Patent ID: 8282273

Claim:
A method for calibrating a spaced non-contact temperature measurement device by observing thermally-emitted radiation from a sample, said method comprising the steps of: A. providing a spectrometer; B. providing a sample to be measured; C. heating the sample to an unknown self-calibration temperature; D. acquiring wavelength-dependent spectra from the heated sample in the infrared (IR) portion of the spectrum with the spectrometer; E. providing a mathematical equation defining ideal blackbody spectral radiance (I) as a non-linear function of wavelength (λ) and temperature (T), the mathematical equation including an unsolved amplitude variable (A), whereby the mathematical equation expresses a unique ideal blackbody spectral radiance curve I(λ,T) for any given temperature; F. selecting one ideal blackbody spectral radiance curve I(λ,T) closely corresponding to the spectra data, the corresponding ideal blackbody spectral radiance curve I(λ,T) being associated with an absolute temperature and an amplitude value (A); G. adopting the absolute temperature of the corresponding ideal blackbody spectral radiance curve I(λ,T) for the unknown temperature of the sample; and H. storing the amplitude value (A); I. then making a new sample temperature measurement by the steps of: 1) acquiring new wavelength-dependent spectra from a heated sample in the infrared (IR) portion of the spectrum with the spectrometer; 2) and calculating a new sample temperature by solving the mathematical equation using the newly acquired spectra and the stored amplitude value (A) as a known factor.