Where can I find a thermal network camera?

How high-resolution are you looking for? Most thermal cameras use relatively low resolution because, well, high-res isn’t usually necessary for what they do (thermal imaging doesn’t provide a lot of detail anyway), and the sensors are a lot more expensive than standard CCD and CMOS visible-light sensors. Pretty much all thermal cameras you’ll find now are network cameras so they can be controlled from any computer.

Axis makes a series of thermal network cameras, both monochrome and color, but the highest resolution they have is VGA (640 x 480).

We have a wider range of thermal network cameras, but most of those also max out at VGA resolution.

Mobotix makes a model that combines a 5MP optical camera and 336 x 252 pixel thermal imager in one housing – again, the thermal component is very low resolution.

The Advanced Thermal System is a megapixel thermal camera… from what I can find, you’re looking at about $80,000 for the camera alone… pushing $125,000 when you factor in lenses, software, etc.

This article comes from quora edt released

How Does A Thermal Binocular Work?

What is a Thermal Binocular and how do they work? A thermal, or dual pane, thermal binocular is a type of protective mask lens that greatly reduces fogging while playing. These are comprised of two separate lenses. These lenses are usually separated about 1/8” apart by a glued foam gasket that goes around the outer edge of the inner lens. The outer lens is made to the same thickness and standard of a normal lens, while the inside lens is thinner and lighter weight.

Ever notice how objects get covered in moisture when you bring them from the cold outside into a warm place indoors? Moisture in the air will condense on the cooler object when there is a drastic temperature difference. Your thermal binocular fogs for the same reason. The warm moist air from your head and breathing contacts the cooler lens, thus condensing into fog.

A thermal lens combats this by sandwiching a layer of air between the lenses. This acts as an insulator, allowing the thinner lens on the inside to warm up to the temperature inside the mask without contacting the cooler outside one. This effect works much more efficiently and lasts longer than single lens masks with an anti-fog coating. A thermal binocular may still have some fogging issues in cases of very high humidity. In these cases, a combination of a paintball goggle fan and a thermal lens is your best option for a clear view.

This article comes from ansgear edit released

Combining thermal night vision with thermal targeting

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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

20160628Two 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?

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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.

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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

1Image 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 2captures 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