History and Discovery of Infrared Radiation:
– Infrared discovered in 1800 by Sir William Herschel.
– Development of detectors by Leopoldo Nobili and Samuel Pierpont Langley.
– Significant steps in infrared detector development.
– Early applications in various fields like detecting icebergs and forest fires.
– Nobili’s thermocouple invention in 1829 and Langley’s bolometer invention in 1880.
Development of Thermographic Cameras:
– Invention of the first infrared-sensitive electronic television camera by Kálmán Tihanyi in 1929.
– US military and Texas Instruments’ development of the first American thermographic camera in 1947.
– Introduction of mercury cadmium telluride as a photoconductor.
– Patenting of a camera scanning pyro-electronically in 1969.
– Evolution of infrared linescan systems in the 1950s.
Theory and Operation of Thermographic Cameras:
– Infrared energy as part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
– Objects emit black body radiation based on temperature.
– Special cameras detect infrared radiation like visible light.
– Spectral range of thermal radiation.
– Special materials needed for thermal camera lenses.
Types and Materials Used in Thermographic Cameras:
– Cooled Infrared Detectors:
– Cryogenic cooling for effective operation.
– Operating temperatures and cooling systems used.
– Materials like indium antimonide and mercury cadmium telluride.
– Uncooled Infrared Detectors:
– Operation at or near ambient temperature.
– Materials like pyroelectric, ferroelectric, and microbolometer technology.
– Silicon microbolometers achieving low Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD).
Applications and Specifications of Thermographic Cameras:
– Various applications in temperature measurement, firefighting, power line maintenance, and more.
– Specifications like number of pixels, frame rate, responsivity, NETD, and Distance-to-spot ratio (D:S).
– Diverse applications in fields like agriculture, astronomy, automotive night vision, and more.
– References to related technologies like digital infrared thermal imaging and thermal weapon sight.
It has been suggested that this article be merged into Thermography. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2023. |
A thermographic camera (also called an infrared camera or thermal imaging camera, thermal camera or thermal imager) is a device that creates an image using infrared (IR) radiation, similar to a normal camera that forms an image using visible light. Instead of the 400–700 nanometre (nm) range of the visible light camera, infrared cameras are sensitive to wavelengths from about 1,000 nm (1 micrometre or μm) to about 14,000 nm (14 μm). The practice of capturing and analyzing the data they provide is called thermography.
