In support of surveillance, security, targeting, and other long-range applications, the Athena 1920 thermal camera core from BAE Systems is an uncooled thermal sensor with outstanding performance from a compact package. The low-power, lightweight infrared (IR) thermal camera core provides outstanding image clarity across a wide field of view (FOV) and long distances (see figure). It features a 1920 × 1200-pixel array format in a compact housing measuring just 40 × 51 × 25 mm and weighing just 70 g. The video camera uses an uncooled vanadium-oxide (VOx) microbolometer detector based on the company’s 12-μm pixel technology. It employs a 60-Hz frame rate for dynamic imaging that essentially eliminates motion blur. In addition, contrast enhancement is boosted by auto histogram equalization.
The thermal IR camera core produces digital video with 16-b resolution and contrast-enhanced imaging with 12-b resolution. The low-power design draws less than 5 W power from a power supply from +3.3 to +5.0 VDC. With an operating temperature range of -40 to +65°C, it is ideal for monitoring complex environments. “Our thermal core enables a new class of sensing systems for everything from aerial reconnaissance to perimeter security to asset monitoring,” said Robyn Decker, director of Lexington Business Center and Sensor Solutions at BAE Systems. “We put more pixels on the target, giving end users the situational awareness they need to make critical decisions.”