Going Places No Infrared Temperature Devices Have Gone Before

About this technology

Overview

In 2002, NASA's Glenn Research Center approached Exergen with a simple request to modify the company's product line, reducing the size of its sensors. The outcome led to the development of a family of top-notch IRt/c devices that are pushing production line performance to record highs. Glenn was seeking an infrared temperature sensor with an extremely small head for a joint flywheel research project with the University of Texas' Center for Electromechanics. Already having created the smallest infrared temperature device available in one package (.5 inches in diameter and 1.45 inches in length), Exergen was up for the challenge. The company claimed that making a shorter unit was easy; however, this was not the area Glenn was hoping to address. Engineers at the NASA research center required a smaller diameter of a quarter-inch for their project, half the size of Exergen's existing device. With funding and support from Glenn, Exergen prevailed in meeting the NASA specifications, and the patented IRt/cT technology was born. Exergen's IRt/c allows users to measure product temperature without touching the product. The sensors are so rugged, professional auto racing teams use them to measure critical temperature variables during competition. In another application, the infrared temperature sensor is being utilized for avalanche warnings in Switzerland.