TeraBee TeraRanger Evo Thermal series User manual

User Manual for
TeraRanger Evo Thermal with:
USB and UART backboards
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Technical support: [email protected]
Sales and commercial support: [email protected]

Table of contents:
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1 Introduction 3
2 Mechanical integration 3
2.1 Mechanical design 5
2.2 Sensor handling during system assembly 6
3 USB backboard use 6
3.1 Graphical User Interface 6
3.1.1 Prerequisites 6
3.1.2 Basic Operation 7
4 UART backboard use 12
4.1 UART interface 12
4.2 Backboard LEDs 13
4.3 Electrical characteristics 14
5 Communication 14
5.1 UART protocol information 14
5.2 USB protocol information 14
5.3 Commands 15
5.4 UART / USB output format 15
5.5 CRC32 checksum reconstruction 17
6 Compliance 18
Appendix 19
A.1 CRC validation 19
A.1.1 How to calculate CRC8 checksum for Evo Thermal 19
A.1.2 How to calculate CRC32 checksum for Evo Thermal 19
A.2 Sample code 20
Copyright © Terabee 2018
Terabee, 90 Rue Henri Fabre
01630, St Genis-Pouilly, France (next to CERN)
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1Introduction
The purpose of this document is to give guidelines for use and integration of the TeraRanger
Evo Thermal sensors with (a) UART backboard, and/or (b) USB backboard using these
standard communication interfaces.
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1.1 About TeraRanger Evo Thermal
TeraRanger Evo Thermal is the thermographic addition to the TeraRanger Evo sensor
family. It provides a 32x32 pixel resolution in a compact and affordable design, available in 2
versions.
Figure 1. TeraRanger Evo Thermal two versions
Evo Thermal 90 benefits from a wide 90 degree Field-of-View for monitoring larger areas.
The sensor also has a smaller and lighter design (10 grams).
Evo Thermal 33 offers longer range, higher sampling rate (14Hz) and a more detailed
thermal image because of the narrower Field-of-View.
By using passive infrared thermal technology, Evo Thermal sensors operate in a broad
range of conditions including indoors, outdoors, sunlight, complete darkness and poor
visibility. Because thermal data does not reveal identity, personal privacy is at all times
protected.
To learn more about sensor technical specifications, please see TeraRanger Evo Thermal
Specification sheet.
2Mechanical integration
The mechanical design of the main sensor module (black) allows easy assembly to its
backboard (yellow) using a simple ‘clip-in’ technique. When you clip the two together, ensure
there is no visible gap between the black and yellow parts. The yellow backboard has two
mounting holes for final installation. Please reference Figure 2 for visual instructions.
Copyright © Terabee 2018
Terabee, 90 Rue Henri Fabre
01630, St Genis-Pouilly, France (next to CERN)
3/20

Figure 2. TeraRanger Evo two-part design
When choosing a place for mounting, please consider the following recommendations:
● Choose a place which is in accordance with the optical constraints listed below
● Mounting close to sources of heat or strong electromagnetic fields can decrease the
sensing performance
● Do not mount anything directly in front of the sensor or in a cone of approximately
±90° around the central optical axis of the sensor
● Please consider that dust, dirt and condensation can affect the sensor’s performance
● To obtain a correctly positioned (not inverted or rotated) thermal image, please mount
the sensor with the USB or UART connector pointing left (if facing sensor’s lens). See
Figure 3 for visual instructions. This also applies when hand-testing Evo Thermal via
our graphical user interface (ref. Section 3.1.2).
Figure 3. Module orientation for correct thermal image. Evo Thermal 33.
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Copyright © Terabee 2018
Terabee, 90 Rue Henri Fabre
01630, St Genis-Pouilly, France (next to CERN)
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2.1Mechanical design
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Figure 4. Evo Thermal 90 external dimensions
Figure 5. Evo Thermal 33 external dimensions
Copyright © Terabee 2018
Terabee, 90 Rue Henri Fabre
01630, St Genis-Pouilly, France (next to CERN)
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2.2Sensor handling during system assembly
During assembly and integration, please observe all common ESD precautions. All optical
surfaces (sensor front) should be kept clean and free from contact with chemicals.
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3USB backboard use
The USB backboard comes with a standard Micro-USB connector.
3.1Graphical User Interface
A free Graphical User Interface (GUI) is available, providing an easy way to visualize the
data from your TeraRanger Evo Thermal sensor. This is useful for demonstration, testing
purposes and checking some of the basic parameters of the sensor. It also provides an
option to easily record thermal images, export raw data and upgrade the firmware running on
the device.
The GUI is available for download here: GUI Download. (See “Download” section of the
TeraRanger Evo Thermal product page).
 3.1.1  Prerequisites
For usage on Windows 7 and Windows 8, please download the Virtual COM Port driver from
http://www.st.com/en/development-tools/stsw-stm32102.html and follow the ”ReadMe file”
instructions given by the installer. After successful installation, unplug the interface for a
few seconds, and plug it back in. The virtual COM port should now be available on your PC.
Users of Windows 10 do not need to download this driver as the built in Windows driver is
recommended.
Copyright © Terabee 2018
Terabee, 90 Rue Henri Fabre
01630, St Genis-Pouilly, France (next to CERN)
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 3.1.2  Basic Operation
During installation of the GUI, you might receive a notification from Windows about an
unknown application trying to start (Figure 6). In the “Windows protected your PC” screen
select More info > Run anyway to proceed with Evo Thermal GUI installation and please be
advised that running this application will not put your PC at risk.
Figure 6. Windows protection screen during installation
After successful installation, make sure your TeraRanger Evo Thermal is connected to a
USB port on your computer. In the GUI select File > Connect (Ctrl+C). You will immediately
see thermal data displayed in a 32x32 pixel color map (Figure 7) on the left side of the GUI.
For the purposes of this instruction, Evo Thermal 33 sensor has been used.
Figure 7. Graphical user interface: home screen
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By default, on each new connection, temperature readings in the GUI will be displayed in
Celsius units. To modify measurement units in real-time, select Data > Temperature Units
and choose to present data also in Kelvin and Fahrenheit (Figure 8).
Figure 8. Setting temperature units in GUI
On the right side of the depth map you will find a color vs temperature scale. By default the
scale will be automatically adjusted depending on the highest and lowest temperature values
detected in the sensor’s Field-of-View at time of data capture. To set custom temperature
bounds, in the Scaling field (Top right) select Manual and you should now be able to input
minimum and maximum temperature bounds. Select “Apply limits” to apply changes, and
the scale will adjust according to the set values. To switch back to automatic temperature
scaling, select Auto. See Figure 9 for visual instructions.
Figure 9. Scaling field
The GUI also offers the option to display the temperature readings in one of 4 colormaps. To
do this, in the Scaling field, select Colormap and from the dropdown menu choose between
the following colormaps: Iron, Rainbow, High Contrast and White hot. The temperature
map will change automatically once a colormap is selected (Figure 10)
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Figure 10.Colormaps: Iron (top left), Rainbow (top right),
High Contrast (bottom left), White hot (bottom right).
On the main interface, you will also find basic parameters of the Evo thermal sensor
adapting in real-time to the measuring environment. These values include:
● Minimum temperature value (Min),
● Mean temperature value (Mean),
● Maximum temperature value (Max),
● Proportional to Absolute temperature (PTAT).
A visual 2-axis graph on the main interface of the GUI illustrates temperature patterns in real
time over all 1024 pixels of the Thermal sensor (Figure 11). This provides a quick
temperature spread overview of objects measured within the sensor's Field-of-View.
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Figure 11. Real-time temperature distribution of pixels
Evo Thermal GUI also allows to set temperature limits and enable warning notifications once
thresholds are breached. In the Temperature alarm setup section, first select upper and
lower temperature limits and click Apply limits to confirm. Next, choose the method for
triggering the alarm: (1) based on mean temperature or (2) heat measured at the center of
target. An option for adding an audio alert is also available. After all parameters are set, click
Start to initiate the alarm function (Figure 12).
Figure 12. Setting alarm for temperature breach
At the bottom of the GUI, Toggle center measurement feature enables to measure
temperature of the central part in the thermal map. A rectangular crosshair will be drawn in
the center of the thermal map, encompassing 4 pixels. Simultaneously, a small text field will
appear on the top left corner to display a temperature value, which is an average of the 4
pixels. To disable the center measurement feature, click the button again.
Figure 13. Snapshot and Record features
The Evo Thermal GUI also allows the user to capture and save screenshots of the 32x32
thermal map in real time. To do this, click Snapshot. A confirmation message alongside with
the storage location will be displayed at the bottom left corner of the GUI’s window.
Copyright © Terabee 2018
Terabee, 90 Rue Henri Fabre
01630, St Genis-Pouilly, France (next to CERN)
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