictures are compared with reference pictures. The system can consult photographs from the visible spectral range in the computed-based assessment.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for determining the state of components of a machine by evaluation of thermography pictures, comprising:
 a thermography camera for taking thermography pictures,   a computer system,   a database in which reference pictures taken by the thermography camera are stored,   software implemented on the computer system for carrying out temperature normalization at at least one cold site and at at least one hot site by a mathematical linkage comparison of at least one first thermography picture with a reference picture from the database, and   a display for displaying the result of the mathematical linkage.   
     
     
         2 . The system as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a camera for taking visible spectral range images. 
     
     
         3 . The system as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the display is able to display the result of the mathematical linkage as at least one of a superposition of several thermography pictures and a superposition with a picture from the visible spectral range. 
     
     
         4 . The system as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the display is able to display the result of the mathematical linkage as a superposition of several thermography pictures.