If a facility requires security surveillance, the materials, people, or information being guarded are important. But as crime rates around the United States continue to grow and the threat of terrorism increases, basic security is no longer good enough. When it comes to providing security for facilities, traditional closed-circuit television (CCTV) security camera systems are not adequate. Seatbelts in automobiles weren't adequate, so automakers began employing the use of airbags. Now, a similar shift is taking place in the world of facilities security. For modern-day facilities that require true 24-hour monitoring capabilities, thermal imaging cameras from Raytheon Infrared are fast becoming the new standard.
Security personnel need a host of preemptive tools to provide good security, and one of their most important tools is knowledge. Raytheon Infrared's Thermal-Eye™ cameras provide security personnel with information that traditional security cameras cannot provide in darkness or bad weather. For traditional cameras, individuals, automobiles, or watercraft are virtually invisible in darkness until they come within very close range of a CCTV camera. In addition, traditional cameras require a powerful light source to function at optimal levels.
Unlike CCTV, thermal imaging is effective for day and night surveillance. Because Raytheon Infrared's security cameras use heat, rather than light, to detect the location of objects, light levels are irrelevant and do not affect the camera optics. When Raytheon's Thermal-Eye™ Thermal Security Cameras are connected with traditional CCTV monitors, objects are displayed in black and white on the monitors. The objects generating the most heat appear whiter on the monitor than the other objects in view. This makes the cameras ideal for detecting people or the hot engines of approaching automobiles or watercraft.
The Thermal-Eye Thermal Security Cameras (TSC) work seamlessly with conventional closed-circuit television systems. That means companies don't have to install new wiring or purchase new control systems or new monitors. The plug-and-play capability of the TSC series cameras make them ideal for a broad range of security surveillance situations.
Current Security Inefficiencies
Traditionally, general facility security has used a combination of human guards and CCTV cameras and monitors. While that has been mostly effective, there are obvious limitations on that type of security setup. Guards are unable to be everywhere at once, and routine guard procedures make their movements and activities predictable. Using the CCTV cameras helps during daytime hours, but without the light of day or additional lighting at night, those cameras are largely ineffective.
To solve the ambient light problem, facilities often simply increase the amount of lighting in use. However, installation of security lighting is expensive and costly to maintain. In addition, security lighting can be aesthetically unpleasing. That might not be an issue at a facility like a prison, but security for national monuments or buildings near residential neighborhoods, for example, should be handled with aesthetics as a major consideration.
Also, for facilities such as oil refineries or shipyards based on or near large bodies of water, adding more lighting often is not feasible, or it can be very difficult to install. However, those areas are at great risk of infiltration or security breakdown simply because they are harder to secure.
A Short History of Thermal Imaging
Thermal imagers were first used in military operations during the late Vietnam era. The military used thermal imagers for several years before the devices made their way into use for specific non-military applications in the 1990s. It was during the 90s that police agencies began using thermal imaging cameras. The devices were installed on helicopters and, later, on the tops of police cruisers.
Those first helicopter systems cost more than $100,000, but fortunately for today's law enforcement agencies, thermal imaging cameras are much more affordable. Improvements to camera design, display, optics, sensors, electronics, and power consumption have resulted in much smaller cameras, some of which run on two AA batteries and weigh less than a pound. As a result of the improvements, prices have fallen dramatically, too. Some facilities can purchase whole thermal imaging systems with multiple cameras for less than a third of the cost of those original helicopter systems.
Part of the reason that early thermal imaging systems were so expensive was that they were cooled technology. Even today, the most mature thermal imaging technologies use cryogenically cooled semiconductor materials. Cooling the sensor stabilizes its Infrared (IR) sensitivity while increasing the contrast of the acquired images. The downside of cooled IR is that the complexity of the system requires a lot of space and makes the technology very expensive. The sensors used in many current commercially available thermal imagers are uncooled. These sensors operate at room temperature, meaning they are not as complex, bulky or expensive as their cooled counterparts. For the majority of commercial and industrial uses, the uncooled thermal imager provides an acceptable image and is the most cost-effective and efficient choice.
Beyond Security
While thermal imaging is extremely useful in public safety and security deployments, it has a number of uses in other fields.
In the industrial market, engineers, inspectors, and managers use thermal imagers to conduct process monitoring and run safety checks. Thermal imagers make it possible to detect overheated electrical circuits, ducting failure, hot bearings or dangerous heat levels for chemicals -- before those situations develop into major problems. Left unchecked, any one of those minor problems could cause extensive damage and require costly repairs or result in injury to personnel.
Thermal imaging also helps manufacturers monitor infrastructure for places where heat is escaping or where machinery is running too hot. Utility companies use thermal imaging to check their lines for problems or defects. Once discovered, they can conduct preventive maintenance to keep those problems from impacting their customers or becoming unmanageable. Thermal imaging is neither destructive nor invasive, meaning that it does not require machines to be taken offline or taken apart to be inspected. It is currently in use by manufacturers of steel, aluminum, glass, and food -- among many others.
Many industries find thermal imaging important to their processes, but thermal imaging technology is particularly useful in firefighting activities. Thermal imaging cameras assist fire and rescue personnel with scene sizeup, in-fire attack, search and rescue, hazmat assessments and post-fire overhaul. Cameras equipped with thermal imaging technology can help personnel recognize holes in flooring or other structural weaknesses. This warning provides firefighters and rescue personnel with knowledge that can help them avoid danger.
According to a report in the Feb. 1999 issue of FireRescue Magazine, locating victims during a fire increases from 40% to 99% when thermal imaging is used instead of traditional search methods. Search time is reduced by 75%, and ensuring that firefighters find their way out of a burning building improves from 65% to 100% when thermal imaging is used.
Once the fire has been extinguished, a thermal imaging survey can be conducted to help detect hot spots and other problems. This improves the post-fire investigation process. Thermal imaging also can help save lives in other ways. Firefighters use the cameras to assess motor vehicle accidents, wildfires, and industrial and petrochemical fires.
For the general consumer, thermal imaging has found its way into the transportation market. Raytheon Infrared's NIGHTDRIVER™ technology helps drivers see three to five times farther than conventional headlights. By extending night-driving vision to 1,500 ft or farther, drivers have up to five times as much time to react as they would using regular headlights. The technology also helps drivers "see" past the glare of oncoming headlights. Since light does not affect the device, a driver using NIGHTDRIVER technology sees the oncoming car much as it would appear during the daytime -- minus the bright headlights.
The increased use of thermal imaging across multiple markets can mean only good things for the growing focus on safety in the United States.
