Security, Surveillance and Tracking

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Security, Surveillance and Tracking Using Infrared Imaging

Security and Surveillance applications often require camera systems that can be used at all times of the day and night. While visible wavelength cameras have become very good at monitoring objects and people during the daylight hours, imaging at dusk and night is more challenging. One way to obtain images during these challenging hours is to use Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) type cameras along with ambient scattered light or else to use illuminators that are invisible to the eye but can be picked up very well by the SWIR camera. The use of the non-visible illuminator is particularly useful when the managers of the security systems do not want the monitored individuals to know they are being observed.

Comparison of SWIR image to a standard visible image under foggy conditions.

For Security and Surveillance Applications in the SWIR and Tracking Applications in the SWIR, the Wildcat 640 is a good solution based on the VGA format senor along with low readout noise. It also has a simple to use USB3 interface which makes setup and operation easy.

The Wildcat 640 Series has the following features:

Wildcat 640 Series
Wildcat 640

Another way to pick up the optical signature of a person or some other warm object like a vehicle is to use Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) or Thermal Imaging. As long as the ambient temperature is not too extreme, the thermal signature of the target will stand out against the background. This type of tracking can be performed throughout the day but can be very useful at night when other imaging methods don’t perform as well.

Thermal image of a vehicle and it’s occupants at night.

For Security and Surveillance Applications using LWIR, the Gobi+ 640 is an ideal solution. This compact camera has very good thermal sensitivity, runs at 60 FPS and is easy to setup and operate using the GigE interface.

The Gobi+ 640 Series has the following features:

Gobi 640 Series
Gobi+ 640

In Tracking Applications where targets are typically monitored from a distance, Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) or MidWave Infrared (MWIR) imaging can be very useful for seeing through any ambient fog or light dust since the effective path length the longer due to less scattering off the droplets or dust particles. Typically, the cameras are mounted in a gimbal or a tracking mount and the images are kept aligned using a real time analysis of the images to keep the desired object in the center of the field of view. Since these cameras are being mounted inside a housing, they can often use a Camera Core rather than a whole camera.

Example of a gimbal mounted thermal camera. FOVEA 360 degree imaging system manufactured by Syperion Vision.

For Tracking Applications in the Long Wave Infrared (LWIR), the key is to have stability and to provide good thermal discrimination but in a compact package due to the need to place this in a gimbal with other sensor types. This is best done with the Dione 640 Cam or Dione 640 OEM products.

The Dione 640 Cam and OEM Series have the following features:

Dione OEM
Dione OEM
Dione CAM Series
Dione CAM