IR imaging system inspects truck brakes in seconds

17 Jun 2002

Infra-Red Inspection Systems will use the multispectral imaging camera systems of FLIR Systems as to inspect and monitor the brakes, bearings, and tires of commercial vehicles.

A conventional brake inspection requires approximately 45 minutes. The IRIS device takes about six to eight seconds and also allows inspectors to stop only vehicles which do not meet standards.

IRIS will use FLIR's imager along with other equipment including monitors, recorders, and video printers to monitor trucks or other vehicles as they pass by a certain location.

"They're used as a screening device at the weigh scales, for example, to very quickly assess whether a truck is good or bad," said George McKay, the president of IRIS.

FLIR's 7000 camera can differentiate between reflective and refractive heat, increasing the accuracy and reliability of the inspections. "We're looking for an anomaly of any kind," said McKay. "We've been able to pick up separating tires before they separate."

The system has also been able to ascertain suspension and alignment problems. Because cars have hubcaps and because most of the braking action on a car is on the front wheels, the system only works on trucks.

"It really almost X-rays the truck that goes by," said Peter McKay, George's brother, who is the Director of Operations for Thermal Standards, Inc.

Thermal Standards is IRIS' first customer, and not just because the McKays are brothers. Thermal Standards will use the systems to record vehicle information data to insurance companies. The infrared camera obtains the brake data, but another camera identifies the license plate. The plate is tagged to a color picture of the truck, which is tagged to the thermal image of the truck. The data base of license plates can determine the percentage of a company's fleet which has been scanned, and the pass-fail rate of that percentage is relayed to insurance companies, which can rate a company on that basis.

"It's a win-win situation for everybody," said Peter McKay. "If a fleet gets a good rating they're in a position to look for a decrease in their premiums."

The trucking companies are not only welcoming the passive inspections but see it as a maintenance tool for their fleets. "A lot of the larger truck companies area actually asking IRIS Systems to come out to their facilities," Little noted.

The sale to IRIS Systems is FLIR's first for this application. "It's actually very exciting news. It's not only a new development for infrared, but it's opening up an entire new industry," Little remarked. "Infrared is now being used in an entirely new application to improve highway safety, something that has never been used before."

FLIR Systems, Inc., is based in Portland, Oregon. IRIS Systems is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. But this is one Canadian import welcomed by many in American industry, and the United States Congress is considering legislation which would reimburse states for 80 percent of the cost of such an inspection system.

"This is really a neat new way of using infrared technology, and it's showing how infrared is expanding into a variety of commercial uses," Little noted.