What are Infrared Cameras?
Infrared cameras are very popular for use in security, surveillance, and safety applications. These highly sensitive cameras can be used for many different applications in the home or on the job because they are so versatile and can be used in a variety of different environments. A short wave infrared camera is simply a machine which creates an infrared image using invisible light, much like a normal camera which forms an image with visible light. Rather, than the 400.- 700 nanometer range of visible light cameras, short wave infrared cameras are highly sensitive to infrared wavelengths from as little as 1,500 nanometers to as much as 14,500 nanometers. They are very effective for surveillance and detection purposes and have been the preferred choice for many industrial applications including airplane control and navigation systems, medical imaging, robotics, surveillance, industrial machinery operations and surveillance.
Infrared Cameras in Commercial Buildings
Most commercial uses of infrared cameras are aimed at preventing unauthorized entry into buildings or facilities; they are sometimes also used to monitor people’s personal interactions in large facilities. One major benefit of using thermal or visible cameras is that they are able to capture a great amount of detail, such as faces, while providing low levels of light or very limited amounts of light in some cases. The infrared image is able to be processed rapidly by computer, and since it captures only the light that it is exposed to, the captured image has a very high resolution for such low levels of light. These infrared cameras are the best machine vision imaging camera.
Infrared Camera Uses
While the benefits of visible and infrared cameras make them complementary partners in crime prevention efforts, there are times when a small infrared camera makes more sense for a given set of circumstances. When an operator wants to have pinpoint accuracy when dealing with a small or tight space, infrared imagers offer the best solution. Because of their sensitivity to temperature changes, most infrared cameras operate on a level of temperatures just below absolute zero (or absolute zero, also known as minus infinity). The ability to detect small temperature changes means that the operator can pinpoint a specific area of concern. They can also perform in the dark, which helps prevent vandalism and the theft of equipment and goods that could be valuable if not detected.