Thermal imaging is used in both military and civil applications. It has its origins in the military field and gradually turned to civilian use. In civilian use, it is commonly referred to as a thermal imager and is mainly used in RD or industrial inspection and equipment maintenance. In addition, it is widely used in the fields of fire protection, night vision and security.
How a thermal imager works
A thermal imager is an optical device that detects and measures radiation and compares the radiation to the associated surface temperature science.
Radiation is the movement of heat that occurs when radiant energy (electromagnetic waves) travels without a directly conductive medium. Modern thermal imagers use optoelectronic devices to detect, measure and use radiationto correlate with the surface temperature.
All objects above zero temperature (-273°C) emit infrared radiation.
The infrared thermal imager uses the infrared detector and the optical imaging lens to receive the infrared radiation energy distribution pattern of the measured target and reflect it on the photosensitive element of the infrared detector to create an infrared thermal image. This thermal image corresponds to the heat distribution field on the surface of the object.
In general, the purpose of an infrared thermal imaging camera is to convert the invisible infrared energy of an object into a visible thermal image.
Different colors at the top of the thermal image represent different temperatures of the measured object. By viewing the thermal image, you can observe the overall temperature distribution of the measured target, examine the target's heat generation, and then make a decision about the next onemeet step.
Humans have always been able to detect infrared radiation. Nerve endings in human skin can respond to temperature differences as small as ±0.009°C (0.005°F). Although extremely sensitive, human nerve endings are not designed for non-destructive thermal analysis.
For example, while humans can rely on animal heat sensing to identify warm-blooded prey in the dark, even better heat detection tools may be needed.
Due to the limitations of the human physical structure in detecting thermal energy, mechanical and electronic devices have been developed that are very sensitive to thermal energy. These devices are standard tools for studying thermal energy in many applications.
The thermal imager uses an infrared detector and an optical imaging lens to capture the infraredto receive red radiation energy of the measured target and reflects the energy distribution pattern on the photosensitive element of the infrared detector. This gives an infrared thermal image. This thermal image corresponds to the heat distribution field on the surface of the object.
In general, the purpose of a thermal imaging camera is to convert the invisible infrared energy of an object into a visible thermal image. Different colors at the top of the thermal image represent different temperatures of the measured object.