About Thermal Cameras

 

The infrared camera is a new type of advanced infrared imaging instrument. It has a wide range of applications in the military and civilian industries and shows fast, non-contact characteristics.

 

1.What is a thermal camera?

A thermal camera is a special camera equipped with sensors that can detect thermal energy and turn it into visible light. Meaning, you would see the different energy emissions of objects when you look into one. The more heat energy an object emits, the lighter it is on the picture. And conversely, the lesser heat energy, the darker.

2.Can a thermal camera see through walls?

No, a thermal camera cannot see through walls but it can see thermal images through walls. It can also go through fog, heavy smoke or even total darkness. This means it can give you an accurate heat reading even when there is little to no light available.

 

3.How can thermal cameras ease my everyday?

Thermal imaging cameras can protect you from the prospects of a fire. Faulty home wiring is a leading cause of electrical fires - and unnecessary deaths. With a thermal camera, you can detect overheating electrical wiring as easy as A, B, and C.

And that should include your HVAC and water system. So you are kept away from furnace-ignited fires and overheating ACs. Or for that matter water leaks.  For now, you can check all these things, without having to open pipes or physically eyeball every nook and cranny.

4.Can thermal cameras detect disease?

Definitely not. Thermal cameras are not designed for medical purposes. However, thermal imaging has been instrumental in preventing the spread of disease  - H1N1 and Ebola virus globally for instance. As thermal cameras detect rise in body temperature, people affected by these viruses who are marked by high fever can be prevented in the airport from entering the country. This without personnel even touching them directly.

Farmers can also benefit greatly from thermal cameras. Hot hooves, for instance, is a surefire sign of a sick cow. Detecting such a condition early can save the livestock.

5.Thermal Camera vs Standard Camera?

They are not actual cameras in the strict sense of the word. They are more like sensors - sensing heat.a camera sees visible light but can’t detect heat. Conversely, a thermal camera detects heat but won’t see visible light in the traditional sense. Thus, it would be easy to understand why the pictures produced by a thermal camera is totally different from those taken from a smartphone.

For a thermal camera, the greater the thermal emission (the hotter the source), the closer the image displayed will be to white. On the other end of the scale, the lower the thermal emission (the colder the source), the closer the image displayed will be to blue.

6.How do thermal cameras work?

Thermal cameras have a special lens added to them so that they can view the thermal emission from all the different sources within its view. The lens will use thermal detectors to produce a temperature image better known as a thermogram. The process is pretty quick - lasting for a fraction of second. In such a short span of time, as much information as thousands of detailed points is collected and processed. The thermogram is then turned into electrical impulses which will finally be shown - directed to the display screen in the infrared spectrum.

7.How accurate are thermal cameras?

This will often depend on the specification of the thermal camera and the design. The most significant factor to this is the frame rate and whether it’s an un-cooled or cooled thermal camera. However, most, including all of the PerfectPrime thermal cameras, will have a slight variation of 0.4F (0.2C).

8.What is thermal resolution?

Thermal resolution determines how clear the thermal image is on your camera. The higher this number the clearer the details are. Typically, a resolution is measured in pixels - given in the form of number x number (e.g., 32 x 32). The first number represents horizontal clarity and the second number, vertical clarity.

9.Hti and FLIR price comparison？

The same thermal imaging resolution of 320×240.HT-19 is priced at $629, and the FLIR E75 is priced at $6999. This is a sky-high price, although its details will be better.