Impact of By-Products From Metal Welding on the Temperature Measurement of MEMS-Based Thermoelectric Infrared Sensors

In metal welding processes, micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)-based thermoelectric infrared sensors are widely employed for real-time temperature monitoring to ensure weld quality. However, welding by-products, particularly fumes and molten metal spatter particles, introduce significant measurement errors in these sensors. This study investigates the mechanistic interaction between welding by-products and MEMS sensor performance, followed by systematic experimental analysis under varying operating conditions (object temperatures: $30~^{\circ }$ C– $110~^{\circ }$ C; measurement distances: 10–40 cm). A novel characterization method is proposed using binary classification of spatter-induced filter screen damage to quantify particle impact severity. Furthermore, a mathematical model is developed to correlate measurement error with temperature and distance variables, enabling real-time error compensation for by-product interference. Experimental validation demonstrates that the proposed compensation compensation algorithm reduces temperature measurement errors by up to 80.9% in high-spatter welding scenarios, demonstrating its practical utility in enhancing sensor reliability for industrial applications.