Thermal Imaging Camera & Infrared Camera Suppliers

Originally developed for military operations and surveillance, thermal imaging cameras are now used for many industrial and medical applications. These include; firefighting, autonomous vehicles and building inspections.

A thermal camera is a non-contact device that detects infrared energy (thermal energy or heat) and converts it into a visual image. Everything gives off thermal energy—even ice. The hotter something is the more thermal energy it emits. This energy is called a “heat signature.” When two objects next to one another have even subtly different heat signatures, they can be detected by thermal sensors regardless of lighting conditions.

The primary components of a  thermal imaging camera are the lens, the thermal sensor and processing electronics. The lens focuses thermal energy onto the sensor. The sensors come in a variety of pixel configurations from 80 × 60 to 1280 × 1024 pixels or even higher. The resolution is low compared to regular digital cameras. This is because thermal detectors need to sense energy that has larger wavelengths than visible light so requires the sensor elements to be larger.