Infrared Line Scanner

Line scanners were the first remote temperature measurement systems to use an infrared detector for more than a single-point measurement in an industrial process. They used mirrors in multi-faceted prism scanning systems or resonant galvanometers to sweep across a web process, directing heat emissions to a single-element detector. These systems were popular in glass, plastic, paper, wallboard, and metal applications where it was important to understand temperature variations across the sheet. They were also popular in applications where access to target material was limited, as only a small opening in production equipment provided line-of-site from the camera to the target.

Focal Plane Array-based thermal cameras, which are now smaller and more affordable, can be set through software to acquire just a single line of infrared temperature data, essentially replicating the operational mode of the older line scan technology. The line scan operating mode is available on most Optris infrared camera products and is frequently used in conjunction with wide-angle optics to improve temperature acquisition on wide sheets of production material through tight openings in production equipment.