Lightweight instant-on thermal imager can be held or mounted on helmets to provide police and security personnel with accurate mobile surveillance in low light conditions
Palm sized and weighing-in at less than 300g, the IR528 from Armstrong Optical of Northampton is one of the smallest and lightest thermal imaging systems available on the market.
The system features instant-on imaging, accurate spot temperature measurement and simple intuitive control, and can be used as either a hand-free viewer or a helmet-mounted monocular.
The ability to operate in thick smoke, dense fog and total darkness makes it the ideal system for firefighting, field observation and 24-hour security.
Running from a Li-ion battery with an operating time of 2.5 hours between recharges the system is based around an uncooled microbolometer array providing full 50Hz operation; the imager incorporates a lens system with a 32x25 field of view and an OLED viewfinder eyepiece. Whilst being primarily a thermal imager a single pixel is calibrated to allow point temperature measurement.
As well as being displayed on the built-in OLED viewfinder there is a facility to output the live video signal to external displays, storage devices or wireless transmission systems.
Thanks to its compact size and easy operation, the imager can be used as a hand-free viewer or a portable monocular and accordingly equips firefighters, policemen, hunters and security professionals to efficiently fulfill their missions.
