This section provides an overview for non-contact temperature sensors as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 12 non-contact temperature sensor manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked non-contact temperature sensor companies as of June, 2023: 1.Tempsens, Inc., 2.Dr. Georg Maurer, 3.Pixsys.
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Categories Related to Non-Contact Temperature Sensors
A non-contact temperature sensor is a sensor that can detect temperature without being directly attached to the object being measured.
They use infrared rays emitted by an object or scattered by incident neutrons. Most non-contact temperature sensors on the market are infrared sensors. Infrared rays are detected using a sensing element, and the emissivity is used to calculate the temperature of the object being measured. Emissivity is the amount of infrared radiation relative to the surface temperature determined for each object, and is necessary when using non-contact temperature sensors.
Non-contact sensors have a specific range or distance over which they can measure, and the range over which they can measure is called the spot diameter. The smaller the spot diameter is compared to the object or person being measured, the more stable the temperature can be measured. In addition, when measuring high-temperature objects, it is necessary to take measures such as cooling the non-contact temperature sensor to prevent it from being damaged due to the heat generated by the sensor itself.
Non-contact temperature sensors are used in a wide range of applications, from everyday life to industrial use. The following are examples of non-contact temperature sensor applications.
Non-contact temperature sensors are used in situations where it is difficult or impossible to measure with contact-type temperature sensors. Specifically, they are used for moving or rotating objects.
It is also used to measure body temperature. They are used in numerous situations, such as in restaurants and when going to work in an office. Compared to contact thermometers that are inserted under the arm, the advantages of these thermometers are that they measure temperature faster and are more hygienic, eliminating the need to disinfect them after each use.
On the other hand, because they use infrared rays, they are greatly affected by external factors such as ambient temperature and sunlight. In addition, they are less accurate than contact sensors. It is necessary to adjust the temperature calculation method and improve the environment while taking into consideration the location where the non-contact temperature sensor will actually be utilized.
A non-contact temperature sensor using infrared rays consists of a light-collecting lens, thermopile, amplifying amplifier, and arithmetic unit. Temperature is measured in the following sequence
Infrared light is invisible from 0.7 to 1,000 μm. Within this frequency range, only frequencies between 0.7 μm and 20 μm are used for practical temperature measurements.
This light is focused using an infrared condenser lens. By focusing infrared rays in the wavelength range detectable by the thermopile, measurement accuracy can be improved.
Thermopiles are used to convert infrared rays into electrical signals for output. The thermopile is an infrared detection element that outputs an electrical signal in response to the temperature heated by infrared rays.
Within the thermopile, multiple thermocouples are connected in series with the warm junction facing the center, and an infrared absorbing film is placed at the center where the warm junction faces. Light collected by the lens hits only the warm junction, creating a temperature difference between the warm junction and the cold junction on the outside. This creates a voltage difference due to the Seebeck effect, enabling temperature measurement.
An amplifying amplifier is used to amplify the electrical signal emitted from the thermopile. Amplification enables detection with higher accuracy.
Corrections are made to calculate the temperature of the object to be measured. Emissivity is used for the correction. Emissivity is the ratio of the amount of infrared radiation emitted to the surface temperature of an object, which is a constant value for each object.
The temperature of the object to be measured is calculated using the amount of infrared radiation detected from the electrical signal converted by the thermopile and the emissivity of the object to be measured, which is measured in advance.
Non-contact temperature sensors can be classified into portable and installed types.
Portable sensors are held by a person and used to measure temperatures. Since it does not require a power supply, it can be easily carried around. They are lightweight, compact, and often inexpensive, ranging from several thousand yen to several tens of thousands of yen.
The target object passes in front of the device, and the temperature can be measured automatically without human intervention. Many of these products combine a thermographic camera and other equipment, and are often expensive, ranging from several hundred thousand yen to several million yen. The measurement does not require the user to touch the device, and depending on the device, measurements can be taken from a distance of 0.5 to 1.5 meters.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Micro-Epsilon was originally founded in Osaka and Micro-Epsilon America was founded in 1998, headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Micro-Epsilon develops, manufactures, and distributes sensors to aerospace, battery production, glass production, wind power, precision optics, medical technology, transportation, semiconductor, and other industries. Micro-Epsilon’s sensor product categories include inductive, capacitive, laser, confocal, laser distance, magneto-inductive, draw-wire, rotation speed, color, paint thickness measurement, and fiber optic sensors in addition to interferometers and other sensor equipment.
Pixsys Electronics was established in the early 1990s and is headquartered in Pianiga near Padua, Italy. The company services industrial sectors such as railway, water treatment, plastics, and refrigeration to customers globally. The company’s hardware components include controllers, terminals, converters, sensors, and others. The company also provides software tools for monitoring hardware performance. The company also sells a multizone monitoring and recording system called iModView and a graphic datalogger called iTrendView.
OMEGA Engineering was originally begun in 1962 as a manufacturer of thermocouples and has grown to over 100,000 products for measurement and control of temperature, humidity, pressure, strain force, flow, level pH, and conductivity as well as customer service including data acquisition, electric heating, and custom-engineered products. Additionally, OMEGA offers tools to serve as reference for engineers around the world. OMEGA Engineering serves the aerospace, automotive, wireless, sanitary, test & measurement, process control, power monitoring, environmental, and laboratory markets.
Ranking as of June 2023 in United States of America
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Tempsens, Inc. | 33.3% |
2 | Dr. Georg Maurer | 33.3% |
3 | Pixsys | 33.3% |
Ranking as of June 2023 Globally
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Tempsens, Inc. | 13.3% |
2 | Dr. Georg Maurer | 13.3% |
3 | Pixsys | 13.3% |
4 | AMETEK Land | 6.7% |
5 | Optris | 6.7% |
6 | ALLSENS Messtechnik | 6.7% |
7 | Proxitron | 6.7% |
8 | EGE | 6.7% |
9 | Omega Engineering | 6.7% |
10 | Fluke Process Instruments | 6.7% |
11 | Texense | 6.7% |
12 | Micro-Epsilon | 6.7% |
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the non-contact temperature sensor page as of June 2023. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History