Design of a System with a Multielement Thermopile for Monitoring the Temperature of Indoor Objects

In this paper, we report the design of a system equipped with a multielement thermopile for monitoring the temperature of indoor objects. We evaluate the performance of our measurement system, which comprises two microcontrollers, an analog-to-digital converter, two stepping motors, and four microswitches. We use an RS-232 or a wireless RS-232 interface that transmits temperature values and uses colors to indicate the temperature range on a PC screen. The system is inexpensive, and it can be used for three-dimensional temperature measurements. The effective detection range of this system is from -20degC to 180degC; the measurement error is confined to plusmn1degC. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the system for monitoring temperatures of remote indoor objects. Hence, it is possible to identify a hot spot occurring in electrical heating equipment or a smoldering source hidden in upholstery.