"Because uncooled IR cameras are likely to have a dramatic size, weight, power consumption, and cost advantage over their cooled counterparts, we expect them to enable and expand the use of thermal imaging in many commercial and military markets," said Amber Marketing Manager Art Stout. "We recognize the impact that uncooled IR cameras will have on applications such as industrial condition monitoring, surveillance, thermal weapons sights, low-cost missile seekers and vision enhancement for automobiles and other vehicles, and plan to manufacture a range of infrared imaging products to meet those opportunities." <BR></BLOCKQUOTE> <BR> <P><LI>At the heart of this new uncooled camera is an Amber readout IC and microbolometer array technology licensed from Honeywell Corporation. Operating at, or very near, room temperature, Sentinel™ features a 320x240 pixel microbolometer focal plane array with wavelength response from 8 to 12 µm (NETD) of 0.07š C. <BR> <P><LI>According to Mr. Stout, effective power management, combined with the elimination of the cryogenic cooler, reduces the cameras power requirements to less than six watts. Under normal conditions, this enables the system to operate continuously for over two hours on a 2800 mA NICAD camcorder battery. For longer operation, the camera also runs on a nonrechargable lithium chloride battery pack. A power-saving stand-by mode further extends battery life as much as 30 percent and saves time by allowing the user to operate the camera within a fraction of a second, as opposed to shutting off the camera and restarting. <BR> <P><LI>Most high-perfomance thermal imaging systems rely on a cryogenic cooling process that typically takes about ten minutes before the camera reaches detector imaging temperatures of about -200 š C. Fully operational after only one minute of powering up, Sentinel™ is a completely digital, microprocessor-controlled system that displays at a rate of thirty frames per second. <BR> <P><LI>An easy-to-use touch pad incorporates all camera controls, including automatic gain control and polarity selection. The camera has a high-resolution black and white viewfinder and an RS-170 video output for displaying images on an external monitor or copying images to a videocassette tape. An RS-232 interface allows users to control the camera via remote control. This feature is imperative for mobile infrared surveys that require mounting the camera on a vehicle or helicopter. The Sentinel™ lens is a refractive f/0.7 optic with an 18 š (H)x14š(V) field of view, producing an IFOV of 1.0 milliradian. <BR> <BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <BR> <P>"As one of the world's leaders in the development and manufacture of high-performance infrared imaging systems, our intent is to produce application-specific cameras that offer innovative solutions to today's problems," explained Mr. Stout. "Though the evolution of uncooled IR cameras will undoubtedly change the face of thermal imaging, it's important to note that cooled infrared cameras will continue to play a crucial role in applications that necessitate ultra high speed and sensitivity." <BR></BLOCKQUOTE> <BR> </UL> </FONT> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <CENTER><FONT SIZE="5"><B>Back To <BR><A HREF="index.shtml">Amber Home</A> , <A HREF="products.html">Products</A> , <A HREF="company.html">Company</A> </B></FONT> </CENTER> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <CENTER> <P><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="373737">Copyright(C) 1996, Amber/Raytheon <BR>amber@ccmail.ray.com <BR>Amber/Raytheon <BR>All rights reserved. </FONT> </CENTER> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <!--#exec CGI="/cgi-bin/counter-ord"--> </BODY> </HTML>