THERMALIMAGINGTECHNOLOGY

Thermalimaging,alsoknownasthermographyorthermalvideo,isameanswherepeoplemay
possiblyseeintheinfraredsectionofthespectrum.Sinceeachandeveryobjectemitsseveral
volumeofthermalradiation,thermalimagingwillbesuitableforwatchingapicturewithin
environmentsinextremedarknessorperhapswhenobscuredbysmoke,fog,rain,orsnow.The
areaswithdifferenttemperaturesarepictoriallyrepresented.Thermographiccamerasformthe
imagewiththehelpofinfraredrays.Theyworksimilartothenormalcamerabutuseinfrared
insteadofnormallightraysSomekindsofnightvisionusethermalimaging,andthermal
imagingistheidealmodelofnightvision,sinceitcancertainlyexposeobjectsintheblackestof
nights.Thermalimagingisemployedwidelyinsecurity,thenavy,mapreading,surveillance,
firefighting,industry,medicine,andalsoscience.

0perationofThermalimagingtechnology
Operatesbyrecordingtheupperportionoftheinfraredlightspectrum,whichisemittedasheat
byobjectsinsteadofsimplyshownaslight.Warmermaterialssuchaswarmbodiesemitalot
moreofthislightincomparisonwithcoolerstuffjustliketreesorperhapscomplexes.Therefore,
thermalimagingdevicesproduceimagesaccordingtovariationsintemperatureofthelooked
atscene.Thermalimaginginbothhomeaswellascommercialareasallowsustorecognize
particularcomplexes,orpartsofbuildings,wherewarmthisgettingaway.Whentheamountof
heatissignificant,theselocationscanbefocusedonrestorationandreinsulationtominimize
expensesalongwithpreserveenergy.Largeoriginalequipmentmanufacturers(OEMs)definitely

utilisethermalimaging,howevertheysimplygetitdoneonthesystemdesignlevel.With
thermalimaging,powerlinesmaintenancetechniciansidentifyoverheatingjointsandparts,a
telltaleindicationoftheirfailure,togetridofprobabledangers.Wherethermalinsulation
becomesdefective,buildingconstructionexpertscouldseethermalsignatureswhichindicate
Theinfraredradiationenablesthefirefighterstokeepawatchonareasofheatbeyondthe
darknessandsmokeandothersuchheatpermittingbarriers.Thethermalimagingcameraisa
devicethatisdesignedtobeheldbyhand,butitcanalsobemountedonthehelmetusingan
attachment.

WORKINGOFTHERMOGRAPHICCAMERA
Infraredimagingisatypeofimagingthatutilizeslightabovethewavelengthofthevisual
spectrumActiveinfraredsendsoutabeamofinfraredlightandgathersthereflectedwavesto
formapictureonascreenorpairofglasses.IRfilmissensitivetoinfrared(IR)radiationinthe
250Cto500CrangeTHERMALIMAGEThermalImagingisatypeofimagingthatdetermines
animagebasedontheabsolutetemperatureofthesubject.Theimageisformedbasedonthe
heatsignatureofobjectThermaldevicesrecordthecurrentsignaturesofthedevicesbasedon
theirheatpatternanddonotneedabeamlikeactiveIRdevicesRangeofthermalimageris
approximately50Ctoover2,000C

COOLEDTHERMALIMAGER
Cooleddetectorsaretypicallycontainedinavacuumsealedcaseandcryogenicallycooled
Coolingisnecessaryfortheoperationofthesemiconductormaterialsusedelsetheywouldbe
blindedbytheirownradiation
Cooledinfraredcamerasprovidesuperiorimagequality
Bulkyandexpensivetoproduceandrun
Coolingispowerhungryandtimeconsuminghencethecameraneedstimetocooldown
beforeitcanbeginworkingagainUNCOOLEDTHERMALIMAGER
Uncooleddetectorsuseasensoroperatingatambienttemperature,orasensorstabilizedat
roomtemperatureusingcontrolelements
Resolutionandimagequalitytendtobelowerthancooleddetectors
Smallerandlesscostlytoproduceandrun
Fastoperationandconsumeslesspower

ItIsMadeOf
Thethermalimagingcameraisconstructedusingcertainheatandwaterresistantmaterials.
Thesemakeitwithstandruggedconditionsandevenfirehazards.Thecameracomprisesofan
opticalsystem,adetector,anamplifierandasignalprocessingdevice.Completingit,isawide
displayaswell.

FeaturesoftheCamera:
Theheatresistantandwaterproofpartsfunctiontogetherinrenderingtheinfraredradiations
exhibitedbyhotsurfacesintovisiblenormallightatrealtime.Thecameraiscapableof
displayinginfraredoutputtoo.Twoobjectswithsimilartemperatureswouldappeartobeofthe
samecolour.Somethermalimagingcamerasmakeuseofgrayscalerepresentationofthe
normaltemperatureofobjectsandhighlighttheextremelyhotsurfacesinothercolours.

IMAGEPROCESSING
Imageprocessingisanyformofsignalprocessingforwhichtheinputisanimage,suchasa
photographorvideoframeandtheoutputmaybeeitheranimageorasetofcharacteristicsor
parametersrelatedtotheimage

COLOURSForsciencecommunication
thetwomaincolorspacesareRGBandCMYK.RGB
Anadditivecolormodelinwhichred,green,andblueareaddedtogetherinvariouswaystoreproduce
arrayofcolors
Whiteisthe"additive"combinationofallprimarycoloredlightsCMYK
SubtractivecolormodelCMYKreferstothefourinksusedincolorprinting:cyan,magenta,yellow,and
key(black)
CMYKmodeliscalledsubtractivebecauseinks"subtract"brightnessfromwhite

ADVANTAGESOFTHERMALIMAGING
Noninvasiveandnondestructivehencecanbeusedtosurveywhilsttheplantandequipmentis
running,inproductionandonload
Producesfast,accurateandimmediatetemperaturemeasurementandhelpsinfaultdetection
Camerasareeasytoinstallandsurveyscanbeperformedataconvenienttime
Iscapableofcatchingmovingtargetsinrealtimeandinlowlightconditions
Canbeusedtomeasureorobservesubjectsinareasinaccessibleorhazardousforothermethods
Canhelpinidentifyingairleakages,documentingirregularheatdispersionandidentifyingpossible
irregularitiesininsulation
Camerascanpassivelyseeallobjects,regardlessofambientlight

THERMALIMAGINGINBORDERSECURITY

ProtectyourborderswiththermalimagingThermalimagingisanimportantelementinmany
bordersecurityprogrammesand,whenintegratedintoasystemwithothersensors,suchas
radar,itprovidesaneffectiveapproachtobordercontrol.FLIRSystemsoffersawidevarietyof
thermalimagingcameras.Whateveryourneeds,FLIRhasthecorrectthermalimagingcamera.
Protectingacountrysbordersisvitaltoitsnationalsecurity.Itishoweververychallengingto
detectpotentialintrudersorsmugglersintotaldarkness,inthemostdiverseweather
conditions.Thermalimagingcamerascanhelpbordercontrolprofessionalstomeetthe
demandstheyfaceatnightandinotherlowlightsituations.

FLIRSystems

ThermalimagingcamerasforBorderSecurityApplicationsFLIRSystemsisaglobalcompany
producingthermalimagingcamerasforawidevarietyofapplications.Thermalimaging
camerasproduceaclearimageinthedarkestofnights.Theydonotneedanylightwhatsoever
toproduceaclearimageintotaldarkness.Butthermalimagingisalsousefulinbroaddaylight.
AthermalimagingcameracannotbeblindedbythesunlikeanormalCCTVcamera.
Furthermore,thermalcontrastisextremelydifficulttomasksopeopletryingtocamouflage
themselvesortryingtohideinbushesorshadowswillseamlesslybedetected.Thermalimaging
technologydetectschangesintemperature.Basedonsubtledifferencesintemperature,called
heatsignatures,thermalimagingcamerascreateacrispimage.Thermalimagingneedsnolight
whatsoevertoproduceaclearimage,inpracticallyallweatherconditions,onwhichthe
smallestofobjectscanbeseen.Duetotheirabilitytodetectmansizedtargetsatextremely
longdistances,thermalimagingcamerasareextremelysuitedforbordersurveillance.Thermal
imagingcameraswithcooleddetectorsforbordersecurityThereexisttwodifferenttypesof
thermalimagingcameras:thosewithuncooleddetectorsandthosewithcooleddetectors.
Generally,cooledcamerasareusedinbordersecurityapplicationsastheyprovidealonger
rangeperformancethanversionswithanuncooleddetector.Somemodelswithacooled
detectorareabletodetectamansizedtargetatadistanceof1820km.Thermalimaging
systemsareoftenusedinconjunctionwithdaylight/lowlightcamerasthatcanbeusedwhen
conditionspermit.Installedonapan/tilt,thesesocalledMultiSensorSystemscaneasily
beintegratedwithradarsystemsinasocalledslewtocueconfiguration.Ifanobjectis
spottedbyradarthethermalimagingcamerawillautomaticallyturnintherightdirectionso
thatitcanbeseenwhattheblipontheradarscreenreallymeans.ManyMultiSensorSystems
aremountedinthisslewtocueconfiguration.MultiSensorconfigurationscanalsobe
equippedwithGPSandadigitalmagneticcompasstoensuretheoperatorknowswherethe
thermalimageris(thisisimportantforbordersecurityapplicationswherethecamerais
installedonavehicle)andwhatdirectionitispointingin.Somesystemsalsohavealaserrange
findertoprovideameasureofhowfarawayanobjectis.Atrackercanoptionallybeinstalledas
well

SECURITYANDLAWENFORCEMENTAPPLICATIONS
Withathermalimager,anofficercanstopandscanthepropertyatadistance,identifying
anypersonpresentthere.
Perimetersurveillanceisanotherapplicationinwhichthermalimagingcanbeusedto
dramaticallyimproveresultsandreducethetimecommittedtoaparticularoperation.

Thermalimagingcamerasarealsousedinsearchandrescueoperationsasofficersmaybe
abletosearchupto1,500feetinanydirection.

Applications
Theabilityofthethermalimagingcameratoseethroughdarkareasanddensesmokemakesit
aboonforthefirefightersinidentifyingthemainsourceoffire.Theyareusedtorescuevictims
caughtinfireaccidents,spotsmolderingfireburstsinsidewalls,andevendetectionof
overheatedwiring.

Detectinginsulationleaksinrefrigerators.
Detectingathermalpatternfortheboilertubes.
Locatingradiantheatingwiresorpipes.
Determiningthermalheatlossofthebuildings.
Electricalinspectionofsubstations.

NIGHTVISION:

Thermalimagingcamerasareexcellenttoolsfornightvision.
Theydetectthermalradiationanddonotneedasourceofillumination.
Theyproduceanimageinthedarkestofnightsandcanseethroughlightfog,rainandsmoke.
Thermalimagingcamerasarewidelyusedtocomplementneworexistingsecuritynetworks,
andfornightvisiononaircraft,wheretheyarecommonlyreferredtoas"FLIR"(for"forward
lookinginfrared".)

INMEDICINE
Thermalimageofinflammationinlegscausedduetoinjury

Anofficermonitoringathermalscanneraspassengersarriveattheairporttodetectfever
duringtheswinefluoutbreak
INAGRICULTUREANDFOODINDUSTRY:

Potentialuseofthermalimaginginagricultureandfoodindustryincludes
Predictingwaterstressincrops
Planningirrigationscheduling
Diseaseandpathogendetectioninplants
Predictingfruityield
Evaluatingthematuringoffruits
Bruisedetectioninfruitsandvegetables
Detectionofforeignbodiesinfoodmaterial
Temperaturedistributionduringcooking
INBUILDINGSDIAGONISTICS:

Thermalscanofahouseshowingwaterleakintheceiling.Thermalimageofahouse
INCONDITIONMONITORING:

Asimpleportableinfraredthermalcameraisusedbytheconsultanttoscanthesurface
conditionsandobtainapictureontheLCDscreen.
Usingsimplenavigationfeaturesbuiltintothecamera,itisthenpossibletoidentifythe
thermalprofileandabnormalhotorcoldspots.
Basedontheinformationaboutaveragetemperatures,designparameters,visual
observations,etcthepresentconditionofthosemachineriescanbedeterminedandcorrective
actionscanbetaken.
EVALUATIONOFSOLARPANELS:

Withathermalimagingcamera,potentialproblemareasofsolarpanelscanbedetectedand
repairedbeforeactualproblemsorfailuresoccur

Anomaliesonpanelscanclearlybeseenonthermalimageandthermalcamerascanbeused
toscaninstalledsolarpanelsduringnormaloperation.
Uncooledthermalimagingcamerasusedforsolarpanelqualitycontrolsbeforeinstallation
andformaintenanceafterthepanelhasbeeninstalled.Redspotsindicatemodulesthatare
hotterindicatingfaultycircuit
INVOLCANOLOGY:

Thermalimagingcamerasaretheidealtoolforthedetectionandanalysisofvolcanicheat
patterns
Thermalimagingcamerasareusedtomeasureandmapactivelavaflowsandtodetectnew
crackswherehotgasesescap
eUnderstandingthemechanicsbehindvolcanicincidentswillhelptoimprovevolcanic
warningsystemswhichwillinturnhelptosavelives
INWEATHERFORECASTING:

Satellitesmountedwiththermalimagingcamerasarebeingusedtodetermineweather
patternsonearth.
Theyareusedtotrackdangerousweatherconditions,rainingpatterns,heatwavesandsolar
activity.
Thermalimaginghelpsinmakingaccurateweatherforecastsrevealingarangeofinformation
liketheformationandswirlingmotionofclouds,seasurfacetemperature,moistureprofileof
theatmosphereandthemovementofsmokeplumesfromwildfires.Thermalimageofthe
Saharadesert

LIMITATIONSOFTHERMALIMAGING
Qualitycamerasareexpensive(oftenUS$3,000ormore),cheaperareonly40x40upto
120x120pixels
Imagescanbedifficulttointerpretaccuratelywhenbaseduponcertainobjects,specifically
objectswitherratictemperatures
Accuratetemperaturemeasurementsarehinderedbydifferingemissivitiesandreflections
fromothersurfaces
Mostcamerashave2%accuracyorworseinmeasurementoftemperatureandarenotas
accurateascontactmethods

Onlyabletodirectlydetectsurfacetemperatures
Thermalimagingcamerascannotbeusedtoseeobjectsunderwater
Becausethermalenergycanbereflectedoffshinysurfaces,thermalimagingcamerascannot
seethroughglass
Alsothermalimagingcamerascannotseethroughwall.

REASONSFORNEEDOFTHERMALIMAGINIG
1)SPOTELECTRICALISSUES

Countthenumberofmotors,circuitbreakers,andotherelectricalequipmentinyour
buildingareyouconfidenttheyreallworkingproperly?
Becausethermalimagersallowyoutotakemeasurementsfromadistance,theyreideal
forfindingissuesinequipmentthatcouldposeasafetyissuetoworkersorarehardto
reach,notesLux.FMswilloftenfindcircuitsthatareoverheatingormotorbearingsthat
areabouttofail.
Youcandiagnoseproblemsinelectricaldistributionsystemsveryquicklywiththermal
imagers,saysTomScanlon,vicepresidentofthermographysalesfortheAmericaswith
toolproviderFLIR.Whenamotorisntworkingright,forexample,theoutsideofthe
bellhousingwillbenoticeablywarmer.
Thermalimagesarealsousedtofindlooseconnections.Dirtwillcreateadditional
resistanceovertime,whichcausesthemtooverheat.Youcanactuallyloseoneofthe
phasesofathreephasesystem,puttingyouatriskofapowerfailureorfire,Woodroof
cautions.
Usingthermographyforpredictivemaintenanceisanothergreatwaytocatchproblems
thatcouldblossomintomajorfailuresdowntheroad.
Forexample,weworkwithamotorcyclefactorythatrecentlyinstallednewelectrical
motorsonitsproductionlines.Theyhadonlybeenrunningaweek,butduringtheirfirst
inspectionwiththermalcameras,theyfoundthatallthreeofthenewmotorswere
overheating,recountsLux.Itturnsoutthatthewrongmodelshadbeeninstalled
theywerebeingovertaskedandwereclosetofailure.

2)IDENTIFYTHERMALPERFORMANCE

Themostcommonproblemandtheoneeasiesttodetectisheatlossfromwalls,
piping,HVACcomponents,doors,andwindows.
Infraredcamerascantreadairtemperature,buttheycanmeasuretheimpactofthat
airtemperatureonasurface,suchasthegrillesonavent,explainsScanlon.Youcan
usethisinformationtodetermineiftheairflowissufficienttodisburseheatorcoolingin
aroom.Youmayfindthatyouhaveairinfiltrationfromthewindows,sonomatterhow

appropriatethetemperatureiscomingoutofthevent,theroomwillneverhavethe
rightthermalbalance.
Thermalimagerscanbeusedduringtheconstructionphaseofaprojectaswell.Lets
sayyouwanttoconfirmthatacontractorisdoingagoodjobwiththeinsulationduring
aconstructionproject.Youcanliterallytakepicturesoftheroofandwallstoseeifthere
areareaswheretheinsulationwasntputinproperly,saysWoodroof.
BecauseIRcamerascancoversuchawidearea,itsnotuncommontospotproblems
thatyouwerentexpectingtofind.Youmaybeonthehuntforoneissue,butthe
thermalreadingwillbringanothertroublespottoyourattention.
Onetimewewerelookingforheatlossaroundafuseboxinacoldstorageareaofa
facility.Asweweretakingreadings,wealsonoticedthatcoldairwasleakingoutofthe
freezerhighuponawall,recallsWoodroof.Wewouldnthavecaughtthisadditional
savingsopportunitywithoutseeingthethermalvariation.

3)ROOTOUTROOFINGPROBLEMS

Yourroofisoneofyourmostvaluableassets,soyoudontwanttofindoutaboutaleak
whenanemployeereportsapuddleontheirdesk.Youcanusethermographytotrack
roofconditionsandspotproblemsbeforetheywashoutoccupantsbelow.
Typicalroofproblemsarepunctures,compromisedmembranearoundanHVACunit,or
gapsinaseam,Scanlonsays.Withanyofthese,waterwillsaturatetheinsulation
abovetheroofdeck.Thismoisturewillheatupasthesunshinesdown.Atnight,theroof
willradiateheat,buttheareasholdingmoisturewilltakelongertoradiatebecausethey
haveahigherthermalmass.Theresacertaintimeoftheeveningbetweensundownand
midnightwhenthesespotswillstandoutlikeasorethumb.
Thermographymayevensaveyoufromhavingtoreplacearoofaltogetherbecauseyou
wereabletopinpoint

TheDisadvantagesofThermalImagingCamera
Thermalimagingisatechnologywhichallowspeopletotakepicturesofheatenergy.Thisisa
noninvasiveandconvenientwaytoinspectcertainareasofahome.Forexample,thermal
imagingcamerascandetecttheheatsignaturesofpestsorhelpmappipingwithouttearing
apartawall.

FUTUREUSEOFTHERMALIMAGING

3Dimaging,combiningimagesandstreamsfromtwoormoreIRcameras
Livestreaming,lettingmanypeopleseewhataFLIRdevicedoes,inpublicandworkplace
networks
FLIRviewingappsforwearableslikewristwatches(likeAppleWatch)andheadsup
eyeware(likeGoogleGlass)togowithtoday'sviewingappsforiOSandAndroid
PLIRpanoramiclookinginfraredforamorecompleteviewofasite
Socialmediasharing,inconsumerandworkplacenetworks
Recognitionofpeople,things,placesinimagesandstreams
Annotationofimagesbysoftwarethatcantellyouthehealthofaperson,project
patternsofafire,estimatetheenergycostofapoorlyinsulateddoor
More/better/fasteropticsandimages.4KIRsensorsat120fpsthatmatchthequality
Innovationsinusercontrol,attentionmanagement,anduserexperiencedesign
borrowedfromgamedesign
Miniaturizationofsensorstoworkatviewingdistancesshorterthan5cmsforusein
surgeryandotherclinicalapplications.
IncorporatingIRsensorsintohumaneyes