This compact Grove thermal imaging module uses a 3224 MLX90640 sensor array to detect and visualise temperature changes in its surroundings. With a measurement range from -40C to 300C and an accuracy of 1.5C, it’s ideal for detecting heat patterns from a distance and displaying low-resolution thermal images.

Data is transferred over I2C, making integration straightforward. However, due to the memory demands of thermal image processing, a more capable microcontroller is required with at least 20k RAM – boards like the Arduino Uno are not suitable.

The sensor has a field of view of 5535 and supports refresh rates from 0.5Hz to 64Hz. It uses the Grove I2C interface for plug-and-play connection and requires a Grove cable. Libraries for Arduino and Python are available to get started quickly.

Features

• 3224 MLX90640 thermal sensor array
• Detects temperature from a distance with 1.5C accuracy
• Temperature measurement range: -40C to 300C
• Field of view: 55 35
• Refresh rate selectable from 0.5Hz to 64Hz
• Grove I2C interface for easy connection
• Requires microcontroller with over 20KB RAM
• Compatible with Grove development boards (e.g. Arch Mix)
• Arduino and Python libraries are available
• Operating voltage: 3V 3.6V
• Current consumption: ~18mA
• I2C address: 0x33

Specifications

Resources

• Product Wiki
• MLX90640 datasheet

Package Contents

• 1x Grove – Thermal Imaging Camera / IR Array MLX90640 – 55