Thermography Equation: From Conceptual Relation to Quantitative Formulation via the Optogeometric Factor

Abstract

This article presents a methodological transition from the conceptually formulated thermographic measurement equation (the so called thermography equation) to its quantitative form, expressed through the optogeometric factor. This factor directly links the known radiant flux from the measured surface to the energy captured by a single pixel of a thermal camera. The formulation is based on geometric optical relations between the scene and the detector and is applicable to both scene-based and sensor-based approaches. The resulting expression provides a general framework for quantitative thermography.