APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CALIBRATION OF NON-CONTACT THERMAL SENSORS

摘要

Biochemical assay apparatus uses a container with a sleeve of electrically- conductive material (300) to heat it. The heating is done inside a chamber and a contactless heat sensor (110) such as a thermopile or a bolometer, also inside the chamber, is used to monitor the temperature of the electrically conductive material (300). There are many factors that distort the output of the heat sensor (110), particularly as the temperature rises and properties such as emissivity change, or as time goes by and tarnishing and dust affect the heat sensor output. Because the sleeve has low thermal mass and heat transfer only has to happen over short distances, it is relatively easy to calculate a change in actual temperature of the electrically conductive material (300) when subjected to a known pulse of drive current and this property can be used to calibrate the performance of the heat sensor (110) in situ in the chamber.