Poor Man's Thermographic Camera: two Approaches

Thermographic cameras are still far too expensive for everyday use. But here are two ways of adding some software and hardware to use an infrared thermometer almost like a thermographic camera. http://www.j3L7h.de/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• sustainability
• Nachhaltigkeit
• FH Bielefeld
• Jörn Loviscach
• image processing
• Bildverarbeitung

[josiahjohnston]

Fun project! I'm a PhD student at UC Berkeley and would like to collaborate on construction guides DIY entrepreneurs selling finished products online, enabling small contractors to sell cheap and verifiable weatherization services. Ideally the construction guide would be publicly available, possibly receiving a modest revenue stream by selling kits with instructions like Robert Moog and the theremin. Interested?

[JoernLoviscach]

@josiahjohnston Definitively so. More in my answer to your private message.

[deftdawg]

Hi Jörn,

If you don't mind my asking what model of thermometer did you use? Does it data log or did you tap into (wire JTAG?) its system board to get the readings?

Cheers,

-G

[JoernLoviscach]

@deftdawg That's a cheap IR therometer that comes with an attachable radio transmitter and a radio receiver for USB. It's a German-branded Chinese product. Something of that sort should be available in Canada as well.

[Zalo10]

Approach 1 Improvement: You could use a Mirror to reflect the sampling laser to other areas, thus increasing the rate that it's possible to make samples because a mirror is smaller and more agile than the whole device. Approach 2 Improvement: Instead of having a camera a tracking the whole thing and whatnot, just have the thermometer attached to the camera do the mirror thing and have it reflect the laser toward wherever you click. It may even be able to show real time above your mouse. ;)

[JoernLoviscach]

@Zalo10 Thanks for sharing your ideas! I need to explain that the laser is just used to indicate the spot at which the measurement takes place; the actual measurement is passive. Nonetheless, an IR-reflecting and cooled scanning mirror could indeed be used to speed things up.

[thompsonbruv]

Nice work, I wish you all the best.

[oldyogurt]

You are a genius and this blew my mind. What a creative solution.

[JoernLoviscach]

@texasaggie85 Feel free tro peruse j3L7h PERIOD de (no URLs allowed in these comments). Besides the work that is currently being done over here on the cheap thermographic camera, I would also want to improve the camera-based real-time application. I envision a BlueTooth device that contains (multispectral?) IR and distance sensors attached to a standard smartphone. The camera tracking should be improved. There was a nice work at Eurographics last week. And what about different types of sensors?

[texasaggie85]

actually I just googled you and found your website. Jeez you have many projects! I read the abstract. I am in the midst of my finals so I'll be checking out you website next week when hell week for us is over :)