Blog
by Eirik Solberg
on Jan 18 2022
New Thermal Camera Models and the Boson GUI 3.0 Provide More Flexibility and Development Support Features for Industrial, Commercial, and Defense Integrators
January 18, 2022 – The Teledyne FLIR radiometric Boson® thermal infrared camera module is now available in five additional configurations. The new models offer an 8°, 18°, 32°, 50°, or 95° horizontal field of view (FOV), are 640 x 512 resolution, and further enable development of next-generation thermal imaging products and systems. To streamline design and testing while minimizing development cost, developers can also leverage the new Boson GUI 3.0 and its key radiometric command capabilities with the Boson thermal camera module.
“The five new Boson models feature radiometric temperature measurement, meaning the cameras capture the temperature data of every pixel in every frame of a scene,” said Dan Walker, vice president, product management OEM, Teledyne FLIR. “Used in unmanned aerial systems, firefighting, automotive, security, surveillance, and industrial inspection products, these new models offer greater flexibility and options in supporting industrial, commercial, and defense integrators requiring high thermal image resolution within a small, lightweight, and low-power package.”
The Boson GUI 3.0 provides the ability to quickly access and adjust radiometry settings, critical to high-speed integration cycles balancing schedule, cost, and performance. Optimizing radiometric parameters and using spot meters and regions of interest (ROI) with real-time statistics allow for optimization during development testing and tuning. Extensive isotherm controls, commonly used in products for industrial inspection and emergency response UAS missions, enable the GUI to highlight objects in the scene at temperatures of interest. Data fusion, an important capability for systems using complementary sensors such as visible cameras, can be explored using the Boson GUI 3.0 external sync capability.
All Boson thermal camera modules feature FLIR infrared video processing architecture, noise reduction filters, and local-area contrast, utilizing a high sensitivity 12-micron pixel pitch detector that provides high-resolution thermal imaging in a small, lightweight, and low-power package. The image processing capabilities accommodate industry-standard communication interfaces, including visible CMOS and USB.
The new Teledyne FLIR Boson Radiometric camera core models are available globally through Teledyne FLIR and preferred distributors. The Boson GUI 3.0 is available for Windows 10 64-bit systems, while the predecessor Boson GUI 1.4.4, operating on 32-bit systems, remains available. For more information about Boson radiometric thermal camera modules, please visit https://oemcameras.com
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FLIR Scion Thermal Monocular for Public Safety Professionals
by Eirik Solberg
on Jan 22 2019
FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced today the launch of the FLIR Scion ™ Professional Thermal Monocular (PTM) for public safety professionals. The Scion PTM is powered by FLIR’s high-performance Boson ® thermal core for greater image quality and features connectivity with FLIR TruWITNESS® to allow real-time encrypted thermal video streaming to provide professionals with greater situational awareness. This press release features multimedia.
The rugged Scion PTM features FLIR’s most advanced thermal imaging core, which allows users to quickly detect objects with greater detail and offer clear vision in low visibility conditions. Available in a 60 hertz refresh rate, the Scion PTM features 2 gigabytes of internal storage and a microSD ™ card slot to record both geotagged video or still images for later playback. Additional features include, picture-in-picture zoom, global positioning system (GPS) functionality, and both Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi capabilities to allow simple file transfer between devices. When linked with the FLIR TruWITNESS wearable sensor platform built for city-level security and public safety operations, Scion PTM combines video, audio, and location data to allow organizations to stream thermal footage of any pursuit, evidence recovery, or search and rescue effort to the command center via wireless network. “The FLIR Scion is FLIR’s most feature rich commercial thermal handheld monocular available, bringing a new level of technology to public safety agencies,” said Jim Cannon, President and CEO for FLIR Systems. “Additionally, the Scion PTM’s integration with FLIR TruWITNESS makes this an invaluable tool that will help provide public safety professionals with more information for real-time decision making in the field.”
The Scion PTM, which replaces FLIR’s H series monocular thermal cameras, is available now in the United States starting at $3,295 MSRP
Source: flir.com
by Eirik Solberg
on Apr 18 2016
FLIR today announced Boson™, its smallest, lightest, and least power-consuming, high-performance uncooled thermal camera for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that make products for firefighting, automotive, maritime, hunting, UAS, and the military. The Boson design allows for expanded computing capability on the camera and a dramatic reduction in price.
Smaller than the Tau® 2 core, FLIR’s other high-performance uncooled core, and double the size of the low-cost Lepton® core, Boson is the first thermal camera core to incorporate a sophisticated, low-power multi-core vision processor unit that helps make Boson the smartest thermal core on the planet.
Boson uses FLIR’s XIR™ expandable infrared video processing architecture to help OEMs take advantage of advanced image processing and video analytics while keeping power consumption low. Manufacturers of drones, cars, weapons sights and handheld imagers will now have the ability to process video onboard, and allow Boson to do things our previous cores could not::
Military: Boson will allow our soldiers on the battlefield to use higher-performance thermal technology that is fit into smaller equipment and distributed more broadly because of the lower prices. It will enable soldiers both on the front lines and command centers to use video analytics to better identify combatant locations or areas for safe deployment.
Drones: With a smaller design, the weight difference will help improve battery life and extend flight times. Boson will enable smaller drones with thermal imaging video capabilities that may have been available in only in the highest-end applications like those for military.
Automotive: Thermal cameras today provide select luxury automakers a more accurate way to detect people and vehicles on the roadway. By connecting the video analytics built into Boson with a vehicle’s electronics system, cars will require fewer components for integration and more importantly, help improve safety for drivers on the road. With higher-performing capabilities at lower cost, Boson could help make thermal technology more accessible to more vehicles.
Firefighting: Firefighters already use thermal imaging cameras, but Boson can enable firefighters to access better, smarter, and smaller thermal devices. The last thing a firefighter wants is another heavy tool. Boson can help control the display, control button functions, improve battery life and lead to a wave of smarter and smaller wearable devices for firefighters. With Boson, more firefighters will have access to higher-performing technology that can improve decision-making when seconds matter.
Security: Boson will enable smaller higher-performing security cameras to be deployed more broadly. When securing high-value areas like airports, stadiums and ports, more security is better. In security, video is data, and it’s impossible for humans to make real-time decisions based on the vast amount of video data. The video intelligence within Boson could help security teams pinpoint if someone is in an area of a stadium where they shouldn’t be, designate the heated object with a box on a video screen and alert security teams.
We’re excited to launch Boson, our first new thermal camera core since Lepton in 2014. We look forward to the range of new products it will enable our OEM partners to develop.
For OEMs who want to consider Boson, it’s available for product development testing now.
To learn more about the technical details for Boson, visit www.oemcameras.com
Source: FLIR
Exclusive: FLIR VUE PRO 35mm Lens
by Eirik Solberg
on Mar 04 2016
Now available and in stock. FLIR VUE PRO 35mm Lens:
640 Version: 18°(H) x 14°(V) FoV
336 Version: 9.3°(H) x 7.1°(V) FoV
More Info: OEMCameras.com
Designed for professional use the FLIR VUE PRO is more than a thermal camera with Video and Image Capture capabilities adding tremendous value to your sUAS operations and services.
DARPA creates 1.8 Gigapixel Drone Camera; 368 high resolution image sensors combined
by Eirik Solberg
on Feb 06 2013
Everyone carries around compact technology these days. iPads, iPhones, Android devices, the list goes on. But what if some of those components were combined for a much larger purpose? DARPA has accomplished exactly that. They’ve developed a new system called ARGUS built from an array of 368 image sensors forming 1.8 billion pixels, it is the world’s highest resolution camera.
ARGUS is a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) / drone add-on. Since most of ARGUS’ components and designs are classified, we only get a peek at the enclosure. However, they show is an image taken from 17,500 feet in the air of a medium sized city that covers about 15 miles around, and even from that height, DARPA can digitally zoom in and see birds, people waving, walking, driving, etc.
A million terabytes can be recorded in one day using ARGUS, which is the equivalent of 5,000 hours of high definition footage. With technology like this, it may not be long before UAVs are commonly seen flying through the air.
Source: The Atlantic
Top 5 Ways to Integrate an OEM Camera
by Eirik Solberg
on May 04 2011
OEM Cameras have so many uses these days. Due to their small size, they can be mounted virtually anywhere. Here are just 5 ways in which OEM Cameras are currently being used.
1. UAV/Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Aside from being used for damage assessment (ie: during the Haiti disaster), domestic surveillance, and traffic monitoring, UAV’s with onboard cameras are being used by amateur hobbyists all over.
Check out how this one RC/Camera Hobbyist wearing a heads-up display hooked up a board camera to an RC airplane with a tracking rig to provide a solid video download.
2. Robotics Mimic the Human Eye
Remember Johnny 5? It’s just like Hollywod to imagine the future of technology. It turns out they were spot on when it came to robotics.
The relationship between board cameras and robots has grown a lot over time. The cameras are not just used to record. They help the robot to discern colors, patterns, and recognize its surroundings, in order to better interact with its environment and make decisions.
This superfast robot’s movements are remote-controlled and can mimic the exact movements of the human eye.
3. Extreme Sports Pole Camera
I don’t think anyone can disagree that helmet cams are great! — Especially when it comes to extreme sports. Cameras are so inexpensive and easy to set up these days that it’s easy for an adrenaline junkie to strap a camera on his helmet as he’s skydiving or tearing up some killer slopes in the rockies.
This skater made a make-shift pole cam and recorded himself riding down a steep road.
4. Law Enforcement/Military Bomb Squad
Cameras have always played an integral part in law enforcement and the military. Everything from domestic surveillance, military drones, street light cameras, police dash-cams, and so on.
This is a robot used for dismantling potential explosives. It has 4 cameras built and a control system with monitors and controls for the operator to remote control the robot.
5. Automotive: Google’s Self-Driving Car
Cameras are slowly making their way into cars. Currently, many cars have the reverse camera to give you a rear view as you back up.
More interesting, however, is unmanned cars. Google, among other companies, have produced unmanned vehicles that have logged thousands of miles without human assistance. The vehicles use cameras and sensors to interact with the software and make decisions based upon what it sees through the lenses.
At the TED 2011 conference in Long Beach, Google gave rare demos of its auto-driving car.