Thermography – Measurement of Smallest Temperature Details

The vast majority of biologic processes only result in small temperature difference as they are always connected to a rather high energy consumption organisms try to avoid. Likewise, hydrological and geophysical anomalies within the thermal spectrum come with only lower thermal signatures.

InfraTec offers infrared camera models which suit the resulting demands in thermal resolution and thereby, guarantee for usable results of your studies. For instance, you can most precisely follow the thermal day cycles of plants which can lead to new results when monitoring the reaction of biotopes to external stress.

On Demand: High-Resolution Aerial Thermography

  • Aerial thermography: Definition, benefits, types, presence and future
  • Applications for thermography in airborne remote sensing
  • Challenges of aerial thermography
  • Technical requirements for an IR camera system
  • Comparing cooled and uncooled camera systems
  • Important and relevant selection criteria
  • Accessories (hardware and software) needed to solve the measurement task

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TRAILER: High-Resolution Aerial Thermography

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Case Studies about Thermography in Environmental Studies

InfraTec & KWS Saat - Thermography in Plant Research ©KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA
Get further information about VarioCAM® HD head 900 for plant research

The Seeds of the Future

Environmental conditions today often tend towards extremes. Many areas are very humid and wet, while others are predominantly dry. Particularly in the second case, cultivating raw materials such as grain, beet or maize is a challenge. A challenge that KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA is facing. As part of its plant research, the company uses the VarioCAM® HD head 900 infrared camera from InfraTec to analyse the behaviour of plants during drought stress and pest infestation.

InfraTec & Highland Helicopters - Aerial Fire Mapping ©Highland Helicopters Dunedin, New Zealand
Get further information about VarioCAM® HD head 800 for aerial fire mapping

Catching Fire – Aerial Fire Mapping

Wildfires are a permanent threat for several regions around the world – and the global climate change is adding to the number and severity of these events. Fighting them is a huge challenge, strong winds, heat and inaccessibility make it even more difficult and dangerous for those who risk their life to protect others. One approach to tackle wildfires is the usage of airborne fire mapping. Highland Helicopters is a service company which added this task to their portfolio, as wildfires on New Zealand´s South Island happened right at their front door. On board is the VarioCAM® HD head 800 from InfraTec.

thermal imaging for climate research
Thermography for Climate Research

Thermography for Climate Research

Climate research is one of the most exposed types of academic research these days. With the continuous discussion about extreme weather events and long-term implications of human-made climate factors the related science has become a part of everyone´s daily life.

Study of bats - Picture credits: © iStock.com / fermate
Monitoring of bats with VarioCAM®-series

Thermography for Environmental Studies

In order to protect bat populations firstly their ecology has to be understood but it can be very difficult to study the small, nocturnal mammals in the wild. Infrared thermography offers solutions to many of the problems faced by bat ecologists.

Uninterrupted Surveillance of Animal Behaviour

Bat, which lies between roof tiles and insulation

The behaviour of animals can easily be tracked by visual cameras. But those cameras also just easily come to their limits. Additional light or activation sources for using visual surveillance technologies would be needed. But those will also interfere with the biological behaviour of animals. An infrared camera helps here as it allows to monitor even during absolute darkness. Beside of this you will also be able to detect perfectly camouflaged animals as their camouflage normally works in the visible spectrum only. Thereby for instance airborne countings of populations will become feasible using an infrared camera.

Get in contact with InfraTec thermography division

Would You Like to Know More?

It is not unusual for tasks to be associated with special requirements. Discuss your specific application needs with our specialists, receive further technical information or learn more about our additional services.

India

InfraTec GmbH
Infrarotsensorik und Messtechnik
Gostritzer Str. 61 – 63
01217 DresdenGERMANY

Publications of our Customers

Assessing crop water stress of winter wheat by thermography under different irrigation regimes in North China Plain

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® high resolution

Satellite and Ground Based Thermal Observation of the 2014 Effusive Eruption at Stromboli Volcano

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® High Definition

Tree species diversity affects canopy leaf temperatures in a mature temperate forest

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Tree surface temperature in an urban environment

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Estimating soil hydraulic properties from infrared measurements of soil surface temperatures and TDR data

The article was published by: Vadose Zone Journal; English

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Non-invasive water status detection in grapevine by thermography

First publication: International Journal of Agricultural and Biological Engineering; English

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Topographically controlled thermal-habitat differentiation buffers alpine plant diversity against climate warming (Abstract)

Complete paper: Journal of Biogeography; English

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Infra-red thermometry of alpine landscapes challenges climatic warming projections

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Blatttemperatur von Bäumen im städtischen Umfeld (Language: German)

Quantum cascade laser–based hyperspectral imaging of biological tissue

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Thermal imaging reveals massive heat accumulation in flowers across a broad spectrum of alpine taxa

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Thermal canopy photography in forestry - an alternative to optical cover photography

Infrared camera: VarioCAM® series

Application Specific Lens Solutions Offer Optimal Resolution-FOV Ratio

InfraTec offers a wide range of interchangeable lenses for its infrared camera models being configurable with highly resolving detectors. Thereby the ratio between detail resolution and size of field of view can be set in the best way for your specific needs. For example you can measure temperatures of smallest animals using microscopic lenses as well as the full width of landscapes by applying wide-angle lenses. For images taken from planes, UAVs or helicopters a variety of telephoto lenses are available for you, too.

Flight thermography

Gimbal Systems for Helicopter Mounting

InfraTec offers various infrared camera systems for fixed mount use in airplanes as well as for integration into precision gimbals. Thereby, the infrared camera can be exactly positioned within a µrad range to track automatically. A handy remote control allows for camera operation directly via the control of the gimbal.

Gimbals, or gyro-stabilized platforms, have been used for many years as very effective systems for airborne thermography in the inspection of high-voltage power lines, pipelines and industrial plants, as well as in the search for energy and material pollution.

Due to their high-precision stabilization, images of distant objects can be accurately captured despite movement of the airborne vessel carrying the gimbal. Integrated into the gimbal are cameras for both, the visible (visual camera) and in the infrared spectrum (infrared camera), a laser rangefinder and laser target designators.

Gimbal for helicopter mount

Advantages of this Thermography Solutions in this Application

  • MicroScan feature ImageIR
    Further information about MicroScan

    MicroScan – Quadrupling the Number of Pixels

    Displaying measurement objects with extremely low noise and fine resolution – this is what MicroScan is for. Using this function, the native pixel number of the detector can be quadrupled. This results in thermograms of better image quality with geometric resolutions of more than 5.2 Megapixels. Each pixel in the image represents a true temperature reading, not an interpolated pixel.

  • Further information about HDR-function

    HDR – Simultaneous Mapping of Wide Temperature Ranges

    The High Dynamic Range (HDR) function of the Infrared ImageIR® camera series enables measurement scenarios with extremely different temperatures to be recorded continuously. When recording in HDR mode, multiple thermograms with different integration times and different filters are recorded quickly in succession and compiled into an overall image with a high dynamic range. The measuring range can span up to 1,500 K. Users obtain high-contrast images in a wide temperature range characterized by high measurement accuracy.

  • HighSense for thermographic camera series ImageIR®
    Further Information about HighSense

    HighSense – Always the Optimal Camera Setting

    Thanks to HighSense, ImageIR® users have the option of setting up individual measuring ranges based on the factory calibration that best suit the respective task. The software also offers the possibility of storing a large number of such areas clearly arranged. Individually named and permanently stored, the operator can quickly access them. The same applies to changing, renaming and deleting profiles. HighSense is available for different camera models of the ImageIR® series. This function can optionally be added to systems already delivered.

  • Thermografie-Kameraserie ImageIR® mit neuer 10 GigE-Schnittstelle
    Further information about the 10 GigE technology

    10 GigE Interface for a Strong Increase in Output

    The 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface of the high-end camera series ImageIR® opens this extremely fast transmission standard with a NIC specially developed by InfraTec. This works with optical or electrical transceiver modules that are easy to change and are called SFP+.

    Different 10 GigE fiber SFP+ transceivers allow transmission ranges of up to ten kilometers with the same low sensitivity to electromagnetic interference. A corresponding standard SFP ensures backward compatibility with the conventional GigE interface. This combination allows the ease of use of the cameras with the 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface in existing systems - though at a reduced transmission rate.

  • InfraTec glossary - Rotating filter- und aperture wheel
    Get further information about the separate filter & aperture wheel

    Separate Filter & Aperture Wheel – Spectral Thermography

    The combination of a separate filter and aperture wheel, allowing a total of 30 freely selectable combinations, is prerequisite for an universal application in measurement tasks with high object temperatures and in the field of spectral thermography. The neutral density filters used for signal attenuation or the combination of spectral filters and apertures reliably prevent interference effects.

  • Camera protective housing for infrared cameras by InfraTec
    Wide Range of Protective Housings

    Wide Range of Protective Housings

    The InfraTec product range includes numerous protective housings. The all-weather and robust metal housings allow the use of the thermographic cameras in harsh environments and protect against mechanical stress, dust and splash water. Depending on requirements, users can also choose ATEX-certified protective housings that can be used in potentially explosive atmospheres.

  • InfraTec Glossary Motorfocus
    Further information about the motor focus

    Motor Focus for ImageIR® Full Lenses – More Comfort

    All interchangeable standard lens systems of the ImageIR® series can be combined with a motor focus unit, which is controlled by the camera operating software. It enables precise, remote and fast focusing. In addition, an autofocus function is available which operates reliably even with low image contrasts.

  • InfraTec thermography glossary - autofocus
    Further information about permanent autofocus

    Permanent Autofocus

    Constantly changing object scenes require manual or automatic refocusing. The integrated permanent autofocus function makes this task easier. In the case of a change of scene, the camera automatically applies the optimum focus setting quickly and precisely. The completely innovative, very powerful autofocus system is laser-based and works extremely reliably. Even under unfavourable environmental conditions, such as poor lighting conditions, darkness or low thermal contrasts on the measuring object, this function provides exactly focused thermal images.

  • Thermal image during ignition of an airbag Image Small
    Further information about subwindowing

    Window Mode (Subwindowing) – Capture of Rapid Sequences

    The thermal imaging camera can be operated in full, half, quarter and sub mode. With the camera control software, it is possible to use the extended subwindowing function. Using click-and-drag, freely definable sections can be set up quickly and conveniently. A defined sub-frame of the detector is picked out to achieve these extremely high refresh rates.

  • Further information about lenses

    High-performance Full Optics

    High quality precision lenses allow the adaptation of the image geometry to almost every measuring situation. Its performance parameters are calibrated with respect to functionality, quality and flexible application. Due to proper IR-transparent lens materials and high-precision antireflexion coating, the lenses are optimised for different spectral ranges.

  • InfraTec thermography - Geometrical Resolution

    Geometrical Resolution – Efficient Analysis of Complex Assemblies

    InfraTec's infrared cameras with cooled and uncooled detectors have native resolutions up to (1,920 × 1,536) IR pixels. Spatially high-resolution thermograms ensure that components and assemblies are imaged down to the smallest detail and thus defects can be reliably detected and precisely localised.

  • InfraTec thermography - Thermal resolution

    Thermal Resolution – Determination of Differences of Only a Few Millikelvin

    For detection of small temperature changes InfraTec's infrared cameras offer thermal resolutions up to < 15 mK in real-time operation. By using the Lock-in Thermography method it is possible to further increase this resolution significantly. For this purpose test objects are periodically excited and non-destructively examined for defects and irregularities.

Infrared Cameras for Environmental Studies

Associated Industries & Applications

  • high-speed thermography
    High-Speed Thermography

    High-Speed Thermography

    Get even faster and analyze temperatures at highest process speeds.

  • microthermography
    Micro-Thermography

    Micro-Thermography

    Micro-thermography allows for the thermal analysis of extremely small structures in the micrometer range, providing a detailed representation of the temperature distribution on complex electronic assemblies and components.

  • thermography for aerial photography
    Aerial Thermography

    Aerial Thermography

    Detect persons and objects in the field or monitor wide-area geologic properties or environmental damages.

  • thermal imaging for security tasks
    Security Applications

    Security Applications

    Observation tasks for applications like investigation, remote surveillance, border guard and the protection of critical infrastructure are great challenges for the related authorities. Powerful infrared cameras are getting more and more indispensable nowadays.