With the development of technology, infrared thermal imager have gradually entered the civilian market and are now used in many fields, bringing a lot of convenience to our daily life. Here's an introduction to their applications in different civilian situations.
Here is contant list:
Infrared Thermal Imager: Traditional Application Areas
Power Field
In the power field, infrared thermal imager are very important for checking if power equipment gets too hot. For example, for transformers and cables, if there are problems inside, they usually show up as parts getting too hot first. Infrared thermal imagers can spot these abnormal temperatures on the equipment's surface. Then workers can know about potential problems early and fix them in time to keep the power system working well and avoid power outages caused by equipment breakdowns.
HVAC Field
In the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) field, infrared thermal imager can help check how well a building is insulated and how the heating and cooling systems are working. They can clearly show where heat is lost in a building, so we can find the weak spots in insulation and use energy more efficiently. Also, when HVAC equipment breaks down, these imagers can quickly find the parts with the wrong temperatures, which saves time and money on repairs.
Construction Field
In the construction field, infrared thermal imager can be used to see if there are leaks in exterior walls or roofs and to check the insulation. With thermal imaging technology, we can directly see the temperature distribution on the building's surface and tell if there are leaks or if the insulation is poor. Besides, during construction, these imagers can monitor the temperature changes when concrete sets to make sure the construction quality is good.
Security Field
In the security field, infrared thermal imager have big advantages. In low light or at night, they can take clear pictures and keep an eye on target areas well. In places like city streets, neighborhoods, factories, and warehouses, they can help make security better. And when there's smoke, fog, or in emergencies like fires or explosions, they can still work through these problems and keep monitoring, giving important information for dealing with emergencies.
Industrial Manufacturing Field
In the industrial manufacturing field, infrared thermal imager are used to watch how industrial equipment is working. For example, in car manufacturing, they can check the temperature distribution of important parts like engines and transmissions. This helps find problems like overheating or wear early and makes sure the products are good. In electronics manufacturing, they can find the parts on circuit boards that are too hot, which makes fixing things faster and improves the overall production efficiency.
Medical Field
In the medical field, infrared thermal imager also help with diagnosing and treating diseases. For example, by looking at changes in the body's surface temperature, they can help doctors find diseases like inflammations or tumors. During rehabilitation, these imagers can also be used to see how well the treatment is working and give doctors ideas for making better treatment plans.
Infrared Thermal Imager: Emerging Application Areas
Outdoor Field
In 2023, more than 400 million people in China took part in outdoor sports. Mountain climbing and camping had a lot of accidents, so people who do outdoor activities are paying more attention to safety now, and the need for infrared equipment in the outdoors is growing.
Infrared thermal imaging cameras are useful in many ways outdoors. They can help outdoor lovers find and avoid wild animals, making outdoor activities safer. They're also great for emergency search and rescue, like when someone gets lost. For example, if someone gets lost while hiking in the mountains, these cameras can quickly find where the lost person is by detecting their body heat, which makes the search and rescue much faster. Plus, they can make outdoor experiences more fun, like when used for outdoor live broadcasts to show viewers a different outdoor view.
Smart Home Field
In 2023, the size of China's smart home market was over 650 billion yuan. Right now, infrared thermal imaging cameras don't have a high market share in this area, but they have a lot of potential and are expected to be used a lot more in the future.
Take smart air conditioners as an example. Infrared thermal imaging technology can make air conditioners "smart" in how they blow air and control the temperature. With infrared sensing, they can tell where people are and what temperature they are, and then change the angle, direction, and temperature of the air flow in real time to make people more comfortable. At the same time, they can also sense the room temperature and adjust the air conditioner's settings to use energy better. And these cameras can work with other smart home devices to make the whole home smarter to control.
Intelligent Driving Field
By 2025, the size of China's intelligent driving market is expected to reach 4.1 billion yuan. The vehicle-mounted infrared thermal imaging system is important in this. It can see and recognize pedestrians, and it's not bothered by bright lights when driving at night. It works well with ultrasonic radars, lidars, and car cameras, so it's a good choice for making autonomous driving safer and for improving the whole system that helps the car "see" things. Especially at night or in bad weather, the vehicle-mounted infrared thermal imaging system can clearly show what's on the road and where pedestrians are, keeping autonomous driving safe.
Home Temperature Measurement Field
In 2026, traditional mercury thermometers for home use will stop being sold. Then, 60 million mercury thermometers' market share will be taken over by electronic thermometers and infrared thermometers. Infrared thermometers are good for home use because they're fast, accurate, and don't need to touch the body. This is really handy for families with kids. They can check a child's temperature quickly without waking the child up, which makes things much easier for parents.
Elderly Care and Health Field
It's expected that around 2030, there will be more than 400 million people aged 60 or older in China. This will make the demand for home infrared health monitoring equipment for the elderly grow, and there will be more buying in the elderly care industry. For example, infrared thermal imagers can be used to check how the elderly are feeling. By looking at their body surface temperature, they can help find possible health problems like heart and blood vessel diseases or diabetes. Also, these devices can work with smart elderly care systems to give the elderly better services.
Other Fields
Besides the above areas, consumer-grade infrared thermal imager products also have a lot of uses in new jobs, smart education, taking care of pets smartly, agriculture and animal farming, and sports.
In new jobs like drone pilots and virtual reality designers, infrared thermal imager equipment can help them do their jobs better. For example, drones with infrared thermal imaging cameras can check power lines or watch for forest fires.
In smart education, infrared thermal imager technology can be used in teaching experiments to help students understand physical things like heat transfer and energy change more easily and make teaching better.
In smart pet care, infrared thermal imager equipment can check how pets are feeling. By looking at their body surface temperature, we can tell if they have a fever or an infection, so we can find pet diseases early and do something about them.
In agriculture and animal farming, infrared thermal imager technology can check how crops are growing and how animals are doing. For example, by looking at the surface temperature of crops, we can tell if they need water or if they have pests or diseases. We can also quickly find if farm animals are sick.
In the sports field, infrared thermal imager equipment can help with athletes' training and competitions. By looking at athletes' body surface temperature, we can know how they're feeling and change the training plan if needed. In sports competitions, it can also help referees make decisions, like telling if an athlete is offside.
All in all, infrared thermal imager are being used in more and more ways in civilian life, making our daily life more convenient and safer. As technology keeps getting better and costs keep going down, we can expect them to be even more important in the future civilian market.
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