Infrared technology is quickly making its way to more advanced user applications. The technology originated in the late 19th century as an experiment in biology. But it took a while in order to really apply it to useful consumer products and be able to use it in profitable ways. The current trend is that infrared technology is finally reaching the point where it is being used in many different areas, with some products already having a significant market presence. For example, many people already carry a handheld hand-held devise that is capable of providing a real-time image of temperature and humidity.
Focussing on the infrared technology, there are a few different categories of devices that have made significant advances and become commonplace. One type of product is the FOCUS sensor, which is also known by the names Netd and FOV. These are two of the most common forms of netd detectors that are available. Another term you might come across is “Focal frustation”, which refers to devices that use sound waves for detecting surface and space differences in their detection abilities.
In order to appreciate how these detectors work, it’s important to understand the entire electromagnetic spectrum and how they’re used. Infrared light is the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, with the infrared waves being a lot longer than the visible light. When light waves strike an object, they’re absorbed, reflected, or otherwise pass through the object without being seen.
This is the basic way that infrared technology operates: light waves are incident and are absorbed, but are otherwise kept out of sight because of the electromagnetic spectrum. We can see this in everyday situations such as the sun, moon, and stars. But there are more sophisticated technologies in development that will soon make it possible to see infrared radiation from objects in total darkness. There are also different types like SWIR, MWIR,
Some forms of Infrared Remote Control Sensors are based on infrared photography and passive infrared technology. Photographic infrared solutions take images of a subject by using infrared illumination, then translate those images into an electrical signal which is understood and interpreted by a remote control sensing unit. Passive infrared (PIR) sensors are built into some remote control sensing units and are composed of a series of tiny infrared LEDs. If an object is caught in the LEDs, the circuitry inside the unit interprets that as an infrared signal and triggers the LED lights, causing the sensor to emit a corresponding electromagnetic wave.
The benefits of using PIR sensor technology is that it’s a very compact form of sensing technology, generally small enough to fit into a shirt pocket or wristwatch. It’s also ideal for use in applications where compactness is important, since it usually operates on low power. On the downside, PIR detectors are not as sensitive as optical or ultrasonic detectors, particularly when dealing with lower IR intensities. This means that they’re less effective at detecting low frequency radio signals such as cell phones, which are the primary sources of infrared signals.
Another form of Infrared detection technology is the cool invention called uncooled detectors. These low powered, cool devices rely on the concept of radio frequency absorption to trigger their cool, infrared emitting diode (RFID) sensors. The diode emits an invisible radio wave that the detector captures and transmits to a base unit. When the base unit senses the incoming radio wave, the sensor activates and begins measuring the temperature of the emitted infrared wave. Once the temperature is measured, the base unit activates a battery powered device to activate the sensor. With this type of technology, low power consumption is a key feature.
In the case of LTI (Local Thermostat Integration), the infrared sensing units are generally integrated within an existing communication system using a low-power digital communications network. This allows for greater reliability in regards to temperature control and cost savings in energy costs. The most popular type of LTI integration is the tilt sensors, which allow for greater reliability as well as greater accuracy in temperature control due to their angle-specific sensitivity. These types of sensor can be used in conjunction with other types of sensors or integrated into existing communication systems.