Estimation of the temperature of heat sources by digital photography and image processing

Present work proposes a novel, low cost non-contact temperature measurement technique using consumer grade digital still camera. The images of various visible heat sources are captured. Using colour image segmentation, source zones are identified. The actual temperature is measured by placing a miniature thermocouple in each zone. The colour temperature correlation is established by applying various analytical techniques. Different equations are formulated for different zones observing colour dominance in respective zone. The results indicate that the image-based measurements agree with the corresponding contact measurements within an error range of about 5%.