Although more and more people are familiar with thermal imaging and its applications, a lot of questions still remain. How far can you see with a thermal imaging camera? What happens when there is rain or fog? Are lenses of a thermal imaging camera made of glass as well? Do they need to be cleaned? The following technical notes try to answer some of these questions.
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Situations can occur where a thermal imaging camera is looking directly at the sun. For some thermal imaging cameras this can “fry” the detector”. In this technical note you can read that FLIR Systems thermal imaging cameras are not damaged by solar radiation.
FLIR Systems markets thermal imaging cameras with either a cooled or an uncooled detector. Find out what is the difference and what is the best choice for your application.
Although thermal imaging cameras can see in total darkness, through light fog, light rain and snow, the distance they can see is affected by these atmospheric conditions. The article explains how and how much the range performance of a thermal imaging camera is affected by fog.
Because thermal imaging cameras can also be used in light rain, fog, snow, smoke and other extreme environments, the questions often rises: “Is water or dust on the lens obstructing the vision of the thermal imaging camera? Is it necessary to install wipers before the lens of the thermal imaging camera so that water and dust can be removed?”
FLIR Systems has developed a powerful algorithm that helps the user overcome the problem of finding low contrast targets in high dynamic range scenes. This algorithm is called Digital Detail Enhancement (DDE).
The distance you can see with a thermal imaging camera depends on a number of factors. The article describes which factors need to be taken into account and shows graphs on which you can clearly read how far you can see with a certain FLIR Systems thermal imaging camera.
