New Breed Of SWIR Cameras Previewed For Military, Security And Commercial Tasks
This summer, SUI (Sensors Unlimited, Inc.), part of Goodrich Corporation will launch a new breed of full-featured Shortwave Infrared (SWIR) cameras said to be the smallest, most economical, most stable and easiest to use of anything available today. Applications for their SDV camera line are expected to include industrial machine vision, hot process monitoring and laboratory instrumentation as well as defense and security surveillance.
Prototypes of the first model will be previewed in April at the Defense and Security Symposium 2004 (booth 1017, April 13-15, Gaylord Palms Convention Center, Orlando, FL). Commercial quantities for the SU640SDV-1.7RT 2-D camera and the SDV linescan camera will be available beginning August 1, 2004. Other models are slated for introduction later.
The SU640SDV-1.7RT 2-D camera features a 640- by 512- pixel focal plane array on a 25 µm pitch. The SDV linescan camera provides 1024-pixel array on a 25 µm pitch.
All models within the SDV™ product line are the smallest and lightest in their class, cost significantly less, are more stable and easier to use. They come factory calibrated, eliminating the need for Non Uniformity Corrections (NUCs) in the field. All operate with the focal plane array at room temperature and use glass lenses, rather than costly germanium or silicon, offering advantages over long-wave thermographic imagers for monitoring hot processes.
Earlier versions of SUI SWIR cameras have proven successful in a host of industrial/commercial and military applications. Among the industrial applications are process monitoring in metals production, surface defect monitoring in glassmaking and plastic film extrusion, laser beam profiling, and medical imaging. Defense successes have included night vision and covert surveillance, both for unmanned aerial vehicles and stationary platforms.
Other key features of the new SDV™ line include:
- 14-bit digitization for improved dynamic range
- CameraLink™ compatibility
- Customizable gain and integration times for various imaging applications
- Multiple outputs for high speed imaging
- In-camera digitization for compatibility with all mainstream frame grabber software.
“We created the SDV camera line to offer industrial OEMs and the military the most functional, reliable and cost effective SWIR cameras in the smallest, lightest package with the lowest life cycle owner ship cost,” says Marshall Cohen ,Ph.D.,SUI president.
The new SDV cameras share the same InGaAs technology as the camera that is planned to go into space with SUI founder and technology entrepreneur Gregory Olsen, Ph.D. His 2005 flight to the International Space Station, announced March 29, will make Dr. Olsen the third private citizen to fly into space. Dr. Olsen plans to conduct scientific research with the InGaAs camera during his mission.
For further information on Dr. Olsen’s planned spaceflight, go to www.gotoorbit.com.