Infrared (IR) sensors can detect and/or emit infrared radiation in order to sense objects in a wide variety of applications. IR sensors have a number of advantages and disadvantages, and there are also many important maintenance strategies in order to address common IR sensor failures. Watch the videos below to learn more about this topic.
Self-Assessment Questions:
Click here to test your understanding of IR Sensors.
Discussion Questions:
- There are two main types of IR sensors: thermal and photonic. What are the differences between these two types of IR sensors? What are uses for each?
- In the presence of breast cancer, a tumor will cause redistribution of heat in the breast. Explain how an IR sensor could be used to help detect breast cancer.
- In the video, three laws which govern the theory behind IR sensors are described. Why are these laws so important / how do they apply with respect to IR sensors? (Refer to the article by C. Corsi).
- IR systems have been utilized to aid in driving under low-visibility conditions. How would an infrared sensor be useful in this application?
- What is an application in which you would choose to use a passive sensor over an active sensor? Why? When would you choose to use an active sensor?
- Considering the importance of taking temperature measurements during COVID-19, how are IR sensors applicable during the pandemic? Specifically, how could IR sensors be beneficial in low-resource settings during the pandemic? What other considerations would have to be taken into consideration in these settings? (Refer to the news article on the touchless temperature sensor developed by students at Rice University).
Continue Reading:
- J. Y. A. Amir Karim, “Infrared detectors: Advances, challenges and new technologies,” IOP Conference Ser, vol. 51, 2013. Read the article here.
- This article gives a general overview of IR sensors, the different kinds, and their various uses.
- S. J. Mambou, P. Maresova, O. Krejcar, A. Selamat, and K. Kuca, “Breast cancer detection using infrared thermal imaging and a deep learning model,” Sensors (Basel), vol. 18, no. 9, 2018. Read the article here.
- This article discusses how IR sensors can applied in the detection of breast cancer.
- C. Corsi, “Infrared: A key technology for security systems,” Adv. Opt. Technol., vol. 2012, pp. 1–15, 2012. Read the article here.
- This article discusses how IR is utilized in security applications. It also discusses the history of IR sensors and how they work.
- “Touchless temperature made simple,” Rice News | News and Media Relations | Rice University. [Online]. Read the article here.
- This news article talks about an innovation made by students at Rice University in developing a touchless temperature monitor using IR sensors.
About the Creator:
This video was created by a student in the Rice Bioengineering Class of 2022 (used with permission).
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