Thermal Imaging

Proto-PIC Range of Thermal Imaging tools

Proto-PIC is now stocking a range of Thermal Imaging tools aimed at the maker community and professional markets. Many of these products are being used currently to help combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thermal Imaging has been a Proto-PIC passion for some time, mounting them to drones for fun, and for diagnosing faults on circuits. The reason that Proto-PIC has gone with the FLIR Lepton range of long-wave infrared (LWIR) thermal imaging cameras is that they are miniature marvels of engineering available at an entry-level cost.

Flir’s Lepton 3.5 camera module is a complete long-wave infrared system complete with radiometry tools. It captures infrared radiation input in its nominal response wavelength band between 8 and 14 microns. It then provides a uniform thermal image with radiometry with absolute temperature measurements.

Applications include thermal imaging, night vision, gesture recognition, building automation, and mobile phone technology.

Going forward we will be expanding the range of tools and lenses, please reach out to us for any information or if there is a particular tool you think we should be stocking.

What is Thermography?

Thermography is the collective of sciences in thermographic printing. There are three main technologies that are used for this process; Infrared Thermography (IRT), Thermal Imaging, and Thermal Video.

Thermographic cameras usually detect radiation in the long-infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum (roughly 9–14µm) and produce images of that called thermograms. Infrared radiation is emitted by all objects with a temperature above absolute zero according to the black body radiation law. The amount of radiation emitted by an object increases with temperature; therefore, thermography allows one to see variations in temperature.

When viewed through a thermal imaging camera, warm objects stand out well against cooler backgrounds; humans and other warm-blooded animals become easily visible against the environment. For this reason, thermography is particularly useful to the military and other users of surveillance cameras.

What is this thermal imaging witchcraft of which you speak?

Thermal imaging cameras convert the energy in the infrared wavelength into a visible light display. All objects above absolute zero emit thermal infrared energy, so thermal cameras can passively see all objects, regardless of ambient light. However, most thermal cameras only see objects warmer than −50 °C (−58 °F).

The spectrum and amount of thermal radiation depend strongly on an object’s surface temperature. This makes it possible for a thermal imaging camera to display an object’s temperature.