Thermal Imaging Software

Thermal imaging software can be categorized into the following groupings  

With the introductio of computer-assisted thermal image storage and processing, thermography has become a far more exact science and the ability to perform image analysis and trend analysis has greatly expanded its reach. Innovative software has been tailored specifically for detailed image and thermal data analysis, and has been rapidly updated and expanded. 

For the professional thermographer, the maintenance of an historical database is most critical, and thermographic software allows this to be done systematically. The historical data included with stored images (time, date, location, ambient conditions, distance to target, emissivity setting, scanner serial number, and additional stored comments) serve as important inpunts and subsequent backup for the written report. 

Although data and image database development is not an exclusive characteristic of thermal imaging software, it should he considered an important part of the thermographer s toolkit. 

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At the time of writing there is only one manufacturer of micro/nano-TA equipment Anasys Instruments, (www.anasysinstruments.com). They supply the hardware and software for local thermal analysis and thermal imaging that can be interfaced with the most popular types of atomic force microscope. More recently they have launched an instrument based on an optical microscope, the Vesta system, which is simpler to use than an atomic force microscope but the spatial resolution is limited to approximately 1.5 micrometers, see Fig. 7.22. The Wollaston probes are supplied by Veeco (www.veeco.com) and are, therefore, compatible only with Veeco AFMs. The nanoprobes are supplied by Anasys Instruments and can be used with most popular makes of AFM. In addition, Anasys Instruments supply calibration kits containing temperature standards. More recently they have launched an instrument based on an optical microscope, the Vesta system, which is simpler to use than an atomic force microscope, but the spatial resolution is limited to approximately 1.5 pm. 

Published performance characteristics of commercially available IR thermal imaging systems can be found in Appendix A. Detailed discussions of diagnostic software and image recording methods can be found in Chapter 4. 

Commercial thermal imaging systems have varied capabilities to index, record, and retrieve images and data. Most systems offer limited internal image storage by means of on-board removable computer disks (CDs), miniature flash disks. Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) cards, or other reusable storage devices. Limited image analysis software may also be incorporated into the field-portable instrument. 

A thermal camera (FLIR A325, FLIR Systems, Wilsonville, USA), properly calibrated, with a resolution of 320 X 240, sensitivity of 70 mK and accuracy of +2% was used to measure skin temperature. The software ThermaCam Researcher Pro 2.10 was used for image capture and analysis. An electronic metronome was used to pace the passive mobilization technique. 

The next step is to determine a tolerance matrix. This is the maximum global or local deviation firom the criterion image that will still result in acceptable product. This step requires expert inputs Ifom the process engineer, who has the most intimate knowledge of the process, and knows which site points are most thermally critical to product quality. Since the tolerance matrix exists only in software, it is... 

To implement Ml image process control, an IR line scanner is placed at the oven exit, scaiming across each blank as it leaves the oven. The forward movement of the part, combined with the fast response of the line scanner, provides the Ml thermal map to the computer. A Ml statistical control chart is software-generated, based on mean temperature and standard deviation over the entire surface. The oven heater is zoned and the computer interfaced to a relay control board with one relay managing a set-point controller for each zone. The statistics for each control zone are calculated based on the corresponding section on the part, and a closed-loop statistical process control algorithm is implemented. The result is seen on the 3D strip map presentation shown in Fig. 10.8(b). The color hues indicate temperatures in accordance with the scale at the left. The control level temperature is about 300°F. 

Thermal Wave Imaging EchoTherm ThermoScope II EchoTherm is an NDE system built around a selection of high speed FPA imagers. Includes flash lamp sources, power supplies, synchronizing electronics, and analytical software for TRIR. ThermoScope is a field-portable version. 

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