This infrared camera with cooled photon detectors provides users with performance advantages at a good price/performance ratio. Due to the latest detector technology and a robust, compact construction, the camera is useful for demanding OEM and continuous operation applications.

The radiometrically calibrated system camera Image IR 6300 from Infratec is equipped with a cooled focal plane array photon detector. By combining the detector format of 640 × 512 IR pixels with a pixel pitch of 10 µm, the camera delivers sharp images. Due to its snapshot mode, at which all pixels are exposed at the same time, moving objects can also be displayed without distortion. 

The XBN detector technology enable the detector to operate at a higher working temperature than the usual approximately 80 K. This allows lowering size, weight and power (SWaP) of the integrated detector/cooler unit. Thus, the MTTF of the camera can be increased to about 30,000 hours for a basic load profile. 

Its pixel pitch of 10 µm gives the system camera a comparatively small detector size. This allows for a compact optical design while maintaining high image quality.

The small size and the higher MTTF are key features that qualify the camera for use in OEM and continuous operation applications. With a range of different interchangeable camera lenses available between 12 and 50 mm (with an optional 300 mm close-up), and 1x microscope, the Image IR 6300 can be configured for a wide variety of applications, from inline inspection to laboratory test stations. 

Quality control of sealing process with MWIR

The camera can be used for many industrial processes. The Peel-Scan automation solution, for instance, has been created by Infratec for the inline quality control of foil sealings of plastic containers, that are often used in the pharmaceutical and food industries. 

For a long time, uncooled infrared cameras were applied for checking seals and similar tasks. However, due to their low frame rates, longer integration times and a line-by-line readout processes (rolling shutter), leading to distortions in the imaging and measurement of moving objects, these systems quickly reach their limits. Peel-Scan solution with Image IR 6300 detects even small defects that cause temperature differences of 20 mK and visualizes them by using Infratec’s control and analyzing software Irbis.

During the sealing process, the film is partially heated. This causes it to melt and bond with the container. The quality of the seal can be assessed immediately afterwards, before the film has cooled down completely. The software compares the image captured with that of a flawless seal and uses temperature differences to detect defects in the sealing seams and films.

A particular requirement of the application is the short integration time. Within the production process plastic containers are fully automatically sealed with foil at high cycle frequencies, leaving very little time for quality control. Thermal imaging triggered by a visual signal offers the possibility to evaluate the quality of the seal non-destructively in fractions of a second, and continuously for each individual container. 

The colors in the thermal image represent different calibrated temperature values. Deviations can be identified quickly and reliably, using analysis algorithms integrated into the thermography software. Containers with seals that are recognized as faulty will be removed from further processing.

Advantages in industrial processes

The infrared camera Image IR 6300 can be easily integrated into the production line via plug & play and precisely controlled using fast triggers. The data obtained is stored directly on the infrared camera or transmitted uncompressed via Gigabit Ethernet to professional control units.

The MWIR System Camera from Infratec is suitable for monitoring fast processes, even in 24/7 operation. Due to an optimized cooler concept, the cost-effective infrared camera is permanently maintenance-free, even in difficult environments. 

The Image IR 6300 is the first model in the ImageIR® series to feature a new integrated operating system of Infratec. This opens a wide range of new functions, such as fully autonomous camera operation without the need for an additional control PC. The camera can also be controlled via a web interface using a smartphone or tablet. In addition, users can run their own software directly on the camera and access the data stream directly via the integrated SDK. 

Frame rates up to 620 Hz

Measurements with the camera can be carried out at two speeds. In normal mode, the device achieves full frame rates of up to 180 Hz. With the binning function, the frame rate can be increased by more than three times up to 620 Hz. This is made possible by combining four detector pixels into one. Thereby the sensitive pixel area is increased to compensate for the shorter integration times, and the readout of the pixel data is accelerated. At the same time, the thermal resolution improves by a factor of two in high-speed mode. Even higher frame rates can be achieved by reducing the field of view to freely definable subframe modes.

Wide measurement ranges

The MIT (Multi Integration Times) function increases the dynamic range up to 16 bit and significantly extends the temperature measurement ranges. Objects with large temperature gradients can be recorded with one measurement range while maintaining the maximum image refresh rate and temperature resolution. 

With constant aperture/filter setting, different integration times can be selected for up to four calibration ranges and combined with these to form a total range. The system calibration can remain unchanged. Manual switching of the measurement range becomes dispensable as well, but MIT is limited to a temperature range defined by the calibrations with the same filter settings. 

One calibration fits all

Different measurement scenarios often require temperature measurement ranges or integration times that vary from the initial factory calibration and are individually adjusted. Thanks to the High Sense function the measurement accuracy of the cameras is also preserved when integration times or the measurement ranges are changed. With maximum flexibility users also save costs, for example, by avoiding additional application-specific special calibrations.

High Sense enables the possibility of setting up individual customized temperature measurement ranges in two different ways. The first one allows for the selection of a desired integration time. The resulting temperature measurement range is calculated automatically and can be used for accurate measurements. The second way is defining an upper and lower limit temperature measurement range. Afterwards, the appropriate integration time is calculated to achieve the optimum signal-to-noise ratio and stored as setting parameter for the planned measurement task. 

In addition, the calibration of individual sub-frames is no longer necessary. The adjustment of the calibration data, which applies to these frames, takes place automatically as well. On this basis, accurate temperature measurement values are also provided for the corresponding window modes.