Frequently Asked Questions

According to Kirchhoff’s law, every object in nature emits electromagnetic radiation. The amount of energy emitted at a certain wavelength is given by Planck’s Law. The object radiation will depend on the temperature of its surface and its emissivity. An ideal “Black Body” has an emissivity of 1, while an ideal “White Body” has an emissivity of 0.
Objects at room temperature have maximum emission in the infrared part of the electro-magnetic spectrum. By using sensors that are sensitive to these wavelengths, we can convert this radiation into electrical signals. If we use a 2D array, we get a spatial distribution of the signals that can be easily converted into an image. This Thermal Image will be a combination of temperature and emissivity distribution of the object.

The sensitivity of a Thermal Camera is affected by the minimum temperature difference that the camera can discriminate. This figure of merit it known by NETD (Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference).
The main factor determining NETD of the camera is the quality and type of IR detector. The most sensitive devices are “cooled detectors”. Those are detectors working at cryogenic temperatures (77oK). DIR are using the most advanced cooled 2 dimensional arrays, having a sensitivity below 0.02oC.
The detectors that are widely used in industrial applications are “uncooled” arrays. These detectors are less sensitive but at the same time less expensive. DIR are using high-end uncooled detectors manufactured by SCD, having a sensitivity better than 0.05oC.

Thermography resembles machine vision, where we look at and analyze the thermal image instead of the visual picture, but thermography can also do these:
See things that are invisible to the eye or visual camera.
See through plastics and polymers.
Learn about the properties of the material or the quality of the process from the thermal behavior of the samples

The thermal signature is the Infrared radiation fingerprint of an object at a defined temperature. If  we take this object out of thermal equilibrium by heating or cooling it, the thermal behavior of the object will depend strongly on its physical properties, such as compactness, hardness, humidity, particle size, etc. For objects that are manufactured under rigorous and reliable production techniques, such as pharmaceutical processes, this thermal behavior will be repeatable and unique. We can then assume that when submitted to the same thermal cycle (Thermal Protocol), the object will have a unique  Dynamic Thermal Signature (DTS).

When the Black-Eye is installed, the service team creates the signatures of the desired drugs on location. For this, the user should provide samples of the drug that have to be discriminated. This signature library will sit locally at the system. The library can be further expanded  by a very simple procedure: measure the new samples according to the DIR’s instructions. The acquired data will be transmitted to DIR through the Ethernet connection built in to the Black-Eye and DIR will transmit the new signatures back to the system.

The Black-Eye is a table-top, lab system. However, the same principles of operation are used by DIR to customize solutions for production lines, such as detection of foreign materials in powders or monitoring the level of humidity in the process.