High-Speed infrared cameras for thermography

Thermal image during ignition of an airbag Image Small

Special Components Provide High Frame Rate of Infrared Cameras

Fast infrared camera systems with a frame rate ranging up to some kHz open thermography doors to new applications. The thermal behaviour of high speed processes can be monitored and analysed. An example is the optimisation of airbags as the heat distribution during the explosion can well be analysed.

High-speed thermography with frame rates of more than 100 kHz are based on special detectors and acquisition units. Especially their ability to acquire and read out data in parallel provides thermographic measurements precisely in a millisecond range. Those detectors are so-called snapshot detectors which are integrated by InfraTec in their ImageIR® infrared camera series.

Event On Demand

High-speed Thermography in Highest Quality

Introduction to the physical basics of thermal imaging
Special features and the potential of high-speed thermal imaging
Presentation of technical solutions and InfraTec camera models
Explanation of important parameters and their influence on thermal imaging
Presentation of various functions to adapt your camera to the application requirements
Request Recording

Case Studies for High-speed Thermography

Laser High-temperature Capillary Gap Brazing

Lasers are extremely versatile tools in industry and manufacturing technology. Due to their flexibility, they serve as a key technology for implementing the goals of industry 4.0. Although laser cutting and welding are nowadays regarded as turnkey technologies, the majority of laser applications, for example joining of hybrid materials, 3D printing or ultra-short pulse processing, still require considerable research and development.

Thermal Stress Analysis of Metals

High‐End‐Thermography with ImageIR® 8300 hp

Stress changes during tensile testing provide information about material properties of metals such as tensile strength. With the help of thermographic cameras metallic solid bodies can be tested for such stress changes.

Laser welding at Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. - Picture credits: © iStock.com / emituu

Thermography in CFRP Processing

Usage of ImageIR® 8300 at Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V.

Many new systems operate at very high laser intensity levels and consequently require close control of thermal processes. This is achieved by the use of infrared thermography which is both contact-less and provides imagery.

Nickel‐titanium Wires in Tension Test

Usage of ImageIR® 9300 at Saarland University

How do solid materials change structurally? The engineers Prof. Stefan Seelecke and Marvin Schmidt from Saarland University investigate this fundamental question in materials research. Both consider this topic with the help of micro-thermography. Their cutting‐edge basic research ensures that we will have even more energy‐efficient electric devices to use at home in future.

Thermography InfraTec CWD wind turbines testing

Precise MN·m Torque Measurement in Wind Turbine Test Benches

Usage of VarioCAM® High Definition for torque measurement

The generation of electricity power produced by wind turbines is expanding worldwide. This development is associated directly with an increasing demand to test the product reliability, functionality and life durability of wind turbine subsystems like the drive train.

Associated Thermographic Automation Solutions

Automation InfraTec INDU-SCAN - In-process industrial temperature measurement

Industrial Automation

Process Control – INDU-SCAN

Contactless measurement of temperature distributions and profiles with industrial thermographic cameras permits efficient monitoring and control of temperature-dependent processes and procedures within a system-integrated quality assurance programme in industry.

Process Control – INDU-SCAN

Thermographic automation brake test bench - Picture Credits: © iStock.com / ktsimage

Non-destructive Testing

High-Speed Rotation Test Bench – TRC

Check for long-life fatigue strength of mechanical components in load tests, using high-end infrared cameras.

High-Speed Rotation Test Bench – TRC

Advantages of this Thermography Solutions in this Application

High-speed Mode – Increase Frame Rate and Sensitivity

Further information about High-speed Mode

Due to the binning technology, infrared cameras have two speed modes – the standard mode and the high-speed mode, in which the frame rate increases more than three times. The field of view remains constant in both modes, so the scene captured by the camera does not change. In high-speed mode, the thermal resolution also increases by a factor of two.

Thermografie-Kameraserie ImageIR® mit neuer 10 GigE-Schnittstelle

10 GigE Interface for a Strong Increase in Output

Further information about the 10 GigE technology

The 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface of the high-end camera series ImageIR® opens this extremely fast transmission standard with a NIC specially developed by InfraTec. This works with optical or electrical transceiver modules that are easy to change and are called SFP+.

InfraTec glossary - Rotating filter- und aperture wheel

Separate Filter & Aperture Wheel – Spectral Thermography

Get further information about the separate filter & aperture wheel

The combination of a separate filter and aperture wheel, allowing a total of 35 freely selectable combinations, is prerequisite for a universal application in measurement tasks with high object temperatures and in the field of spectral thermography. The neutral density filters used for signal attenuation or the combination of spectral filters and apertures reliably prevent interference effects.

Mobile Wireless Camera Remote Control

Further information about mobile wireless camera remote control

Stationary camera systems are usually used PC-controlled. Alternatively, InfraTec offers a solution that makes the operation of the camera system even more versatile. An additional tablet PC is attached to the camera housing, which enables wireless control of all camera functions. The display solution allows access to all functions of the IRBIS® online control and acquisition software, delivered together with the camera.

Window Mode (Subwindowing) – Capture of Rapid Sequences

Further information about subwindowing

The thermal imaging camera can be operated in full, half, quarter and sub mode. With the camera control software, it is possible to use the extended subwindowing function. Using click-and-drag, freely definable sections can be set up quickly and conveniently. A defined sub-frame of the detector is picked out to achieve these extremely high refresh rates.

Integrated Trigger / Process Interface and Interfaces – Digitally Controlling of a Infrared Camera and External Devices

The internal trigger interface guarantees highly precise, repeatable triggering. Each of the two configurable digital inputs and outputs are used to control the camera or to generate digital control signals for external devices. In this way, for example, the operation of a printed circuit board and the interval of a measurement can be synchronised.

The selection of different camera interfaces allows the processing of analog data, such as the voltage directly through the camera and thus the insertion of this information into the thermal image data. Relevant variables can be included in the evaluations with the software, which makes it easier to draw conclusions about the causes of temperature changes.

High-speed Mode – Increase Frame Rate and Sensitivity

Further information about High-speed Mode

Due to the binning technology, infrared cameras have two speed modes – the standard mode and the high-speed mode, in which the frame rate increases more than three times. The field of view remains constant in both modes, so the scene captured by the camera does not change. In high-speed mode, the thermal resolution also increases by a factor of two.

10 GigE Interface for a Strong Increase in Output

Further information about the 10 GigE technology

The 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface of the high-end camera series ImageIR® opens this extremely fast transmission standard with a NIC specially developed by InfraTec. This works with optical or electrical transceiver modules that are easy to change and are called SFP+.

Separate Filter & Aperture Wheel – Spectral Thermography

Get further information about the separate filter & aperture wheel

The combination of a separate filter and aperture wheel, allowing a total of 35 freely selectable combinations, is prerequisite for a universal application in measurement tasks with high object temperatures and in the field of spectral thermography. The neutral density filters used for signal attenuation or the combination of spectral filters and apertures reliably prevent interference effects.

Mobile Wireless Camera Remote Control

Further information about mobile wireless camera remote control

Stationary camera systems are usually used PC-controlled. Alternatively, InfraTec offers a solution that makes the operation of the camera system even more versatile. An additional tablet PC is attached to the camera housing, which enables wireless control of all camera functions. The display solution allows access to all functions of the IRBIS® online control and acquisition software, delivered together with the camera.

Window Mode (Subwindowing) – Capture of Rapid Sequences

Further information about subwindowing

The thermal imaging camera can be operated in full, half, quarter and sub mode. With the camera control software, it is possible to use the extended subwindowing function. Using click-and-drag, freely definable sections can be set up quickly and conveniently. A defined sub-frame of the detector is picked out to achieve these extremely high refresh rates.

Integrated Trigger / Process Interface and Interfaces – Digitally Controlling of a Infrared Camera and External Devices

The internal trigger interface guarantees highly precise, repeatable triggering. Each of the two configurable digital inputs and outputs are used to control the camera or to generate digital control signals for external devices. In this way, for example, the operation of a printed circuit board and the interval of a measurement can be synchronised.

The selection of different camera interfaces allows the processing of analog data, such as the voltage directly through the camera and thus the insertion of this information into the thermal image data. Relevant variables can be included in the evaluations with the software, which makes it easier to draw conclusions about the causes of temperature changes.

ABS brake test - Recording with high-speed camera

Flexible Software for Fast Acquisition and Analysis of Thermographic Data

Detector and read-out unit of the infrared camera are one part to be well compatible. The second part is the communication of the infrared camera and the computer by which the infrared camera will be controlled and temperature data will be acquired. InfraTec provides flexible and highly available solutions which cater for the most different customer needs. The acquisition and analysis software IRBIS® 3 is well made for handling high-speed thermography and the analysis of large amounts of data.

Besides its flexible standard solutions for high-speed thermography InfraTec also offers automated solutions for the thermal analysis of fast rotating objects. Using the software IRBIS® rotate tests of brake disks or tires can be thermally analysed.