FLIR Automation Handbook

Chapter 1: Typical Monitoring and Control Applications

Infrared (IR) radiation is not detectable by the human eye, but an IR camera can convert it into a visual image that depicts thermal variations across an object or scene. IR covers a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum from approximately 900 to 14,000 nanometers (0.9–14 µm). IR is emitted by all objects at temperatures above absolute zero, and the amount of radiation increases with temperature. A properly calibrated IR camera can capture thermographic images of target objects and can provide accurate non-contact temperature measurements of those objects. These quantitative measurements can be used in a variety of monitoring and control applications.