InfiRay recently announced their upgraded PT4 dual-spectrum PTZ IP camera which adopts a more powerful hardware configuration. We take a closer look, based on product tests conducted by a&s China.
InfiRay, known for its self-developed thermal imaging technology, recently announced their upgraded PT4 dual-spectrum PTZ IP camera which adopts a more powerful hardware configuration. This substantially raises the product’s performance compared to the previous version. We take a closer look, based on product tests conducted by a&s China.
During COVID, thermal imaging technology was widely used and was called the "dark horse technology during the pandemic.” Yet the truth is thermal imaging technology has long been used in many fields, including forests, seaports, industry and power generation, and it is continuously expanding into other vertical industries.
As a pioneer in the field of thermal imaging, InfiRay has continuously improved thermal imaging technology over the years, making thermal imaging cameras – previously considered high-end products – more popular in the market. This has also helped accelerate the development of thermal imaging technology in China.
Recently, the company upgraded their PT4 dual-spectrum PTZ IP camera (hereafter referred to as PT4), which adopts a more powerful hardware configuration. This substantially raises the product’s performance compared to the previous version
Classic design with strong inner core
PT4 retains the look and feel of the first generation model and creates a simple, high-end, safe and reliable visual impact with its tall, bright white design.
With a size of 250×472×360 mm, PT4 is made of high-strength aluminum alloy, which reduces the device’s weight without impacting its steadiness, and isolates external electromagnetic interference to ensure smooth camera operation and data security.
PT4 is divided into two parts. The upper part is the device’s main body, which is for capturing video; its vertical angle can be adjusted. The lower part is the pan-tilt part, which is primarily responsible for fixing and rotating the camera horizontally.
The top of PT4 is equipped with a protective cover which can effectively prevent direct exposure to sunlight, high temperature, and rain. The interior is equipped with a visible light camera and a thermal imaging camera. The visible light camera is equipped with a wiper to clean up foreign objects on the lens.
The rear of the device is equipped with 24V power supply, an RJ45 Ethernet port, audio input/output, alarm input/output and other interfaces, so that the camera can effectively meet user demands for various integrations.
At the same time, PT4 can work normally in environments with -40°C~70°C and humidity <90 percent conditions, and has IP66, TVS 6000V, lightning strike, surge and other protective measures, in line with the GB/T17626.5 level 4 standard. The camera adopts a low-power design, with power consumption of only 14w in still mode, making it compatible with photovoltaic power generation systems when used in outdoor environments.
In addition, the vertical range of the camera is -90° to +40° with speed of 0.1° to 60°/s; the horizontal range can reach 360° continuous rotation, with speed of 0.1° to 100°/s.
Dual optical synchronization and super imaging performance
As aforementioned, PT4 includes two types of cameras – a visible light camera and a thermal imaging camera.
The visible light camera uses a 1/1.8-inch 4-megapixel CMOS image sensor, which can generate good color video images under starlight conditions. The primary stream allows maximum resolution of 2560×1920 at 30fps; each sub-stream allows maximum 1920×1080 at 30fps.
Since the visible light camera is upgraded with a 6-300mm zoom lens, the 50-time magnification zoom can be applied to the monitoring of various scenes. At the same time, the visible light camera supports ultra-wide dynamic range, backlight compensation, strong light suppression, 3D noise reduction, anti-shake and other functions, making it competent for 24-hour monitoring in various indoor and outdoor lowlight scenes.
The thermal imaging camera is equipped with InfiRay's self-developed 12μm vanadium oxide uncooled focal plane detector with a resolution of 640×512. This detector has the advantages of high precision and good anti-interference. In terms of lens, in addition to the original 75mm specification, PT4 features a 100mm electronically adjustable lens to provide a longer viewing distance.
As the core component of PT4, the thermal imaging camera can effectively make up for the shortcomings of the visible light camera and can identify people, vehicles, fire points and other targets in dark nights, rain, fog, heavy snow and other conditions, so as to realize 24-7 continuous monitoring to meet user needs for early warning, ongoing event management and post-event investigation.
Indeed, PT4 is a step-up from its predecessor in many ways. The product has been upgraded from the original dual-IP to single-IP dual-channel, which is more convenient for users in terms of control and device integration. In terms of thermal images, InfiRay has equipped the camera with more than 20 different pseudo-color visual effects in order to avoid visual fatigue caused by single video images, fully meeting the individual needs of users.
The unique imaging capability of the thermal imaging camera allows it to monitor various environments regardless day or night. The replaceable telephoto lens allows the PT4 to monitor farther targets.
In a&s China’s product test, we found that when targeting people (1.8 × 0.5 m) and vehicles (1.4 × 4 m), the performance of the thermal imaging camera is as follows:
For fire targets, the detection distance of PT4 can reach 5 km, meeting the needs of users in most forest fire prevention projects.
Accurate panning and full intelligence
As a PTZ camera, PT4 can pan to multiple preset points. It is worth noting that after setting multiple preset points, the camera can quickly pan to a particular point according to the command and capture scenes with fast focus and clear image. After repeated tests, we found that the camera can pan to preset positions accurately with no deviation. The entire operation can be completed with the mouse, and the camera responds quickly and accurately without delay. In addition to accurate pan positioning, PT4 also has linear scan, still mode and other functions to meet requirements in different applications.
In addition, PT4 is equipped with behavior analytics, based on which the camera can detect tripwire intrusion, area intrusion, leftover items and personnel gathering, among others. With these analytics, both the visible light camera and the thermal imaging camera can intelligently analyze the behavior of people and objects in the warning area. Once an act of violation is detected, the camera will begin capturing or taking still photos, and send an alarm to related personnel.
In addition to alarms triggered by behavior analysis, the camera also supports alarms triggered by video occlusion, scene change, audio detection, SD card abnormality, network abnormality, illegal access and other events.
Product advantages
1. Cost reduction and efficiency increase: An upgrade to 100mm lens from the original 75mm has been achieved, and pan range has been increased;
2. Strong adaptability: Thermal imaging effectively makes up for the shortcomings of the visible light camera, especially in lowlight/extreme weather conditions, such as night, rain and fog;
3. Accurate alarm: PT4 can intelligently identify fire points and personnel/vehicle intrusion, effectively filter out various interference sources and achieve accurate alarms;
4. Wide range of application scenarios: These include forest fire prevention, natural resource protection, water monitoring and critical area protection.
a&s review
With China’s rapid urban development, in which people put a stronger focus on societal enhancement and personal safety, smart cameras are gradually seeing their applications expand from traditional security to other use cases. Yet due to their limitations in different environmental conditions, traditional cameras are no longer able to meet the growing needs of users. This, then, has led to the popularization of thermal imaging, which has put camera development on a new path.
As a pioneer in the field of thermal imaging, InfiRay has continuously improved thermal imaging technology over the years, making thermal imaging cameras – previously considered high-end products – more popular in the market. The new-generation PT4 once again empowers all walks of life, allowing different configurations based on users’ own individual needs. This allows users to conduct real 24-7 seamless monitoring of key areas, reduce safety hazards, and ensure area safety.