1. Improving the accuracy of infrared measurements of skin temperature
- Author
-
Allen Curran, Mark D. Klein, Mark Hepokoski, and Corey D. Packard
- Subjects
Observational error ,Infrared imagery ,Physiology ,Infrared ,Computer science ,Skin temperature ,Repeatability ,computer.software_genre ,Physiology (medical) ,Meeting Abstract ,Calibration ,Emissivity ,Orthopedics and Sports Medicine ,Sensitivity (control systems) ,Data mining ,computer ,Remote sensing - Abstract
In principle, infrared (IR) imagery of exposed skin and clothing can provide a valuable source of data for thermo-physiological studies. In practice, and despite the fall in the cost of IR cameras, infrared imagery is not universally collected during human subject testing. One reason for this may be the relatively poor accuracy of IR cameras (typically ±2 °C). The repeatability of the measurements taken with a particular IR camera (both spatially and temporally) is much better than its accuracy, i.e., close to the camera's sensitivity. An IR camera's sensitivity (and repeatability) is typically on the order of hundredths of a degree Celsius. Consequently, a reference with known temperature and emissivity placed in the camera's field-of-view when taking measurements can provide two potential benefits: First, measurement error can be reduced by using a calibration procedure. Second, IR imagery taken by different IR cameras during different test episodes can be directly compared.
- Published
- 2015