What is Thermal Camera? How does it work?
A thermal camera is a non-contact device that detects infrared energy (heat) and converts it into a visual image. Let us dive into the science of Infrared Cameras on how it allows us to see invisible heat our eyes cannot see.
Understanding the detected Infrared waves, not visible light
The first thing you should know about thermal cameras is they do not work like regular cameras. Regular daylight cameras and the human eye both work on the same basic principle: visible light energy hits something, bounce off it, a detector receives the reflected light and then turns it into an image.
Infrared cameras make pictures from heat, not visible light. Heat (also called infrared or thermal energy) and light are both parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, but a camera that can detect visible light will not see thermal energy and vice versa. Thermal cameras capture infrared energy and use the data to create images through digital or analog video outputs.
What is inside the camera
A thermal camera is made up of a lens, consisting of a thermal sensor, processing electronics, and mechanical housing. The lens focuses infrared energy onto the sensor. The sensor comes in a variety of pixel configurations from 80 × 60 to 1280 × 1024 pixels or more.
These resolutions are low in comparison to visible light imagers because thermal detectors need to sense the energy that has much larger wavelengths than visible light, requiring each sensor element to be significantly larger. As a result, a thermal camera usually has a much lower resolution or lower pixels than visible sensors of the same hardware.
Note: it is important to consider the specification of your cameras such as the resolution, range, FOV thermal sensitivity, spectral range, and focus.
What are the objects your camera can detect?
Any object that has heat can be sensed using an infrared camera can be very precisely measured, allowing for a large variety of applications. A thermal camera can detect tiny differences in heat—as small as 0.01°C—and display them as shades of grey or with different color palettes.
In our day-to-day lives thermal energy is present—even ice. The hotter the object is the more thermal energy it emits. This emitted thermal energy is called a “heat signature.” When two objects next to one another have even subtly different heat signatures, they show up quite clearly to a thermal sensor regardless of lighting conditions. This allows thermal cameras to see in complete darkness or smoke-filled environments.
The potential uses for thermal cameras are limitless. Originally it was developed for surveillance and military operations, but now thermal cameras are widely used for building inspections (moisture, insulation, roofing, etc.), firefighting, autonomous vehicles and automatic braking, skin temperature screening, industrial inspections, scientific research, and many more.
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