Sponsored by:

What is Image Fusion?

The more things change, the more they remain the same. This timeless observation is especially true when referring to the seemingly revolutionary image fusion feature found on some of today’s modern thermal imagers.

The fusion feature found on some modern thermal imagers is somewhat of a relic having been around since the early 1990’s. In simple terms, image fusion is a feature that allows a thermographer to produce composite imagery generated from a thermal image and a corresponding daylight image of the same subject.

Originally designed for the low-resolution imagers of the early 1990’s, composite imagery was achieved via a CCD camera affixed to the thermal imager. The thermal imager’s onboard computer was used to combine daylight and infrared imagery into a single image. During the 1990’s composite imagery did not gain significant market share and was all but forgotten with advances in imager resolution.

In 2006, some manufacturers began to offer composite imagery capabilities on modern imagers. The principle of modern composite imagery is largely the same as in years past; however, today’s imagery is vastly improved over yesteryear due to increased resolution of both thermal imagers and the daylight cameras featured on them.

By utilizing imager controls or software on composite-capable imagers, thermographers can select color palettes as well as the amount of image blending. Images may be stored to PC card or recorded to digital media in real time. The recent resurrection of composite imagery offers several advantages:

• More precise correlation of thermal data with daylight imagery
• Potential reduction in number of images required within hardcopy reports
• Ability to easily convey information to recipients of reports or imagery

Although features such as composite imagery can help to demystify thermal imaging, the proper conduct of an infrared inspection still relies upon a properly trained and experienced thermographer. For more information on thermographer training and certification, call Infraspection Institute at 609-239-4788 or visit us online at www.infraspection.com.

Imager operation is one of the many topics covered in all Infraspection Level I training courses. For more information on our Distance Learning Program or our open enrollment classes, visit us online at Infraspection.com or call us at 609-239-4788.