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Lock-in
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Rich Barton

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Rich Barton
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The theoretical sensitivity of a lock-in thermography test can be calculated as follows:

LIT Test Sensitivity = (2 x Camera NETD) / SQRT(# images captured)

For example, considering a 5 minute lock-in test using a thermal camera with 60 Hz frame rate and 30 mK NETD (sensitivity), theoretical test sensitivity is calculated as follows:

LIT Test Sensitivity = (2 x 30 mK) / SQRT(300 sec x 60 images per sec) = 60 mK / SQRT(18,000) = 0.45 mK (0.00045°C)

Real test sensitivity is somewhat higher than the theoretical value due to several sources of additional noise (such as unstable ambient temperature, device movement, etc.), however real test sensitivity is typically close to theoretical value.

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