During the last two years of the pandemic, you were examined right at the entry gates in hospitals, malls, restaurants, offices, markets, etc.
You must have seen the small handy device that measured your temperature without touching you. This device is called an infrared thermometer which is a temperature measurement device. We have seen how it proved to be beneficial in the hard times and helped prevent the pandemic from spreading more.
Now that we all have realized an IR thermometer’s importance, let’s understand how it works, what factors you should consider before buying an infrared thermometer, necessary fact checks, and much more uses of infrared thermometers apart from measuring body temperature.
Let’s begin!
A Bit About Infrared Thermometers
An infrared thermometer is a handheld device designed to measure the surface temperature of an object. It is a device that, when pointed at any object, measures the object’s surface temperatures and displays the readings on its screen. It works much quicker than the regular thermometers, and reading the results too is extremely easy.
Infrared thermometers are also called as non-contact thermometers, as they do not need to touch a particular object to measure its temperature. It gives accurate temperature readings just by pointing the device towards the object with the help of infrared radiation.
What Is Infrared Radiation?
Infrared radiation, which is popularly known as infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation which is not visible to the human eye. The reason behind this is that infrared radiation has a longer wavelength as compared to visible light.
Even though you cannot see the radiation, you can feel the sensation of the radiation in the form of heat.
If you don’t know, this is the heat that we feel coming from the sunlight, a radiator, or a fire. This is the heat that is detected by the infrared thermometers to measure temperatures.
Every object has atoms moving within it when not in absolute zero temperature. When the temperature rises, the movement too goes faster, and thus these moving molecules emit energy, which is in the form of infrared radiation.
How Does An Infrared Thermometer Work?
Infrared thermometers make use of a lens to focus the infrared light emitting from the object onto a detector known as a thermopile. A thermopile forms when some thermocouples connect in a series.
Now, as soon as the thermopile surface comes in contact with infrared radiation, it is absorbed and converted into heat. The device measures this heat in the form of temperature and displays it on the screen.
This process is completed within seconds and gives out accurately recorded readings that are finally displayed on the screen.
Things You Should Know Before Purchasing An Infrared Thermometer
You will have to look for all the factors that determine the efficiency of infrared radiation like emissivity, temperature range, accuracy, reading speed, design, warranty, screen type, etc.
Of which, emissivity is one of the most critical ones. It is the amount of infrared energy that is radiated by an object. It is measured from 0 to 1, where 0 is a shiny mirror, while 1 is a blackbody.
- Choose the infrared thermometer that can adjust the emissivity levels
- Check the distance to spot ratio it offers to get maximum accuracy
- Check the temperature range of the thermometer, and buy an IR thermometer with a wide temperature range for measuring different temperatures. Else, a narrow range thermometer if you want high resolution.
- Check the thermometer’s response time to display the accurate readings, especially if it has to measure a moving object.
- Make sure you get the best design(robust design with polymer structured no-lens) and warranty specifications
How Do You Use An Infrared Thermometer?
To get accurate temperature measurements with the help of an infrared thermometer, you need to make sure you have a good understanding of its field of view.
A field of view of any device in the area it observes at a time. It is basically the spot that is to be focused on while taking the measurement.
The field of view gets affected due to the distance and the inclination angle between the thermometer and the object
To accurately use an IR thermometer, you should focus the object’s entire field of view on getting the best results. Also, the field of view broadens as the distance increases. Hence you have to focus the thermometer at a distance that accurately gives the results. Also, you should hold the thermometer at a 90° angle to that of the object for perfect readings.
What Are The Uses Of Infrared Thermometers?
We have already seen their use to measure body temperature from a distance during the Covid pandemic. Apart from this, Infrared thermometers are used in several industries for a number of reasons and for devices that otherwise cannot be measured with normal devices and need to check the temperature from a distance. They are used when the objects are too fragile, or dangerous to come in contact with, or other normal thermometers cannot be used.
Infrared thermometers are used in laboratories, industrial applications that need temperature control, detection of clouds for telescope operation, detecting equipment for temperature, detecting hot spots in firefighting, checking heater/oven temperatures, measuring volcano temperatures, etc.
Some Interesting Facts About Infrared Thermometers
- Industrial IR thermometers cannot measure body temperature accurately and are designed only for industrial appliances.
- Keep the thermometers clean for accurate readings. Wipe the lens and then the body with a cotton swab, water/medical rubbing alcohol carefully for better results
- IR thermometers cannot measure the temperature of an object through the glass. Even if the laser pointer of the thermometers passes through the glass, it doesn’t help the thermometer measure the object beyond the glass. Instead, it will measure the temperature of the glass surface.
- A quick trick to determine the exact distance you should keep between the thermometer and the object, you need to multiply the size of the object by the “D” in the D:S ratio, where “S” is equal to “1”.
Lastly
We have tried to compile almost every aspect of infrared thermometers in this article. However, if you think there’s something we have missed out, comment and let us know. We will get back to you as early as possible.
