Temperature measurement

Thermopiles convert thermal energy into electrical energy. Thermopiles use several thermocouples connected in series or parallel. Thermopiles are used for contactless temperature sensing. The function of a thermopile is to transfer the heat radiation emitted from the object to a voltage output. The output is in the range of tens or hundreds of millivolts.

Thermocouples are instruments for measuring temperature, based on the thermoelectric effect – a voltage is generated when two dissimilar metals are joined, which is proportional to the temperature difference. The voltage is called Electromotive Force (EMF) or the Seebeck voltage, discovered by German scientist Thomas Seebeck. Temperature can be further calculated from EMF.