What is thermal imaging technology and how has it evolved?
At the core of thermal imaging technology is a Focal Plane Array or FPA with thousands of pixels or individual infrared energy detectors arranged in a two dimensional rectangle on top of an integrated circuit. That circuit captures the “infrared signal” and processes the data, displaying a two dimensional thermal picture on an LCD or similar display device. Common array sizes include 160×120, 320×240 and even 640×480 (often used in military and R&D applications). Initially, thermal imagers were designed to meet extremely high-end military and R&D specifications and performance requirements. For example: infrared detectors produced in the early 1990s could accurately measure absolute temperature differences of only 0.05 °C. To do that, they required stabilization to a very cold reference temperature using liquid nitrogen or some other cooling agent. That requirement made the technology cumbersome and very expensive. Today’s detectors are still cooled, but to higher temperatures than in
