Temperature measurement using infrared thermometry within semi-transparent media

ABSTRACT

Infrared thermometry is a widely used technique for contactless temperature measurement, which is often conducted through semi-transparent media. In the present work, influences on the measurement results stemming from semi-transparent media and from the optical characteristics of the measurement setup are discussed. Results of two experimental setups, containing low, medium, and high transmission media are presented and compared to calculated data using a one-dimensional analytical approach and a three-dimensional ray-tracing algorithm. It is shown through modeling and experiments that the surroundings and, in particular, the (semi)transparent materials within the optical path are critical for accurate temperature measurements.

KEYWORDS:

• Infrared thermometry
• transmission
• ray tracing

Acknowledgment

The author thanks the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) for the financial support making this research and exchange project possible.

Notes

¹ As this experiment had been performed at the DSTG in Melbourne—Australia a different camera was used compared to the first experiment, which had been performed in Darmstadt—Germany.