Using a CCD camera for the determination of the target size in radiation thermometry

The objective of this paper is to present the new objective method for the determination of the target size in radiation thermometry using a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera and the custom-made software. The target size is one of the essential components needed for the proper calibration of a radiation thermometer, as well as for everyday measurements. In practice, most of the radiation thermometers have a small black ring engraved on the ocular, and the interior of the ring defines the target area. Usually, manufacturers state how much radiation is gathered from the target area. Typical values stated are from 90% to 99%. The existing method was very subjective. A person determining the target size looked through the radiation thermometer and tried to read the target size of the thermometer from the millimeter grid paper. In our case, three different people in our laboratory, using this existing method, determined different target sizes. The new method uses a predefined mask of known dimensions, printed on millimeter grid paper and positioned in front of the radiation thermometer. Instead of a person looking through the ocular, a CCD camera and the custom-made image processing software are used. This target size can be used as an indication of target size in cases when other information is unavailable or to check manufacturer´s data.