Has anyone reading this had any experience with night vision systems? I am specifically looking for systems that will allow night time operation, collision avoidance with objects too small to be picked up by radar. Based on what I have researched on the web so far, this raytheon system looks like a good option Raytheon Thermal Eye 4000M The next step is to find a good monitor to view the images from the camera. On the yacht this will be installed on, there is no console space, I was thinking about a flip down TFT monitor that would be mounted on the overhead. The concern is that LCD screens are not easy to dim down well enough to see the picture well, while at the same time not destroying my night vision. Any thoughts?
Here's a link to a story I wrote on FLIR... http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205 Here's a link to the product page for the ThermoCAM, by FLIR Systems... http://www.flirthermography.com/cameras/series/1002/ I've attached a picture of the handheld. Nifty unit!!
Call Larry Smith Electronics http://www.marine-electronics.com This guy does alot of work for the yachting business. I believe he did some work for Limitless as well.
Carl, what I am hoping to find is someone who has actually used this technology underway on a boat. That handheld unit looks nice, but my hands are already full with helm and throttle. I want to find a system that will allow me to look at a small screen at my helm console. FLIR makes a beautiful system that is in use by the military and law enforcement services, but its around $200k. The Raytheon looks like it is around $7k, I am guessing that by the time it is installed with a nice small monitor the tab could be as much as $10k The performance parameters that I am looking for are that I would like to be able to discern objects in the water as far out as 1/4 mile. The purpose of the system is for short range collision avoidance when operating in fog.
Heat Source? Pls forgive my higgerance, but wouldn't an infrared vision system imply the existence of a heat source signature for detection? Or Are we talking "night vision" light enhancing technology? Just thinking out loud to myself - If indeed infra red requires a heat source signature for detectrion, is it going to stop a collision with a partly submerged sea container / dock pylon etc? Similarly, would Night vision / light enhancing technology work in fog? At the end of the day - theres probably some days it's just safer to stay home! Technology CAN'T make the ocean safe every day of the year, but it CAN sure help make the task easier on days (nights / fog) etc when it's touch n go to be out there at all. Anyone? Cheers
From my understanding the infrared vision system operates by detecting differentials in temperature.Lets say the water is 55 degrees F, the infrared system detects objects that differ in temperature. Just how sensitive they are, and how small a temp. difference can be resolved in a video image, I am unsure. I beleive that fog would attenuate night vision/ light enhancing technology. I have tried using a light enhancing monocle underway at night, and was very dissatisfied with the result. For one thing, they function by amplifying light. I tried using it to locate an unlit buoy in a dark area, and found that I could detect the bouy more readily with my naked eye than with the monocle. Additionally, I found the use of the monocle disorienting, and understand that this disorientation is not uncommon; apparently military helicopter pilots using night vision technology have the same problem Pilot Disorientation
Have you considered using a sonar? Combined with a radar, you catch most things that can be of harm, except ropes and such thin objects. Otherwise infrared light and dito cameras can see through fog, but I don´t know how thick it can be? Heat sensitive cameras operates differently and I am not sure what use they would have other than detecting swimmers...?
Night vision works as well as your eyes do in fog-they do not. Thermal imagers can give you up to four times better vision then your normal, unaided eyes in varying degrees of fog.
Thermal imagers can increase vision (average = 4X better than human eyes)in light to moderate fog. IR and thermal imagers are really the same thing. With high-res thermal imagers, you can see a warm body down to about a foot below the surface. Cooler objects, if floating, are readily visible to high end thermal imagers.
This is a very entry level system. This same system is mass marketed to law enforcement agencies and put on top of cop cars. It was not designed solely for marine use. Neraida Vision Systems (www.NeraidaUSA.com) has a military grade, aviation thermal imager that is quite small and power, and has been marinized solely for marine applications. Neraida Vision Systems has used several types depending on the customer's preferences. VEI, Big Bay both have great displays, with a variety of mounting options. They also have used small swingarm displays designed for aircraft from Rosen. These have been popular for "tight" fit applications.
Albeit still expensive, you can get the same level of military quality for less than 85K now. The Raytheon unit will most likely not perform the mission you require. Also, there is currently no enhanced vision system that will be 100% in fog. There are some newer technologies coming out next year or so for the civilian market that will be able to completely penetrate fog, but they will cost well into the mulitple hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What do you mean "better" vision? Are you saying that if I can see 100 feet in a fog condition that I will be able to see 400 feet with a IR camera in the same fog condition?
Can you tell me the particulars of why the raytheon system will not meet my performance parameters? What about this unit then? http://www.nvti-usa.com/products/1018i/
The Thermal Eye is about the bottom of the barrel of thermal imagers. The NTVI (whom I compete against) product is a much better "entry level" product as its pan/tilt is better. Both units use a similar Raytheon core which has only 160 X 120 pixels of resolution. That is pretty low. I cannot say that the NVTI product is bad, it's not. It is a decent entry level sensor. Entry level meaning: that it has a more durable core, but the core is not that high in resolution. The model you linked to uses a converted ACR searchlight pan/tilt mechanism, which is not designed for long life (one year warranty) or extreme environments. That still beats out the ThermalEye product, which barely belongs on a police car. NVTI does offer some better higher end pan/tilt mounted systems that are designed for harsher environments, as do I. On another note, neither system has a wide field of view. The ThermalEye has a FOV of 12 Degrees and the NVTI has a FOV of 17 degrees. Neither of which are all that good for collision avoidance. Narrow FOV’s are better for stand off surveillance, but not as good for safety. If your mission is for collision avoidance/situational awareness, you should have nothing less than a 40 Degrees FOV. Thus, I cannot recommend either unit for your mission, as neither is that high in regards to resolution and both have a narrow FOV. That is my biased opinion. (Bias Note: I offer a 53 Degree FOV and a two year warranty on our Nerin3 product line; which costs much more than these two products.)
With a hi-res thermal imager, that is very possible, depending on the density of the fog. The lighter the fog the better, of course.
There are several different makes/models available, costing anywhere from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. And each has a specific use. There are "cooled" systems (long range, good resoution but very expensive and high maintanance), and "un-cooled" systems (very reliable, affordable but shorter range and less resolution). The term "marinized" has different meanings to different people. For example, one manufacturer claims their camera is marinized, yet they have "weeping" holes in the bottom of their housing where the water can escape. NVTi's 1018i model does in fact use an ACR housing, and the "shell" is the only piece that's used, because of it's proven durability. It also has continuous 360 degree panning. The 25mm thermal camera, used in this model, resolution is 160x120. You can detect a 10m speedboat at approx. 1000 meters. We also like to give the specs for human detection: with a 25mm thermal camera (AS) you can detect a person at approx. 1000 ft. With a 100 mm lens (BST) you'll be able to detect a person at approx. 3600 ft (over 1,000 meters). I hope this information helps.
