Sentera and Teledyne FLIR expand thermal drone applications with new payload

by Featured NewsFire DetectionProducts

Teledyne FLIR confirms new partnership with Sentera

Teledyne FLIR has reported that Sentera Sensors and Drones has joined the Thermal by FLIR programme.

The US-based manufacturer is integrating FLIR Boson thermal camera modules into its 6X Thermal Series drone payload.

The integration provides the Sentera platform with radiometric thermal imaging, alongside existing multispectral and RGB sensors.

The updated system supports data collection for a range of uses including fire detection, agriculture and industrial inspections.

According to Teledyne FLIR, the addition of Boson modules enhances mapping accuracy by providing radiometric temperature data at the pixel level.

Capabilities of the new 6X Thermal Series payload

The Sentera 6X Thermal Series includes the 6X Thermal and 6X Thermal Pro models.

Both models feature either the FLIR Boson 640R or 320R thermal imagers.

Each payload is also equipped with four synchronised 3.2MP monochrome imagers and a 20MP RGB sensor.

The system is NDAA-compliant and designed to integrate with various drone platforms used in outdoor and industrial settings.

Use cases highlighted by the manufacturer include water stress monitoring, evaporation analysis and infrastructure inspections.

Integration improves thermal data processing

Sentera said the integration improves the quality and usability of thermal data.

Eric Taipale, chief technology officer at Sentera, said: “Precision thermal mapping has long been a challenge due to alignment and stitching issues.

“By combining FLIR’s trusted thermal technology with Sentera’s automated multispectral-assisted processing, we’re making it easier for users to capture, process, and analyze high-quality thermal data with confidence.”

The payload combines thermal, multispectral and visible imaging technologies into a single unit.

Teledyne FLIR stated that this approach supports a range of practical applications, including agriculture and public safety.

Teledyne FLIR’s Thermal by FLIR programme explained

The Thermal by FLIR programme is a development and marketing initiative for product integrators using Teledyne FLIR thermal camera modules.

The company said the programme is intended to reduce development costs and risk for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and speed up product launch.

Jared Faraudo, vice president of product management at Teledyne FLIR OEM, said: “Sentera’s innovative approach to combining thermal, multispectral, and visible imaging in a unified sensor package represents a market-changing innovation the Thermal by FLIR program was designed to support.”

The 6X Thermal Series joins a range of Thermal by FLIR products in use across several industries, including automotive, defence and wearables.

Sentera and Teledyne FLIR expand thermal drone applications with new payload: Summary

Teledyne FLIR has announced that Sentera has joined its Thermal by FLIR programme.

Sentera has integrated the FLIR Boson thermal camera module into its 6X Thermal Series drone payloads.

The updated system includes either the Boson 640R or 320R thermal imager, four 3.2MP monochrome sensors, and a 20MP RGB camera.

Sentera stated the integration allows for improved thermal data mapping and analysis.

Teledyne FLIR said the payload delivers radiometric temperature data at the pixel level.

The 6X Thermal Series supports agriculture, industrial, and public safety applications.

The payload is compatible with a range of drone platforms and is compliant with US National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) requirements.

The Thermal by FLIR programme supports OEMs in developing and marketing products using FLIR thermal modules.

Other programme members produce integrated thermal systems for sectors including automotive and defence.

ADJ Fire & Security and Hikvision launch thermal imaging cameras at Recycling Lives

by ProductsThermal Imaging

ADJ Fire & Security has provided a solution to improve fire safety via Hikvision’s thermal bullet cameras for Recycling Lives.

Recycling Lives is a recycling and waste management operation, using a commercial element to support and sustain charity programmes for offender rehabilitation, residential support and food redistribution. It’s reportedly an effective approach to social aid, and one that has earned four prestigious Queens Awards and numerous admirers, including Andy Moore, Managing Director of ADJ Fire & Security Limited. ADJ works with Recycling Lives to provide technology-based solutions to minimise risk at its sites.

“The whole company’s called Recycling Lives, because that’s what it does,” Moore explains. “It gives people a second chance, people who have come out of prison or who are homeless, and they help them back into society. It’s providing help to people who really need it, by giving them jobs and if necessary rehoming them if they need somewhere to stay until they get their own place. They’re a special company, definitely. ADJ is extremely proud to be associated with a company like Recycling Lives.”

Recycling Lives has sites across the UK was founded, and is run, by second generation recyclers, time-served experts with a wealth of industry knowledge, insight and contacts. Their charity and social enterprise teams provide residential accommodation for the homeless, help to reduce reoffending and redistribute food, directly supported by recycling, recruitment, compliance and waste management businesses. As a result, they create more than just environmental and financial value from their activities: they provide significant social value too.

At the Recycling Lives site in Preston, on Longridge Road, ADJ was asked to help devise a solution which could help the Recycling Lives staff prevent and detect fires on-site during and out of office hours, explains Moore.

“These fires can happen within waste piles on site, and can end up burning inside without any notification,” he says. “They can seriously flare up when the pile is disturbed. There are batteries stored on site from depolluted cars and these can also be a serious fire hazard if ignited.”

The camera uses image processing technology, including Adaptive Automatic Gain Control, Digital Detail Enhancement, 3D Dynamic Noise Reduction, and a Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference of less than < 40mk. Its powerful behaviour analysis algorithm enables automatic smart detection including Line Crossing, Intrusion, and Region Entrance & Exit, and it also provides a reliable temperature exception alarm function and advanced fire detection algorithm. Temperature measurement range is -20℃ to 550℃ with ±2℃ accuracy.

The thermal imaging module provides 384 by 288 resolution, a high sensitivity sensor, and supports contrast adjustment and shutter adjustment in various modes. There are 15 palettes of adjustable colour available, and because this is a thermal imaging camera rather than a conventional CCTV device, there’s no need for additional lighting. 19 thermometric cameras were installed initially at the Preston site, with more set to be added in future.

“Cameras are located in the high-risk areas where fires could break out such as the plant rooms and stockpiles, shredder, and depollution areas,” Moore says. “When the cameras detect an increase in temperature that signifies a potential fire risk, they automatically raise an alarm and alert the client to the issue. That allows them to take action much more quickly than relying on traditional video or other forms of fire detection – they can react immediately even to the risk of fire breaking out.”

Recycling Lives Compliance Manager Dave Gallagher says: “The prevention of fire, and early detection of any fire that may break out, is of critical importance to protecting our people, infrastructure and the local environment. Whilst our risk controls have proved effective year after year, the opportunity to invest in new technology that enhances our ability to react fast in the event of an emerging fire hazard was one that was not to be missed.”

adjfireandsecurity.co.uk/adj/