What is a Thermal Camera? Uses and Types
A thermal camera is a device that detects and visualizes heat by sensing infrared radiation, which is not visible to the human eye. It converts this infrared radiation into a visual image, displaying the heat distribution of a scene with colors. Hot objects typically appear in bright colors (such as yellow, red, or white), while cooler objects are shown in darker colors (such as blue or purple).
Applications of Thermal Cameras
Military and Security: Providing night vision, border security, search and rescue operations.
Fire Safety: Detecting fires, locating people or animals within smoke.
Industrial and Maintenance: Detecting overheating electrical equipment, inspecting building insulation, monitoring production processes.
Medical: Measuring body temperature, detecting areas of inflammation or infection.
Research and Development: Thermal analysis, studying heat distribution in material sciences.
Working Principle of Thermal Cameras
Thermal cameras detect infrared radiation emitted by objects and convert this radiation into electrical signals. These signals represent temperature values, which the thermal camera then converts into an image. Modern thermal cameras use sophisticated sensors that provide high-resolution images and precise temperature measurements.
Advantages
No Need for Visible Light: They can produce images even in complete darkness.
Non-Contact Measurement: They can measure temperature from a distance.
Speed and Accuracy: They provide quick and accurate temperature measurements.
With advancements in technology, thermal cameras have become more accessible and useful, finding applications across a wide range of fields.
Thermal Camera Types
Handheld Thermal Cameras: It is a standard type of thermal camera, it can be preferred with a more comfortable way of holding in the hand.
Pocket Thermal Cameras: It is in the form of a cell phone. Their smaller size provides the advantage of transportation, so they are preferred.
Thermal Camera Module (for Cell Phones): These are the models that attach to smartphones. It is plugged into the phone's charging port and a thermal camera image is obtained through its own application. It is quite small in size.
Multimeters with Thermal Camera: Thanks to the thermal cameras integrated into advanced multimeters, it is used as both a multimeter and a thermal camera. It can be preferred because it is two in one.