Abstract Prohibitive equipment cost and certain export regulations are the major obstacles to the widespread adoption of infrared (IR) thermography when evaluating building envelopes. In this work, we propose the use of an affordable and easily available camera as a first step of making the technology accessible. Combined with image post-processing, we hypothesize that a low-cost, low-resolution, and consumer-grade device can provide an economic alternative for the periodic evaluation of building envelopes. Following a market survey, the Seek Thermal Compact (STC) was chosen for evaluation. The STC was able to accurately measure the temperature of surfaces and distinguish small thermal anomalies (3 mm in diameter), and the IR images can be post-processed to reasonably estimate the anomaly areas. The STC was particularly effective when images were taken within 1.75 m from the surface. The 1.75 m distance did not pose a challenge in this study, as the goal was to mount the selected IR camera on an unmanned aerial vehicle for the surveys. The small size and weight of the STC were also useful. The results from the analysis of the capability of the STC and the image post-processing techniques may help form the basis of future investigations aiming at lowering the cost of building thermographic surveys.

中文翻译：

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分析南非一台消费级红外摄像机的容量，以经济高效地对建筑围护结构进行空中检查

摘要评估建筑物围护结构时，设备成本过高和某些出口法规是红外（IR）热成像技术被广泛采用的主要障碍。在这项工作中，我们建议使用价格合理且易于使用的相机，作为使该技术易于使用的第一步。结合图像后处理，我们假设低成本，低分辨率和消费级设备可以为定期评估建筑围护结构提供经济的选择。经过市场调查后，选择了Seek Thermal Compact（STC）进行评估。STC能够准确测量表面温度并区分出小的热异常（直径3毫米），并且可以对IR图像进行后处理以合理估计异常区域。当在距地面1.75 m的范围内拍摄图像时，STC特别有效。1.75 m的距离在本研究中并不构成挑战，因为目标是将选定的红外摄像机安装在无人驾驶飞机上进行测量。STC的体积小，重量轻也是有用的。对STC功能和图像后处理技术的分析结果可能有助于形成未来研究的基础，旨在降低建筑热成像调查的成本。