427-0073-12-12 Version 120
May 2015
2-16
2
Basic Operation and Configuration
2.5
Thermal Imaging Overview
When power is applied to the FC-Series camera, a FLIR splash
screen is displayed for less than two seconds, and then the camera
outputs the live video image. No operator action or intervention is
required and no configuration of the camera is necessary.
The thermal camera makes an image based on temperature
differences. In the thermal image, by default the hottest item in the
scene appears as white and the coldest item is black, and all other
items are represented as a gray scale value between white and black.
It may take some time to get used to the thermal imagery from the camera, especially for someone
who only has experience with normal daylight cameras. Having a basic understanding of the
differences between thermal and daylight cameras can help with getting the best performance from
the thermal camera.
Both thermal and daylight cameras have detectors (pixels) that detect energy. One difference
between thermal and daylight cameras has to do with where the energy comes from to create an
image. When viewing an image with an ordinary camera, there has to be some source of visible light
(something hot, such as the sun or lights) that reflects off the objects in the scene to the camera. The
same is true with human eyesight; the vast majority of what people see is based on
reflected
light
energy.
On the other hand, the thermal camera detects energy that is
directly radiated
from objects in the scene. Most objects in
typical surroundings are not hot enough to radiate visible
light, but they easily radiate the type of infrared energy that
the thermal camera can detect. Even very cold objects, like
ice and snow, radiate this type of energy.
The camera is capable of sensing very small temperature
differences, and produces a video image that typically has
dramatic contrast in comparison to daylight cameras. This
high contrast level from the thermal video enables intelligent
video analytic software to perform more reliably.
The performance of the camera will likely vary throughout the day. After sunset, objects warmed by
the sun will appear warmest. Early in the morning, many of these objects will appear cooler than their
surroundings, so be sure to look for subtle differences in the scene, as opposed to just hot targets.
Thermal imaging cameras are deployed in numerous commercial applications where it is impractical
or too expensive to use active illumination (lights). They are perfect for a wide variety of applications
including transportation, maritime, security, fire fighting, and medical applications. The cameras often
provide improved daytime viewing in environments where traditional video camera performance
suffers, such as in shadows or backlit scenes.
The FC-Series camera is a state-of-the-art thermal imaging system that will provide excellent night
visibility and situational awareness, without any form of natural or artificial illumination. The system is
easy to use, but it is useful to understand how to interpret what is displayed on the monitor.
Figure 2-3: Splash Screen
