Article: Essential Thermal Camera Specifications

By Mike Ball / 20 Mar 2020
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FLIR drone thermal imagingFLIR Systems, a designer and manufacturer of infrared imaging solutions for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and other unmanned vehicles, has released an article outlining the essential specifications to be considered when buying a thermal imaging system for a particular application.

Read the full article on FLIR’s website

The article explains the following aspects of thermal cameras:

  • Range – the entire span of temperatures the camera is calibrated to and capable of measuring
  • Field of View (FOV) – the extent of a scene that the camera will see at any given moment, determined by the camera lens
  • IR Resolution – how many pixels the camera has on the scene
  • Thermal Sensitivity/Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) – the smallest temperature difference that can be seen with the camera
  • Focus – fixed, manual or automatic
  • Spectral Range – the range of wavelengths that the sensor in the camera detects

These important specifications need to be considered together when assessing the suitability of a thermal imaging camera for a particular application. For instance, when detecting subtle issues such as moisture, high resolution will only be useful if the camera also has high thermal sensitivity. To find out more, read the full article on FLIR’s website.

Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact