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Why Are the Chinese Made IR Thermometers So Cold?
https://apelbaum.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/why-are-the-chinese-made-ir-thermometers-so-cold/
A family member in the medical field recently voiced frustration about the low quality of some non-contact infrared thermometers they received. It seem that the entire batch yields consistently lower temperatures when compared to oral thermometers.
I thought that this was strange. Typically, instruments for medical use are certified for accuracy prior to shipment. Considering that these devices come with a certificate of calibration, I reasoned that they shouldn’t produce such discrepancies. Early detection of the onset of high fever is a key factor in Covid-19 patient care. The ability to accurately track body temperature is also critical in determining if a patient is contagious and would trigger decisions regarding treatment, quarantine, and use of PPE gear.
Just like in the case of a faulty car speedometer that displays lower speeds and results in speeding tickets, the usage of faulty thermometers that consistently show lower temperatures can have a detrimental effect on patients and medical staff. Considering that we are in the midst of a severe flu outbreak, I decided to take a closer look. IR thermometers are relatively simple devices that can be easily disassembled and tested, so, I spent a few hours this weekend in the lab digging into the Chinese IR thermometer mystery.
Possible Reasons for Inaccurate IR Thermometer Readings
I do considerable amount of work in the the lab and have at times ran into equipment gremlins. In most cases, there is a simple non-mystical explanation for why test equipment fails. In the case of an IR thermometer this can include:
The instrument is within the actual variance of its stated accuracy
The instrument has faulty firmware, sensor, logic circuitry, or other board components
The instrument is not being used correctly
There are some unusual environmental conditions that effect the measurement (i.e. humidity)
The instrument wasn’t calibrated prior to shipment
The instruments detection range doesn’t cover the object temperate
read the full article for the tests that were done and the flaws that were discovered