Summer 2010 Newsletter
The Thermal Imaging Revolution: Higher Technology, Lower Prices Make Thermal Imaging More Accessible
In every industry, technological advancements help turn products that may once have been an item of luxury or status into an everyday staple by making them dramatically better and cheaper to produce. Take, for example, the digital camera: a decade ago, their cost was high and performance marginal. Once volumes increased and production costs decreased, they became affordable to the average consumer. Now they are so common that it’s hard to find a cell phone without one.
The same such evolution is currently underway in the thermal imaging industry. Companies like FLIR Systems have figured out how to make high-quality uncooled thermal imaging cameras affordable – so affordable that what was once a “military-only” item is now available as a $2,000 option on a car.
Thermal imagers make pictures by detecting and displaying differences in thermal energy. The heart of these imagers is a small chip called the “detector.” Traditionally, infrared detectors had to be cooled to cryogenic temperatures (77K) if they were to be sensitive enough to detect temperature differences on the order of 0.03°C. In fact, operators had to charge early airborne infrared cameras with liquid nitrogen periodically to provide this cooling. Eventually, closed-cycle coolers came on the scene, allowing the creation of integrated cooler-dewar modules that were relatively self-contained with good imaging performance. From there, the development of uncooled detectors was the next logical step.
Uncooled detectors now come in many forms. One of the more widely used variants is the microbolometer. They came onto the commercial market in the 1990s, with limited long-range performance capability. In the early 2000s, FLIR made a breakthrough: they used their expertise in readout integrated circuit (ROIC) design to make exceptionally good microbolometer-based focal plane arrays (FPAs), and integrated these breakthrough FPAs into affordable cameras with high performance, compact size, and low power requirements.
Already the world leader in producing thermal imaging systems for military and paramilitary organizations around the world, FLIR began developing infrared detectors for integration into BMW’s “Night Vision System” driving aid. This BMW system allows the driver to see obstacles and hazards five times further down the road than normal high beam headlights, giving the driver a sharp increase in reaction time and dramatically improving safety.
This same imager, now under mass production for BMW, became the basis of two camera core products: the Photon and the PathFindIR. The Photon camera core became the central figure in cameras used for firefighting. It is also the most widely used thermal imager in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market: over 3,500 Photons were delivered on just one model of UAV. Similarly, the PathFindIR became the core for lines of imagers designed for three specialized markets: Security, Maritime, and Driver’s Vision Enhancement (DVE). Today these imagers are used to secure commercial facilities, watch over border crossings, and fly in UAVs over Iraq and Afghanistan.
By revolutionizing high-volume mass production of thermal imaging technology, FLIR has helped to make thermal imagers available at prices not dreamed of years ago. This has helped to expand their applications to far beyond military surveillance.
Security Applications
The business of the security professional changed dramatically with the advent of the thermal security camera. Security cameras have, until now, relied on some degree of auxiliary lighting to see once the sun goes down – either with a spotlight or a near-infrared laser that is only effective at very short range (on the order of 50-75 feet). Neither of these solutions is ideal for securing a facility at night.
Thermal security cameras, on the other hand, don’t need light, they work 24/7, and are capable of detecting potential intruders from miles away. Until the low-cost revolution came about, thermal security cameras were a nonstarter for most installations simply because of their exorbitant cost. Now thermal security cameras are easily affordable and considered by security professionals to be an essential component in any comprehensive security system.
Using thermal cameras for security applications is not just for industrial settings either. Thanks to their affordability and quality, thermal security cameras are a viable addition to the security suite of high-value homes, gated communities and any residential layout in which a perimeter must be maintained and bright lights are considered intrusive.
Contact a Will Electronics Representative today to find out how to provide your business with high-technology security at an affordable price.
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A thermal imager makes building inspections easier, safer, and more accurate.
Thermal security cameras see more – day and night – than low-cost TV cameras, without needing external lighting sources or being hamstrung by contrast limitations.
Thermal imagers allow drivers to see
4-times further down the road – and a more complete picture side-to-side – than do conventional headlights.
IR video cameras do not require lighting to produce their images, and can see hot spots well before excessive heat or loss of insulation leads to failure.