Glossary

Non-uniformity calibration & Ambient Temperature Compensation （ Background

compensation/ calibration）: The temperature of an infrared camera and lenses can vary
significantly and produce drift and hence erroneous readings from the instrument. A
compensation system will correct for this variation.

Spectral Rang: There are two main bandwidths used in infrared testing. In general the
8-13 µm band is preferred for high performance thermal detectors because of the greater
sensitivity to ambient temperature objects and good transmission through smoke. The 3-5
µm band may be more appropriate for hotter objects or if sensitivity is less important than
contrast. For certain optical resolution it can use smaller optics, which may be useful in
some circumstances.

Black Body: An ideal thermal radiator emitting and absorbing all possible thermal radiation
at a given temperature, hence having an emissivity of 1.

Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS): A CMOS device is created by a

photochemical etching process which creates tiny circuits (semiconductors) for signal
processing. A focal plane array is such a device. A CMOS detector has the signal from
each detector element read individually, hence obtaining the exact value for processing.

Emissivity: The ratio of the radiance of a body at a given temperature to that of a black
body at the same temperature. Instruments will require emissivity compensation to permit
accurate temperature measurement across a range of materials and surface conditions.

Field of View (FOV): This is a function of the system optics and usually described in
degrees of arc in the vertical and horizontal planes. Some systems include changeable
lenses which will therefore change the FOV in the system.

Fill Factor: The ratio of the active area of each detector in an array to the inactive space
which surrounds each detector.

Filters: Spectral filters are used to adapt the infrared system response to objects which
have special spectral characteristics, such as measuring objects through flames,
measuring energy in the CO2 absorption band, or suppressing certain wavelengths.

Focal Plane Array (FPA): An array is any grouping of detectors which has more than one
vertical row and one horizontal line of detectors together. It could be as small as two
detectors a line and two rows, four detector elements in all. More usually such arrays are
256 lines and 256 rows. The term focal plane refers to the location of the detector array in
the optical path. The focal plane is that point where the image is focused.

Instantaneous Field of View (IFOV): This describes the optical resolution of the system
and may be expressed in milliradians (mRAD) or minutes of arc. It is equivalent to the
horizontal and vertical fields of view of an individual detector and as part of the overall
resolution of the system and can be calculated using IFOV = A1/2/FND, where A1/2 is the
square root of the linear dimension of the detector, FN is the f number of the optics (focal
length), and D is the diameter of the front objective.

Isotherm: A locus of points of equal heat.

Microbolometer Detector: These are thermal detectors (very small bolometers) and not
photon detectors. The detector (thermistor) actually heats up when exposed to infrared
energy, changing its electrical resistance proportionally, which can then be measured. No
cryogenic cooling devices are required, but images using this detector type are generally
less sensitive.

Minimum Resolvable Temperature Difference (MRTD): This is a measure of the

compound ability of an infrared imaging system and an observer to recognize periodic bar
targets on a display. The MRTD is the minimum temperature difference between the
standard test pattern and its black body background at which the observer can observe
the pattern. This capability is governed by system thermal sensitivity (NETD) and spatial
resolution (MTF) and is greatly enhanced by inbuilt temperature profile functions in some
equipment. The MRTD increases with an increase in spatial frequency.

Modulation Transfer Function (MTF). MTF is a function of spatial frequency and in infrared
systems MTF is the mathematical description of the spatial distribution of amplitude
attenuation. The ability of an infrared system to transmit the spatial frequency of a scene
is described in terms of the MTF. The overall system MTF is obtained from the product of
the MTFs of its subsystems.

Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD). NETD quantifies thermal sensitivity. It

is the target to background temperature difference between a black body target and black
body background at which the signal to noise ratio of the scanner is equal to 1. Along with
the spatial resolution (MTF), it governs the overall performance of an imager. It is usually
defined in terms of the minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD). For high
sensitivity the NETD must be low.

Optics: The lens system which focuses the scene on the detector. Transmission through
the optics can be as low as 60 percent and this has a direct affect on the NETD.

Staring Arrays: The pyroelectric vidicon is an example of a staring array in that the
thermally sensitive target is exposed to the scene for one TV field time, producing a low
NETD value with no cooling required. The staring array can have limitations in spatial
resolution and amplifier noise.

Spatial Frequency: A measure of detail in terms of equivalent, uniformly spaced cylindrical

patterns, expressed as units of cycles per milliradian or line pairs per milliradian.
Sometimes called spatial resolution.
Thermal Detectors: A detector material which uses a temperature dependent property
which produces a measurable physical change.

FAQ about TIC (thermal Imaging Camera)

What does a thermal image look like?
A thermal image is black and white. On a relative scale, it shows hot items as white and
cold items as black. Temperatures between the two extremes are shown as gradients of
gray. Some thermal imagers have color images. The color is artificially generated by the
camera and video enhancement electronics, based upon the thermal attributes seen by
the camera.

What is a pixel?
A pixel is the smallest single individual image element of detection on the thermal imaging
sensor.

What is a focal plane array (FPA)?

A focal plane array is a group of pixels organized into a rectangular grid. The size of the
array is measured by multiplying the horizontal number of pixels by the vertical number of
pixels. Most fire service thermal imaging cameras on the market today contain 160 x 120
or 320 x 240 FPAs.

What is a BST detector?

BST stands for "barium strontium titanate," and this type of detector was developed by
Raytheon Corporation. Ceramic-like thermal-energy-sensing material is used to make
BST focal plane arrays, which measure heat by storing it as a fixed value (similar to a
capacitor) at each pixel. When the grid of pixels, or focal plane array, is monitored
simultaneously, a thermal image is generated. Because of their fixed-image properties,
BST pixels must be refreshed regularly in order to maintain the perception of real-time
imaging. The device used to refresh the image is called a "chopper." The "blade" of the
chopper wheel passes in front of the detector to effectively change the scene
temperatures "sensed" with each pass. The speed of the chopper determines the "refresh
rate" (see definition) and is typically 30 Hz.

What is a microbolometer?
A microbolometer is the latest type of thermal imaging FPA, which consists of materials
that measure heat by changing resistance at each pixel. The most common
microbolometer material is amorphous silicon. Although microbolometers do not require a
chopper to refresh the image, they must occasionally be recalibrated for the pixels to
provide a consistent output and to avoid oversaturation. The device that occasionally
(every 30 seconds to 5 minutes) and automatically recalibrates the FPA is called a
"shutter" (see definition).

What does ferroelectric mean?

TIC detectors that are ferroelectric in nature detect heat by storing it as a value on each
individual pixel. BST and pyroelectric vidicon tubes are examples of ferroelectric
detectors.

What does thermoelectric mean?

TIC detectors that are thermoelectric in nature detect heat by changing each pixel’s
resistance. Microbolometers are examples of thermoelectric detectors.

What is dynamic range?

Dynamic range is the range of temperature variance that a TIC can see without saturating.
A microbolometer has a much larger dynamic range (e.g., 200°C) when compared to a
BST which has a much smaller dynamic range (e.g., 25°C). This allows the
microbolometer to demonstrate gradients of gray in environments (generally at higher
temperatures) where BST sensors become saturated and appear as a black and white
image.

What is standby mode?

The standby mode turns all major components in a TIC off except for the sensor core. This
feature allows the camera to be in ready mode so that the camera can power up without
the standard 15 - to 30-second sensor core warm-up time.

What is a shutter?
A shutter is a mechanical device, generally shaped like a flag, which closes in front of the
detector to activate the calibration for a uniform temperature (or black body). This
automatic, periodic calibration is necessary because pixels in microbolometers drift and
cause image degradation.

What is "refresh rate"?

Refresh rate (or frame update rate) is the number of times per second that a new image is
"created" by the sensor. The refresh rate is determined by mechanical attributes (e.g.,
chopper wheel), where applicable, and the speed of the electronics.

What is white-out or oversaturation?

White-out or oversaturation occurs when a thermal imaging detector is subjected to too
much thermal energy, and the image, which appears as a white cloud, no longer identifies
fine details in the scene. Most thermal imaging cameras have an automatic iris or
appropriate software to adjust system controls to avoid white-out immediately after
intense thermal energy hits the detector. Pointing the TIC directly at superheated sources,
such as the sun, is not recommended and may damage the detector.

What makes a quality high-resolution thermal imaging picture?

Thermal imaging picture quality is determined by a number of factors:
1. The quality of the lens that focuses the thermal image onto the FPA. One measurement
of lens speed is the f-number. The smaller the f-number, the wider the lens, and the better
the image quality. Generally, the main constraints to lens quality include weight and size
(the better the lens, the bigger and heavier it will be).
2. The number of pixels on the FPA. With all other thermal system components being
equal, the more pixels on the FPA, the finer the image details that can be resolved.
3. The size of each pixel (i.e. pitch) on the FPA. The smaller the size, the finer the image
is.
4. Whether it is microbolometer or BST. BST pixels are mechanically interconnected,
whereas microbolometer pixels are mechanically isolated. The thermal energy seen by an
individual BST pixel can therefore "bleed" onto nearby pixels, but isolated microbolometer
pixels sense independently and provide clearer, crisper image lines.
5. The electronic signal processing (video enhancement electronics). Most fire service
thermal imaging cameras are controlled by microprocessors, which not only monitor the
system but also "enhance" the thermal image. For example, some cameras are able to
generate near 320 x 240 FPA performance by using a 160 x 120 array and "averaging" to
generate the remaining image points. Others are able to determine if a pixel is not
functioning properly and approximate its correct output using surrounding pixels to
generate a smoothed image.
6. The MRTD.
7. The NETD.
8. The Dynamic Range.
9. The amount of system signal noise. Signal processing and components may add noise
(or "snow") to the image. The cleaner the system is, the better the image (difficult to
measure but easy to see) is.
9. The display used to interface with the user. The better quality display provides a better
image.

Why do TICs have a Germanium window on the front of the camera?

The Germanium window allows thermal energy to transmit through it (unlike glass) and
provides impact protection for the internal lens (also made of Gemanium) that focuses the
thermal image onto the detector’s focal plane array.