An airborne measurement system with an onboard computer for data processing and recording that does not require constant radio communication for inspection and maintenance is presented. It detects, locates, and quantifies methane leaks using a gimbal-mounted sensor. A model that correlates wind speed with drone attitude is presented and compared to measurements made with an anemometer. The quantification of methane emissions was evaluated in a laboratory setup and at an open-area test site.

3D thermograms are a good alternative when a single traditional 2D thermal image does not reveal enough information to analyze a complex object. However, the 3D thermography field is still under exploration. This paper shows a comparison of a thermography system operated with two different 3D sensors. The results indicate that the depth sensor with more accurate measurements captures the object geometry better, and therefore the interpretation of the 3D thermograms is improved.

During the geometric calibration of infrared cameras, the parameters that describe where object points are mapped onto thermal images are determined. The required reference data is obtained by capturing so-called calibration targets. In established approaches, it is difficult to estimate the lens distortions precisely. A newly developed target and its evaluation algorithm make it possible to increase the sensitivity of the calibration by finding reference points close to image borders.