What Is Thermal Imaging?

Thermal imaging is the process of detecting radiation (mostly heat) from the infrared spectrum and converting it into an image

. Once an electrician has installed sensors on your property, infrared thermography allows you to see your environment and surroundings with or without light. This makes it particularly useful in the security industry.

How it works.

Thermal imaging relies on heat. Thermal imaging cameras will pick up radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is then converted into an image called a thermogram. Thus, the hottest object will appear brightest, and objects that are emitting no heat will appear black.

History.

Thermography was born in the paranoia of the Cold War. It was developed as a top secret spying device by the military in the early 1950s. In the late 1950s it began to be used as a medical tool when it was found that some cancers emitted a higher heat than the tissue surrounding them. Thermography was born in the military and medical industries, and through research developed by both parties, has been steadily refined ever since.

Applications.

Thermography is still used heavily by the military. The most obvious example is the famous night-vision goggles. Thermography is able to clearly distinguish objects and people from their surroundings, making it a particularly useful tool in military applications. Its usefulness at night is obvious, as it allows vision in darkness, but during the day thermography has its place too. Thermography is used to detect mechanical, electrical and structural faults in buildings, as all of these things will emit heat when a problem is mounting. Thermal imaging technology was used in airports during the recent outbreak of H1N1 (Swine Flu) as it is sensitive enough to detect even the slightly raised body temperatures of the ill. This is major area where thermal imaging is applied: the security industry.

Security.

The security industry is steadily developing thermal imaging technology to provide home and business owners with the best possible protection against crime. A thermal camera installed on a building will look no different from a regular security camera, but the information gathered will be vastly greater and in many ways easier to analyse. Live, monitored thermal cameras can be trained on people who enter a building to check for elevated body temperature, a sign of stress or sickness, and can even reveal hidden object such as guns and knives, the cold metal of which will show up against the warmth of their bodies.

The applications of thermal imaging are vast and the research continues to create clearer and more refined images from the infrared spectrum. Your local electrical services company can give you more information about thermal imaging.

by: Joshua Nicholls

POST COMMENT

Pure Type Ii Collagen Capsules Slows Signs Of Aging A Way To Improve The Signs Of Aging Around The Eyes Anti Aging Products When Did It Started Best Anti Aging Moisturizer Sony Ericssons Vivaz Pro Has A Variety Of Messaging Options For Users To Utilise The Small Business Owner's Guide To On-hold Messaging Massaging Chairs And How It Makes The Home A Better Place To Live In Ragweed Allergy Season--7 Tips For Managing Ragweed Allergies Be Wary Of Anti Aging Products Signals Indicate The Psychological Aging Identipak, The Best Solution For Unit Dose Packaging Water Damage - How Damaging Can It Be Want To Turn Back The Aging Clock?