Learn how high-speed infrared thermometers work
High-speed infrared thermometer consists of optical system, photodetector, signal amplifier, signal processing, display output and other parts. The high-speed infrared thermometer measures infrared radiation energy through infrared detectors (thermal detectors and photoelectric detectors) and converts it into electrical signals, and then converts it into temperature according to the basic laws of radiation.
The optical system collects the target infrared radiation energy within its field of view. The size of the field of view is determined by the optical components and position of the thermometer. The infrared energy is focused on the photodetector and converted into a corresponding electrical signal. The signal is converted into the temperature value of the measured target after being calculated by the amplifier and signal processing circuit according to the algorithm inside the instrument and corrected by the target emissivity. In addition, the environmental conditions where the target and thermometer are located should also be considered, such as the impact of factors such as temperature, atmosphere, pollution, and interference on performance indicators and correction methods.
High-speed infrared thermometers are used to measure the surface temperature of objects. The energy emitted, reflected and transmitted by the optical components of the thermometer is concentrated on the detector. The electronic components of the thermometer convert this information into temperature readings and display them on on the display panel of the thermometer. The temperature displayed by an infrared thermometer is often called the brightness temperature of the target, which is different from the real temperature of the object. This is because the emissivity of the object has a certain impact on radiation temperature measurement. Almost all actual objects in nature are not black bodies. The radiation amount of all actual objects depends not only on the radiation wavelength and the temperature of the object, but also on factors such as the type of material, preparation method, thermal process, surface state and environmental conditions of the object. Therefore, in order to make the black body radiation law applicable to all real objects, a proportional coefficient related to the material properties and surface state must be introduced, that is, the emissivity. This coefficient represents how close the thermal radiation of an actual object is to blackbody radiation, and its value is between 0 and 1. According to the radiation law, as long as you know the emissivity of the material, you can know the infrared radiation characteristics of any object.
