Infrared (IR) Technology: Expanding Uses Make It Invaluable
One of the most common uses of infrared (IR) technology is in heat-sensitive thermal imaging cameras.
Infrared technology for thermal imaging cameras was a major breakthrough and has opened up many important uses to study human and animal body heat patterns, but more often, they are used as night-vision cameras.
Infrared technology is now used in warfare, as security cameras and in nocturnal animal research.
People are often surprised to learn that infrared technology is also used in most remote controls by sending pulses of infrared, spelling out codes that an electronic device will recognize. Besides TV remotes, infrared technology is also important for the functioning of DVD players projectors, etc.
Infrared technology has also stepped to the forefront as a conduit for sending signals through optic cables, particularly when using standard silica fibers. Fiber optic cables are commonly used to transmit audio to sound systems and for high-speed internet connections.
In recent years, astronomers have been particularly pleased by how infrared technology has benefited astronomy. Taking pictures of the universe in infrared has led to remarkable discoveries – discoveries that have even altered our perceptions of the universe.
Thanks to infrared technology, astronomers can look at an area of the sky that appears empty and dark in the visual part of the electromagnetic spectrum and find the area full of activity in the infrared. Since most objects that are at all hot produce infrared radiation, whereas plenty of objects do not produce visible light, it has become a vital tool in observational astronomy.
Military and civilian applications include target acquisition, surveillance, night vision, homing, and tracking. Humans at normal body temperature radiate chiefly at wavelengths around 10 μm (micrometers).
Still other uses due to infrared technology include thermal efficiency analysis, environmental monitoring, industrial facility inspections, detection of grow-ops, remote temperature sensing, short-range wireless communication, spectroscopy, and weather forecasting.
Want to learn more? Tonex offers Fundamentals of Infrared (IR) Technology, a 2-day course that provides a basic understanding of the physical background and engineering considerations required for the design of IR systems, examining all components and combining them into imaging, sensor and surveillance systems.
Participants will learn about state-of-the-art optical systems, lightweight mirrors and adaptive optics, planar-hybrid and Z-technology focal planes, design of a ground-based IR astronomical telescope, laser-radar systems.
For more information, questions, comments, contact us.