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Analysis of Thermal Imagers

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Abstract

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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Metrology Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, Grudnovo nabrežje 17, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Goran Grgić

  2. Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Laboratory of Metrology and Quality, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Igor Pušnik

Authors
  1. Goran Grgić
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  2. Igor Pušnik
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Correspondence to Igor Pušnik.

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Grgić, G., Pušnik, I. Analysis of Thermal Imagers. Int J Thermophys 32, 237–247 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-011-0932-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10765-011-0932-z

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