1. Detector, sensor, camera and system

1.1 Overview

In radiometric measurement, emission and reception must be considered simultaneously. Reception uses detectors integrated into radiometers or cameras, devices developed to meet specific needs.

Both radiometers and traditional thermal imagers use a single detector (JCGM200: 2012) ("point" or single detector). The thermal camera is equipped with an opto-mechanical space-time scanning device (scanner) that scans the thermal scene. Some cameras feature an array of aligned detectors that scan the thermal scene along parallel lines.

Current camera technology uses a matrix (sometimes called a "mosaic") of XY detectors, thus avoiding the need for a scanner. In this case, each detector is associated with proximity electronics that...