Sofradir EC launches Atom80 infrared camera core based on uncooled thermal imaging sensor array

FAIRFIELD, N.J., 16 Oct. 2013. Sofradir EC in Fairfield, N.J., is introducing the ATOM80 thermal infrared imaging camera core, the first in its new line of next-generation, low-cost thermal sensor camera cores.

The ATOM80 features a microbolometer array (80x80 pixels) with high infrared sensitivity. The camera core is designed to enable a variety of new applications, including low-cost thermal imaging, advanced presence detection (including access control and people counting), thermography, building energy-efficiency management, and automotive safety sensing.

The ATOM80, based on a ULIS Micro80P microbolometer, bridges the applications gap for which single-, quad-, or multi-element thermal detectors do not have sufficient sensitivity or resolution and where large-format imaging arrays outperform the application needs and costs. The ATOM80 is designed to provide more reliable information resulting in accurate spatial and thermal information from the observed scene, significantly improving the ability to detect, analyze, and classify thermal scenes.

In people monitoring applications, such as intrusion detection for security systems, for example, the ATOM80 enables systems to be designed to scan a large area with one sensor to produce data that is both comprehensive and sensitive enough to be meaningful. For thermal imaging applications, the ATOM80 core delivers unrivaled imaging performance for these low-resolution imaging arrays, well suited for low-end thermal imaging devices.

In comparison to other technologies, the ATOM80 delivers thermal sensitivity of less than 0.1 degree Celsius at standard video rates. Other multi-element infrared sensing technologies require more than twice the illumination energy, need to operate at reduced frame rates, and do not deliver the same spatial resolution, says a representative.