Analysis of Thermal Imagers

A thermal imager with a microbolometer focal plane array (FPA) detector which does not require cooling is a relatively new type of instrument. With increasing use of thermal imagers for absolute temperature measurements, there is also an increasing need for their calibration. Five thermal imagers fr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of thermophysics Vol. 32; no. 1-2; pp. 237 - 247
Main Authors Grgic, Goran, Pusnik, Igor
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Boston Springer US 2011
Subjects
Arrays
Blackbody
Budgeting
Calibration
Classical Mechanics
Condensed Matter Physics
Drift
Focal plane
Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering
Microorganisms
Physical Chemistry
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Uncertainty
Blackbody
Thermal imager
Uncertainty
Thermogram
Calibration
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:A thermal imager with a microbolometer focal plane array (FPA) detector which does not require cooling is a relatively new type of instrument. With increasing use of thermal imagers for absolute temperature measurements, there is also an increasing need for their calibration. Five thermal imagers from three manufacturers were evaluated to identify parameters which affect their performance for accurate temperature measurements. Evaluation methods and measurements of parameters such as accuracy, temperature resolution, drift between internal calibration, non-uniformity, size-of-source effect, and distance effect are discussed. Based on the results, it is indicated which parameters should be evaluated in the calibration procedure as well as the uncertainty budget. The suitability of a blackbody for calibration was also addressed, especially in terms of dimensions related to the field of view of a thermal imager at the minimum focal distance.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ISSN:0195-928X
1572-9567
DOI:10.1007/s10765-011-0932-z