I’m trying to get applications assistance with Amphenol IR
temperature sensor products (ZTP family). The datasheets are woefully inadequate. Application notes, more detailed data, or a knowledgeable Amphenol applications engineer would be great. Any help appreciated.
Hi rpmrich,
Thank you for your inquiry.
I was able to track down Amphenol Advanced Sensors thermopile application note AAS-930-164B
I’ve attached below:
Amphenol_Thermopile_IR_App_Note-2-2.pdf (424.0 KB)
We also have a Product Training Module on this series of sensors, located here:
URL Address: https://www.digikey.com/en/ptm/a/amphenol-advanced-sensors/ztp-thermometrics-infrared-thermopile-sensors/tutorial
Any other technical questions for this on specific parts, please ask, we have a team of engineers that may be able to assist.
Thanks Kristof
Yes, I saw those resources. I understand how the devices work. What I’ve been trying to get to is an Amphenol applications engineer who can help us with device selection for our particular application, which is close-range measurement of cold surfaces, including ice and snow.
So, can you help me get in contact with an applications engineer??
Though not intimately familiar with the product series specifically, enough seems to be inferable from the product specs, basic principles, and the published characteristics of the ZTP-115 module for gauging basic feasibility.
The basic operating principle is the use of thermocouples to detect a temperature difference between a region of the sensor element and the sensor body, induced by incident IR. That indicates that one needs to be measuring the temperature of the device, as well as the output of the sensor element. (hence the built-in thermistor.)
Looking at the datasheet for the ZTP115 itself, tolerances for the responsivity and internal resistance are on the order of give/take 30%, indicating that calibration of each individual unit produced is probably a given.
Further, that responsivity figure is quoted in terms of electric potential per unit of power; the sensor doesn’t measure temperature directly but rather radiant power transfer, which will tend to track the average temperature within the sensor’s effective field of view, as well as being influenced by the measured surfaces’ emissivity, reflectivity, and any incident radiation upon that surface from other sources. If outdoor operation is in view (as seems likely given the described application) one also needs to consider environmental effects (condensation, dust deposits, etc) from an optical perspective in addition to their brute-force influence on things electronic.
From the published characteristics of the module (which can be viewed as a sample implementation) one sees that the temp/output voltage curve is nonlinear, and that temp accuracy using that implementation is around +/- 2°C over a range of device temperature.
Long story short, using the device amounts to measuring a resistance and a voltage, and building a calibration table or circuit to relate how the two change in response to device temperature and incident IR radiation. One’s ultimate goals in terms of temp measurement would play into the question of whether or not it’s a viable approach to the problem at hand.