FLIR PathFindIR LE, User Manual

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334-0001-00-10-LE, rev. 100 May ’08 3
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2 Introduction
PathFindIR LE - See More, Be Safer!
2.1 Overview
Congratulations! You have purchased one of the most sophisticated and
important instruments you will have on your vehicle. The FLIR
ThermoVision
®
PathFindIR LE is a state-of-the-art thermal imaging system
that will provide you with excellent night visibility and situational
awareness, even in absolute darkness.
The PathFindIR LE system is designed for simple, intuitive operation. The
PathFindIR LE camera is a sophisticated thermal sensor that converts
thermal content (heat) of a scene into a 2-dimensional image for display
on a video monitor inside your vehicle.
2.2 Thermal Imaging Driver Vision Enhancement System
The FLIR Systems, Inc. PathFindIR LE camera is a high performance,
rugged, thermal imaging camera designed to provide driver vision
enhancement in adverse weather conditions and better situational
awareness than with traditional head lamps.
Many serious accidents occur at night because the driver is not able to see
the cause of the accident in time to prevent the collision. PathFindIR LE
directly addresses this problem, allowing drivers to see farther ahead on
nighttime roadways and identify potential problems earlier. The majority of
trucking accidents occur in rural areas, where visibility is severely reduced
at night. Humans and other warm blooded animals offer significant
thermal contrast to driving backgrounds and are easy to spot with the
PathFindIR LE. The system allows drivers to see without any additional
lighting and provides real-time imaging at any speed.
Different than visible light cameras, thermal imagers do not display
reflected light as seen with human eyes. Rather, thermal imaging cameras
only 'see' temperature differences which are converted into shades of grey,
from black to white. The PathFindIR LE camera displays cold objects as
black and hot objects as white.