June | 2016 | ITherml Technology

Combining thermal night vision with thermal targeting

In military parlance, the job of a soldier is to find, fix, and finish the enemy. However, this is a bit difficult when the soldier has to fumble with different scopes while keeping eyes on the target. To simplify things, it is developing a combination thermal night vision and thermal imaging system that not only allows soldiers to rapidly acquire and engage targets in all weather and lighting, but also to remotely aim their weapons without looking through the sights.

Modern imaging systems have revolutionized warfare. The setting of the sun or a foggy day could once upon a time bring operations to a halt or place an army at a serious tactical disadvantage. But with thermal night vision and thermal imaging, soldiers can operate in the dead of night or in the smoke of battle and accurately identify targets that would have once been invisible.

Unfortunately, soldiers often soon discover that technology can be as much a nuisance as a blessing – as any squaddie weighed down with batteries can tell you. Vision systems are currently a particular problem. US soldiers use thermal night vision goggles for scanning areas and identifying targets, and a thermal sight on their weapons for targeting. Using these systems gives soldiers a huge advantage, but it also means swapping from goggles to sights, which introduces a strong chance of losing track of the target, or at the very least introduces a delay that could be literally fatal in a situation where getting off the first shot can mean the difference between life and death.

It is working to reduce this awkward swap over as part of the unfortunately named Enhanced Night Vision Goggle III and Family of Weapon Sight-Individual (ENVG III/FWS-I) program. This Rapid Target Acquisition (RTA) technology integrates the foot soldier’s night and thermal vision systems into a single smaller, lighter, cheaper, integrated thermal night vision and targeting system, which displays images from both in the soldier’s goggles.

This integration allows the soldier to not only keep the target in sight at all times, but also aim their weapon without raising it to their eyes because what the sight sees is transmitted to the goggles using a wireless video interface, which feeds the inputs in real time.

The new goggles improve the speed and accuracy of field operations, allows soldiers to be more maneuverable, extends the range of the target acquisition systems, and reduces the weight and power requirements of the technology, which means less fatigue from carrying it and its power supply around. In addition, the combination eliminates the reliance of foot soldiers on aiming lasers, so they can remain hidden.

This article comes from gizmag edit released

MicroCAM 2 Low Power Thermal Imaging Cores

Ultra Low Power Consumption

The MicroCAM™ 2 range is available in 384×288 25μm, 384×288 17μm and 640×480 17μm versions with the lowest power consumption in their class. The use of unstabilised, TEC-less technology means that MicroCAM 2 delivers an exceptional image over the entire operating range without impacting on power consumption.

MicroCAM 2 is ideal for portable and power critical/battery powered applications for more compact and lightweight products.

Ultra Lightweight

Compact electronics and detector packaging dramatically reduces MicroCAM’s footprint and weight. At just 43g / 1.52oz (excluding lens), MicroCAM 2 is the lightest uncooled thermal imaging core currently available in serial production.

Low cost

With less component parts and no mechanical shutter assembly the MicroCAM 2 was specifically designed for large scale production. Volume prices for MicroCAM 2 open up new markets for thermal imaging devices.

Shutterless Operation

The MicroCAM 2 Low Power Thermal Imaging Cores employ the field-proven XTi Shutterless Technology® which does away with electro-mechanical shutter assemblies. The resulting solid-state camera is more rugged and reliable than conventional devices and is completely silent in operation.

This article comes from thermoteknix edit released

Thermal Cameras Offered For Each Eye

Two eyes are better than one, and a thermal camera for each of those eyes is even more desirable.

It has developed a true thermal binocular. The company unveiled two versions of its new device at the recent Association of the United States Army convention in Washington, D.C.

Largely because of cost reasons, thermal binoculars have been passed over for less expensive bi-ocular solutions in which both eyes view the same camera.

“This has worked reasonably well, except that you can’t distinguish distance, prohibiting depth perception,” said Bill Sundermeier, government systems president. Having two cameras, one for each eye, enhances the ability to judge the distances of objects in a scene, he said.

The two-camera device provides the same parallax effect achieved by the human visual system, allowing the user to experience a three-dimensional view, FLIR officials said.

The company has the capability to make 250,000 detection devices a year for thermal cameras. “With vast production volumes and low costs, we are able to offer a true binocular for less than the price of a typical bi-ocular system,” Sundermeier said.

This article comes from nationaldefensemagazine edit released

Photo Tip ~ Can Your Camera See Infrared?

Infrared light is all around us. We can’t see it, but our cameras can. The problem is that IR light effects the camera’s ability to record the visible light correctly. Most manufacturers put IR blocking filters over the digital camera’s sensor to prevent the IR light from causing a problem. Some cameras don’t have this filter, or have a weak version of one. I started shooting infrared images with a Fuji S2, which can “see” infrared light right out of the box.

There’s a little trick to tell if your camera has the IR blocking filter or not. Take the remote control from your television and point it at your camera. While pushing down any button on the remote, take a picture of the infrared emitter located on the front end of the remote. (NOTE: You may see a little red light or nothing at all. either way there is a IR light being created each time you push a button) If, in your photo, you see a light coming from the remote, congratulations your camera “sees” IR light. All you have to do is buy an IR filter ( 52mm, 55mm, 62mm, 72mm, 77mm ) to help the camera “sort” the IR light from the visible light. I used the #87 Infrared filter with good results. There are others you can try.

If your image doesn’t capture any light, like my Nikon D700 doesn’t (see image above), there’s still an option. You can have your camera converted. The upside is you can shoot handheld relatively fast-speed IR photos all day long with no lens filter. And of course with every upside, there’s always a downside. The downside is that once converted, your camera can only take infrared images.

FYI – The infrared light captured by digital still cameras is reflective. It has to do with the frequency of the light waves. In other words, the still camera does not see heat or radiating infrared light like the night vision video cameras you might see on police shows. So just don’t expect to have night vision with your DSLR.

Infrared photography is a blast and I’ve found it to be very rewarding. Check it out, it could open up new doors for your creative photography!

This article comes from kentweakley edit released

Fixed Thermal Network Camera

Thermal Network Camera Systems for Tough Environments

Fixed Thermal Network Camera System is the professional’s choice for capturing infrared video. This product is built with hardened components to withstand extreme temperature ranges and power surges.

System Features:

Outstanding resolution thermal optics detect objects in complete darkness or in a variety of difficult-to-see conditions
- 640 x 480, 320 x 240, or 160 x 120 resolution options
Rugged outdoor-ready system with extreme temperature range for 365/24/7 surveillance in challenging environments
- Integrated heater / blower to maintain ideal system temperature
- IP66 for high-level protection against dust and powerful water jets
Broad range of lens options for different applications
Scalable to augment existing systems
Wide detection range through multiple resolution and lens configuration options
Extreme temperature range allows for installation in tough outdoor environments

IP Specific Features:

H.264 video compression with multiple video streams minimizes bandwidth and storage requirements, yet produce effective high-quality video
ONVIF, PSIA (Milestone, ONSSI), and GENETEC API, supported
Dual Stage Surge Protection for power, alarms, and network / video guard against voltage spikes and surges increases reliability and minimizes maintenance downtime
Built-in SD memory card slot
Quick and easy installation and setup with PoE, included wall / pole mount, and easy to configure camera settings
High-quality, cost-effective, thermal detection in tough outdoor environments

This article comes from moogs3 edit released

Revolutionary low cost micro thermal imaging core at heart of iPhone case

TThe Lepton thermal imaging core uses CMOS technology, high volume manufacturing techniques, and commercial scale to deliver a price point that is an order of magnitude below current thermal camera cores.

Similar in size, weight, and power consumption to a conventional CMOS cell phone camera module, Lepton is the world’s smallest microbolometer-based thermal imaging camera core currently available.

Lepton has also been designed for easy integration into third party products, such as smartphones, tablets, diagnostic tools, automobiles, toys, building controls, process equipment, security systems, machine vision systems, and advanced gaming devices. OEMs around the world can benefit from the fully-exportable Lepton core, which generates high-quality, fully-processed thermal images through common standard interfaces.

The 90g case includes a 1400mAh battery where the power can be split between the thermal imager and the phone, providing two hours of use. The company sees the case opening up new applications such as detecting areas of damp in homes as well as traditional thermal imaging uses.

Lepton uses multiple proprietary technologies, including wafer level detector packaging, a wafer level micro-optic lens and an ASIC that supports all camera functions on a single integrated low power chip. These and other innovations are reflected in more than 100 new patent filings worldwide related to Lepton technologies, processes, and applications.

The new Lepton core facilitates accurate temperature measurements and is fully compatible with FLIR’s patented Multi-Spectral Dynamic Imaging technology, or MSX, which significantly enhances the thermal image fidelity by combining the thermal stream with data from a visible-light sensor.

This article comes from electronics-eetimes edit released

Smart HD Thermal Binoculars

No longer do thermal binoculars need to be expensive and clunky. The Thermal Binocular is here to provide you with unprecedented capabilities at a fraction of the cost. Well designed, ergonomic and sporting a professional 50mm germanium lens, the Thermal Binocular is a pleasure to behold.

Powered by the powerful Obsidian “T” Core the Thermal Binocular comes in both 384×288 and 640×480 configurations to provide sharp and clear images. Like the rest of the Smart HD series of optics, the Obsidian “T” core utilizes a slew of sensors to seamlessly gather information about your environment. Record video and take photos directly to your micro SD card or stream them to your mobile device through the built-in WiFi. The Thermal Binocular comes with more features than you will know what to do with at first, but soon you won’t know how you lived without them.

WiFi
Gyroscope
Magnetometer
Accelerometer
Smooth Zoom
E-Compass
GPS Geotag

This article comes from atncorp edit released

Thermal night vision generally works in 3 different ways

Image Intensification – This is the most common type of thermal night vision technology. It works, in the darkness, by capturing the tiny amount of available ambient light coming from the moon, stars and artificial sources. I2 also captures the lower end of the infrared light spectrum, that type of light is usually imperceptible to our eyes, but is present. The device captures these light sources, amplifies them thousands of times via an electronic “tube”, and projects the image on a viewing lens. The images appear a grey green color and there is a nice level of detail rendered with the latest, GEN III and GEN IV technology. You can even see through windows with I2. Note: There must be some light, I2 will not work in total darkness, such as in caves.

Thermal imaging – Thermal technology operates not by aggregating light; but by capturing the “heat” emitted by all object/persons. This “heat”, is literally the upper portion of the infrared light spectrum. Hot objects, like running machines, people and animals, emit more of this “light”/”heat” than cooler objects like rocks, trees or buildings. The image appear in gray-white or gray-black depending upon your preference, as the polarity can be adjusted so heat can either be shown black, or white. The thermal images are crisp enough to clearly distinguish facial features within 25-30 meters. Thermal imagers are commonly called thermal cameras, thermal sights, thermal monoculars or thermal binoculars. Note: Thermal imaging technology does not allow you to see through windows, or under water, because the “heat” is reflected back. In fact, you will see your body heated reflected back off the surface.

Fusion– Thermal imaging and Image Intensification technology have now been combined in single devices so both the infrared energy and the ambient light are captured. This allows the operator to now identify people and objects in almost all low-light/no-light environments. Now, thanks to fusion technology, Osama can’t hide in the total darkness of a cave, we can see him through windows, fog, etc. Fusion can be operated as an device, as a thermal imager, or in a combination mode. I recently got to try a $50,000 Fusion Goggle and I have to say,”wow, you can see someone’s soul”! There is even a mode in which there is an electric green wire frame outlining people. This is a great aid in targeting. You are the Predator! Sorry I cannot show you a fusion image.

This article comes from gunsamerica edit released

How Do Infrared Lens Filters Work?

On the spectrum of light, the human eye can only see between wavelengths of 400 and 700 nanometers. These wavelengths determine the colors that people can perceive. Infrared light is past 700 nanometers on the spectrum, which is generally imperceptible to the human eye.

Infrared lenses are designed to let light at wavelengths of between 400 and 700 nanometers pass through in order to capture colors the way the average human eye sees them. An infrared lens filter employs opaque glass to absorb all of this visible light, allowing only light at the infrared end of the spectrum to pass through the lens and hit the film or image sensor, depending on whether the camera is film or digital.

Most digital SLR cameras are actually designed to block infrared light, but those photographers interested in shooting infrared photography with digital SLR cameras can still do so with an infrared filter. Colors may appear strange and a tripod will likely have to be employed because the shutter needs to be held open for a long time due most light reaching the sensor being blocked. Converting the photos to black and white will likely achieve the monochrome effect desired in infrared photography.

Those photographers interested in shooting infrared with a digital SLR can also explore the option of removing the camera’s infrared blocking filter themselves. This requires good knowledge of the camera’s mechanics.

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Thermal Imaging Core Platform

One possible method is to use an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a thermal imaging core to check fields and meadows from the air prior to starting the mowing machines.

Roe deer iare known to have the highest fatality rate. A large number of Roe deer fawns are born in May and June months and they prefer to stay in high grass during their initial months of life. However, this is the period when most European farmers begin their mowing operations. When a mower approaches, the fawn’s reaction to this threat is to remain motionless. This instinctual behavior and timing is a deadly combination. It has been estimated that the fatality rate for newborn fawns is 25%, which means one out of four fawns is killed by the mowers.

It obvious can reduce the tragedy.

This article comes from azooptics edit released