Thermal cameras have made their mark in the surveillance industry and are now in use in a variety of environments, from military installations to residential estates. But for today’s needs, simply seeing a blob on the screen isn’t enough.
Hi-Tech Security Solutions asked three thermal experts what was happening in the world of thermal cameras and what we could expect to see coming up in the future. In particular, we wanted to know what developments there may be in the thermal world to assist operators in finding intruders and identifying if they are human or not, providing a mechanism to track them as they move about and assist ground personnel in finding them quickly and safely.
Starting at the beginning, Mobotix AG’s Bevan Vorster explains that traditional thermal imaging cameras use special sensors behind a special lens made of germanium or sapphire, which allow long-wave infrared waves to pass through, unlike the blocking nature of traditional glass lenses. “The combination of a complex sensor, precision lenses and more exacting design requirements that in some cases require special cooling units have all combined to make thermal imaging cameras run into the tens of thousands of Rand per unit, especially for ultra-sensitive models.
Gilbert Muller, from Pelco by Schneider Electric, agrees that the price of these cameras is coming down, making thermal technology more affordable with broader use than ever before. In addition, we are seeing resolutions improving, although the mainstream market is still using resolutions of 640 x 480 and below.
He adds that new, uncooled thermal camera offerings include improved optics with functionalities that until recently were only a part of higher-end high-cost cooled models (that are commonly used for military applications) with the best example being continuous optical zoom.
As useful and usable as thermal cameras have become, this market reflects the visible light camera market in that users want more. Having someone stare at a screen is not always the optimal solution for security requirements and the ability of software, either on the camera or as part of a management system, to ‘do the looking’ in place of humans has become a necessity in the thermal world.
Flir’s Grinfeld explains that recent software enhancements are introducing new standards in thermal solution offerings, and include both camera side and server side developments.
On the server side, he says there is a major shift to end-to-end solution offerings that not only provide seamless integration points and certified procedures for analytics alarm and event management, but also offer a superior user experience. Some of these experiences include bulk configuration of the thermal and analytics settings from the VMS, unique viewing modes such as Picture in Picture (PiP) with multi-sensor PT systems, and high end capabilities including ‘click and track’ functionalities allowing operators to click on targets within the VMS control interface, initiating PT auto-tracking.
Moreover, he notes that these alarms can be triggered without the need for a centralised control room or additional software, which is vital to rapidly detect potential fire, gas or other issues that register temperature change as a danger signal.
As thermals become part of almost every surveillance landscape, Muller sees far better integration of thermals into video management systems and says the analytics used for thermals is continuing to improve. For example, power stations can use thermal imaging not only to detect intruders, but to also keep track of conditions that require preventative maintenance, which are often revealed by thermal hot spots. By addressing developing problems before failure, power providers can keep a station operational, and avoid losses to bring them back online after failure has occurred.
Additional analytical applications that add value to thermal cameras and their users, according to Vorster, include solutions that could be applied at any time of the day, for example, in retail environments. Mobotix thermals are also able to now run functions such as people counting, or to track and provide data on the direction and speed of people and objects.
When looking at what we can expect from the thermal market in the coming years, Muller says we can expect to see these cameras becoming more affordable and we can also expect to see resolution improvements.
Of particular interest, Muller says we should also look out for varifocal lenses on thermals in the future, as opposed to the current majority of fixed-lens devices.
Grinfeld echoes the two, noting that from an application standpoint, the current usability of thermal imaging in the security market is just the tip of the iceberg. “The glass ceiling is mainly price points of thermal cores and to some extent physical characteristics, and size.
Looking at the current offerings of the three interviewees, Grinfeld says Flir has a new PT-HD: multi-sensor system that combines an extreme low light, Full HD visible sensor with 30X optical zoom and a thermal sensor. This range is offered both in cooled and uncooled versions and is also available with a 4X continuous zoom lens.
Customers can also find end-to-end integration between the Flir thermal portfolio and the company’s UVMS line, as well as the FC-Series ID line of fixed thermal cameras for perimeter fencing that include on-board high-end intrusion detection video analytics.
Muller says Pelco offers a full line of thermal fixed and pan-tilt cameras that are well integrated with Pelco and third-party video management systems with a full analytics suite with thermography solutions.
The built-in thermal technology can provide independent temperature measurement for up to 20 zones. In addition, the camera can be set to automatically switch between thermal image where privacy is guaranteed and the optical high-resolution image where all details are visible.
While they may not get all the attention that visible light cameras do, there can be no doubt that thermal cameras are undergoing as much technical innovation as we see in the IP world. And given the utility of cameras that are near impossible to hide from, lowering the price and decreasing the form factor will serve to make this market one that will deliver impressive growth rates for some time to come, while appealing to customers by adding value to both the security and operational functions on business.