The High Dynamic Range (HDR) function of the ImageIR high-end camera series makes it easier to analyze objects with extreme temperature gradients.
If you want to measure temperatures over a very wide range with a thermal imaging camera, you usually proceed in stages. The neutral density filters are changed step by step in between. They are matched to a specific temperature range and thus prevent infrared radiation of too high intensity from hitting the camera detector and distorting the measurement result by depolarizing the detector pixels.
The new High Dynamic Range (HDR) function of the ImageIR thermal imaging camera series from InfraTec makes such interruptions to measurements superfluous. It enables the continuous recording of measurement scenarios with extremely different temperatures.
Capture temperature ranges of over 1500 K in one image
The HDR function is based on a fast filter wheel. It rotates at more than 5000 rpm and offers up to six positions for maximum flexibility in demanding measurement tasks. When recording in HDR mode, several thermograms with different integration times and different filters are recorded in quick succession and combined to form an overall image with a high dynamic range.
To activate the HDR function, simply select a previously defined calibration range. The rotation of the filter wheel then starts automatically and the thermogram is automatically assembled by the system. The measuring range can cover a span of up to 1500 K. In the case of the ImageIR 8300 hp, this setting can be used to create full-screen images with (640 Å~ 512) IR pixels. By synchronizing the frame rate of the camera with the rotational speed of the wheel, a temporal resolution of 350 Hz can be achieved.
A separate integration time and corresponding temperature calibration is stored for each position of the individual neutral density filters. The filters attenuate the signal of the measurement objects in the desired temperature range, which reliably avoids interference effects. Users receive high-contrast images in a wide temperature range, which are characterized by high measurement accuracy.
For measurement tasks with high object temperatures and spectral thermography
The enormous advantages this brings become clear as soon as users thermally analyze measurement objects that experience temperature changes over a very wide range within a very short time. The need to change filters with a standard filter wheel would interrupt the measurement for several seconds, rendering the results unusable. Using the HDR function makes it possible to quickly switch between calibration ranges up to the maximum camera frequency.
In addition to applications with extremely high temperatures, the fast filter wheel opens up extensive possibilities for measurements in which different spectral ranges need to be captured. Finally, users can also use up to six spectral filters instead of neutral density filters. Equipped in this way, the ImageIR thermal imaging camera series supports the professional examination of materials with different radiation properties. Regardless of which components users choose for their desired model, the camera can always be used with a fixed filter wheel.
InfraTec GmbH Infrarotsensorik und Messtechnik was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Dresden. The owner-managed company employs more than 200 people and has its own development, production and sales capacities. With its infrared measurement technology division, InfraTec is one of the leading providers of commercial thermal imaging technology. In addition to the ImageIR high-end camera series and the VarioCAM High Definition product family, the company offers turnkey thermographic automation solutions. Infrared sensors with electrically tunable filters based on MOEMS are among the products of the infrared sensor technology division, alongside spectral single and multi-channel infrared detectors. The detectors are used, for example, in gas analysis, fire and flame sensors and spectroscopy.
