What is thermal sensitivity?
Thermal Sensitivity, also named NETD (Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference), is a key parameter for evaluating medium wave (MWIR) and long wave (LWIR) thermal imaging cameras. It is directly related to the clarity measured by the thermal imager. It is a numerical value representing the signal-to-noise ratio of the temperature difference and measured in milliKelvins (mK). The smaller the thermal sensitivity value, the higher the sensitivity and the clearer the image.
What is SWaP3?
SWaP3 refers to size, weight, power, performance and price. It indicates the technology trend of infrared industry.
What is DRI?
DRI usually refers to detection, recognition and identification distance of a thermal imaging system. It is a crucial parameter to judge the performance of the thermal imaging system.
What is the difference between uncooled and cooled IR detectors?
There are currently two types of infrared thermal imaging sensors on the market, cooled and uncooled. Uncooled IR detector operates at ambient temperature. It is based on semi-conductor industry and thus usually can be fabricated in big volume with small size and low cost. Uncooled IR detectors are widely used in portable/handheld/mobile devices. Cooled IR detectors are packaged in a unit that keeps them at an extremely low temperature which shall be supported by a cryo cooler. They are much bigger, more expensive and less reliable than uncooled sensors, mainly due to the complex cooling systems they require. However, the cooled systems are incredibly sensitive and usually work with long focal length optics to achieve long range mission.
