Seeedstudio Grove Thermal Imaging Camera MLX90641 BCA 16×12 IR Array w/ 110° FOV

• Seeedstudio Grove Thermal Imaging Camera MLX90641 BCA 16×12 IR Array w/ 110° FOV
• Equipped with a 16×12 array of thermal sensors
• Capable of detecting temperature with ±1 °C accuracy
• Suitable for high-precision non-contact temperature measurements
• Requires a microcontroller unit with over 20000 bytes of RAM

The Seeedstudio Grove Thermal Imaging Camera MLX90641 BCA 16×12 IR Array w/ 110° FOV is an infrared thermal camera equipped with a 16×12 array of thermal sensors, known as MLX90641. This camera is capable of detecting the temperature of distant objects with a center area accuracy of ±1 °C and an average accuracy of ±1.5 °C. The camera utilizes the I2C protocol to retrieve low-resolution images. The Field of View (FOV) of this camera is 110° x 75°, and it can measure temperatures ranging from -40 to 300 °C.

The camera is equipped with a sensitive heat sensor that can discern minute differences in temperature from surrounding objects. It gathers this radiation information from the objects and forms an electronic image based on the temperature difference information. The principle behind this is that the hotter an object is, the more infrared radiation it emits.

This module can be interfaced with a microcontroller unit (MCU) using the I2C interface. However, it requires an MCU with over 20000 bytes of RAM to operate the camera effectively. Development boards with lower calculation abilities, such as the Arduino UNO, are not compatible with this sensor camera.

The camera is suitable for a variety of applications including high-precision non-contact temperature measurements, microwave ovens, intrusion/movement detection systems, temperature sensing elements for residential, commercial, and industrial building air conditioning, industrial temperature control of moving parts, and visual infrared thermometers.

The camera boasts a resolution of 16×12, a FOV of 110° x 75°, a measuring range of -40 to 300 ℃, a refresh rate of 0.5 to 64 Hz, an I2C interface, a voltage range of 3.3 – 5 V, and a current of approximately 18 mA.