Characteristics and Application Fields of Infrared Thermal Imager

Infrared thermal imager uses infrared detector, optical imaging objective lens and optical-machine scanning system (the current advanced focal plane technology omits the optical-machine scanning system) to receive the infrared radiation energy distribution pattern of the measured target and reflect it to the photosensitive element of the infrared detector. Between the optical system and the infrared detector, there is an optical-machine scanning mechanism (the focal plane thermal imager does not have this mechanism) to scan the infrared thermal image of the measured object, and focus on the unit or spectroscopic detector, the detector converts infrared radiation energy into electrical signals, and the infrared thermal image is displayed through the TV screen or some detectors by amplifying, converting or standard video signals.

In addition to the infrared thermal imager has the advantages of infrared thermometer (such as non-contact, fast, can measure the temperature of moving targets and small targets, etc.), it also has the following advantages:
(1) Visually display the temperature field of the surface of the object. The infrared thermometer can only display the temperature value of a small area or a certain point on the surface of the object, while the thermal imager can simultaneously measure the temperature of each point on the surface of the object and display it in the form of an image,
(2) high temperature resolution. Due to the influence of various factors, it is difficult to distinguish the temperature difference below 0.1. The thermal imager can display the temperature value of two points at the same time, so it can accurately distinguish the small temperature difference, even up to 0.01.
(3) A variety of display methods can be used. The video signal output by the thermal imager contains a large amount of information about the target and can be displayed in a variety of ways. For example, if the video signal is processed by false color, the thermal image with different temperatures can be displayed in different colors; if the anti-video signal is processed by analog-to-digital conversion, the temperature value of each point of the object can be displayed digitally.
(4) Data storage and computer processing can be carried out. The video signal output by the thermal imager can be stored in digital memory or recorded on video tape, which can be maintained for a long time and can be processed by a computer.

Thermal imagers are widely used in both military and civilian applications. With the maturity of thermal imaging technology and the advent of various low-cost thermal imaging cameras suitable for civilian use, it is playing an increasingly important role in various sectors of the national economy. In industrial production, many equipment are often in high temperature, high pressure and high-speed operation state, the application of infrared thermal imaging camera to detect and monitor these equipment, not only to ensure the safe operation of the equipment, but also to find abnormal conditions in order to eliminate hidden dangers in time.

At the same time, the use of thermal imaging cameras can also be used for industrial product quality control and management. For example, the ablation and wear of refractory materials used in blast furnaces and converters in the iron and steel industry can be observed by thermal imaging cameras, and timely measures can be taken to prevent accidents. As another example, in the petrochemical industry, thermal imaging cameras can monitor the operation of production equipment and pipelines, and provide data on precipitation formation, flow blockage, heat leakage temperature and deterioration of insulation materials at any time. Another example is laser rangefinder, digital oscilloscope, grounding resistance tester, anemometer, metal sleeve thermometer, marine thermometer, V-type thermometer, copper sleeve thermometer, digital pressure gauge, digital thermometer, piston pressure gauge and pressure gauge calibrator. In the power industry, thermal imager can be used to scan generator sets, high-voltage power transmission and distribution lines along the line to find out potential faults, eliminate them in time and prevent accidents. In the electronics industry, thermal imagers can also be used to check the quality of semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, printed circuit boards, etc., and find faults that are difficult to find by other methods.
In addition, infrared thermal imaging cameras have important applications in many fields such as medical treatment, public security, fire protection, archaeology, transportation, agriculture and geology. Such as building heat leakage search, forest fire detection, fire source search and rescue at sea, ore fault discrimination, missile engine inspection, public security reconnaissance and non-destructive inspection of various materials and system quality.