This latest sensing technology allows for simplified integration of temperature measurement into applications that enhance safety, efficiency, convenience - especially in harsh thermal conditions.
The MLX90641 is a small 16 x 12 pixel IR array housed in an industry standard 4-lead TO39 package that is able to accurately measure temperatures in the range -40 °C to +300 °C. The factory-calibrated devices ensure an accuracy of 1 °C in typical measurement conditions. The high accuracy is further supported by a Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference (NETD) of 0.1 K RMS.
Two different field of view (FoV) options are available, a standard 55° x 35° and a wide angle 110° x 75°. The device is simple to use, operating from a single 3.3 V supply and storing all results in internal RAM for access via an I2C compatible digital interface. A proprietary algorithm ensures high thermal stability, even in conditions where the temperature is changing rapidly.
The MLX90641 offers 192 FIR pixels, allowing for less powerful processors to be used, contributing to lower system overhead. Additionally, no re-calibration is required thereby reducing further operational expenses.
To speed up application development, Melexis has made MCU driver software available via the github.com platform and additional software is available for the detection of people via their thermal signature.
The extended temperature range opens up multiple new applications and the new MLX90641 is expected to be particularly suited to applications in the world of cooking, such as conventional and microwave ovens as well as industrial applications such as detection of power electronics overheating and automotive.
