System and method for thermal imaging

A method for thermal imaging by means of a system comprising a processor unit, a signal interface and a detector array comprising a plurality of bolometric measuring cells and a base body with a predetermined, thermal capacity, wherein each measuring cell is directly or indirectly connected to the base body via an associated connection comprising a predetermined thermal conductivity, such that heat is transferable between each measuring cell and the base body, wherein each measuring cell is designed for detecting infrared radiation in a detection range associated with the respective measuring cell and as a time delay element with a time constant for generating a reading representing the detected infrared radiation, which reading represents a temperature in the detection range of the respective measuring cell and includes a measurement error caused by a heat flow via the connection of the respective measuring cell to the base body, and wherein the method comprises the following steps:

• a) periodically detecting infrared radiation by means of the measuring cells of the detector array;
• b) generating a measurement signal representing the readings generated by the measuring cells by means of the detector array;
• c) transmitting the measurement signal from the detector array to the processor unit;
• d) determining a body heat stored by the base body by means of the processor unit and based on the thermal capacity, on the thermal conductivity and either directly or indirectly on the measurement signal;
• e) determining a predictive value for each current reading of each measuring cell compensated with respect to the time delay of the respective measuring cell by means of the processor unit and based on the current reading of the respective measuring cell and at least one temporally preceding reading of the same measuring cell, so that the predictive value represents a current predictive temperature in the detection range of the respective measuring cell compensated with respect to the time delay;
• f) determining, for each current predictive value, a temperature value corrected for the measurement error in the detection range of the respective measuring cell by means of the processor unit and based on the respective predictive value, on the thermal conductivity and either directly or indirectly on the current value of the body heat;
• g) determining a thermal image by means of the processor unit and based on the current temperature values for the detection ranges of the measuring cells;
• and
• h) providing an image signal using the signal interface, wherein the image signal represents the thermal image.