Have you ever wondered what people are talking about when they mention a thermal imaging device being either cooled or uncooled?
In principle it sounds quite confusing – and no, it doesn’t involve putting your thermal camera into the fridge to make it nice and cold.
A cooled detector within a thermal camera is a component used by certain models to reduce the amount of thermal ‘noise’ that can influence the camera’s abilities. The cooling device makes sure that the camera maintains decent image quality, and without it thermal readings would be all over the place.
Some thermal cameras are ‘uncooled’, which means that they use other technology to keep their thermal readings accurate and do not have to rely upon a cooled detector.
The main difference you need to know between the two is that thermal cameras with cooling systems inside generally last for a shorter period of time than other types. This is because they have very delicate, finely engineered parts that unfortunately wear out over time, particularly when the internal parts are moving. Estimates predict that the camera should still last 8000-10000 hours of continuous operation (around a year) before internal components will have to be replaced.
Uncooled cameras generally last a lot longer and are as a result more cost effective. Just like anything there’s a negative side though; uncooled thermal cameras generally have more expensive lenses. Cooled thermal cameras are therefore a better solution for instances where a wider field of view is needed, as the lenses for an uncooled camera can end up being exceptionally expensive to purchase.
