- Acquisition of Reliability
- Higher resolution
- Higher sensitivity
- Infra Red
- Core technologies to create a clear image quality
- Camera installation
Unlike general electric home appliance, a CCTV camera is an item that requires very skilful and customized installation. Every installation site has a different cabling, different power in/out level, different temperatures and weather conditions, different systems etc. A typical camera’s ex-factory condition may not be suitable for various situations. When a product is not 100% reliable, it is apt to have a short life span or quality deterioration by the time passes by this reason. For developing a reliable product, manufacturer should secure a propound understanding on various harsh circumstances and installation conditions based on years of practical experiences from the market. After design, the production should also be carried out by skilful man power under the professional production facility and the strict quality assurance system.
First of all, when designing camera circuits, the engineer should have an exact understanding on each component’s characteristic and its reliability in advance and should actually conduct an approval procedure for the reliability of individual component. Regrettably, there are lots of cameras distributed in the market that are made regardless of the characteristics, tolerance & durability of each component.
Next, a manufacturer should confirm that all components are 100% reliable without losing their own characteristics from harsh temperatures and several necessary protections such as from a surge power input, from a reverse polarity power input, from an extreme vibration or external impact, etc. It is essential to setup a master plan for a final design after reviewing above mentioned details thoroughly. It is calculated that the cost of a typical camera can be reduced up to 30% by using non-standard low cost materials and by skipping necessary protections on the board design. Actually, in the market, there are huge numbers of low cost cameras that are intentionally ignored of such steps just to save the manufacturing cost. So much the reliability and performance of the camera comes down and the purpose of the security comes down in natural as well.
Centrix™ is doing its R&D with sincere responsibility of acquiring 100% reliability on all of its products thinking of ultimate safety for people at risk.
With recent development of DVR recording media and the widespread use of IP network system, the improvement of picture quality in PLAYBACK mode and transmission mode has become one of the key tasks. Compared with a high resolution camera and a medium resolution camera, high resolution camera shows a significant difference of recognition capability over mid-res camera when looked at playback mode or transmitted via network. Higher resolution brings higher quality video in digital security.
Manufacturing a high resolution CCTV camera is not just a matter of using a high resolution chipset. The picture quality of CCTV camera varies depending on an engineer’s design methods. Although many companies claim that their horizontal resolution ranging from 480 TV Lines to 540 TV Lines, most of them are actually tested as lower than 480 TV lines.
Do you know why people don’t realize such a prevailed false data? The most credible reason is that people are tending to believe the camera’s grade as the same with the chipset used for the camera. To tell the truth, a chipset is only one of the key components of a CCTV camera, not the camera itself.
It requires numerous engineering check points in achieving a real high resolution camera. Most of end users don’t have an idea of this fact but manufacturers know. Furthermore users don’t have a proper tool for checking the resolution. Getting rid of picture noise is also one of the important points to see. Noises are seen when AGC level is set to Max in order to improve the poor sensitivity of camera itself, or when the power control circuit is designed unstably, or when using a low grade CCD chipsets with noise problem bypassed. With such a problem retained within the camera, transmission and recording pictures can have big difference relatively.
Night time surveillance is the most important part of the functions in CCTV cameras. A good camera will mean that it has a good surveillance capability for 24/7 day or night. To improve the night time surveillance capability, the function of an image switching from Color during the daytime to color signal removed real B/W at nighttime is very important. Color signal removed B/W image removes signal noises at dark, improves the sensitivity and the resolution like in the real B/W camera. A good board design, in harmony with the usage of reliability proven components, including of various necessary protections and by using high sensitive CCD & Lens, real high sensitive, high resolution camera can be born. All products of Centrix™ are ensured of the supreme image quality with replenishment of all problems & functions to be needed for the best image quality.
The lifespan of IR LEDs for CCTV cameras is the most critical point to care about. Generally the lifespan of IR LEDs is about 2 years (MTBF) but the conditions are significantly changed when they are enclosed in a CCTV camera case. In order to maximize the brightness of LED, manufacturers try to put as many LEDs as possible in a small airtight case. This makes the temperature inside the camera heated up highly and causes the lifespan to be dropped seriously. Most of IR cameras distributed in the market are selling with reduced lifespan less than 6,000 hours. It is obviously too short to compare with other electric components & CCD (more than 10 years) In order to maximize the lifespan of IR LED, Firstly, the power load to the LED should be minimized by lowering the power input to the IR Board. Even though it causes the IR LEDs looks less bright, it is effective to maintain the same brightness level much longer period.
Accordingly, when selecting IR camera, important point to know is that the camera with maximized load on the IR LEDs may display more bright or longer IR distance at the first time but correlatively the lifespan of IR LEDs is destined to go dead much more quickly. For an instance, there are two cameras with 50 pieces of IR LEDs built-in. The first one illuminates the distance in 50 Meters with maximum power load on the IR LEDs and the other does the distance in 30 Meters with IR protection supported. The former, 50M distance at the beginning, illuminates shorter and shorter and eventually be burned out, say after 2-3 months later. But on the other hand, the latter can maintain the first performance of 30 M distance even after long time passed. Therefore, at the time of buying IR CCTV Camera with a built-in IR illumination, it is essential to find carefully whether there is a proper safety device for the protection of the lifespan of LEDs.
Secondly, the camera should be equipped with a proper mechanism for absorbing heat emitted from IR LEDs. IR LEDs, a light emitting bulb, produce very high heat. The more quantities of IR LEDs & the more density of LEDs intervals within a limited space, the higher temperature gets. Furthermore, most of IR cameras are enclosed in outdoor weatherproof cases causing its inside temperature be accelerated higher. Centrix™ IR cameras are designed with perfect heat diffusing mechanism so that the camera board and IR LEDs receive no stress out of overheating problem. Without this mechanism, the performance and lifespan of cameras declines conspicuously. In addition, Centrix™ developed its own IR protection circuit to protect IR LEDs from external over power input and applied all IR cameras.
CORE TECHNOLOGIES TO CREATE A CLEAR IMAGE QUALITY
Focus shift  |
Focal distance between the Sunlight responded condition and Infra-red responded condition is different. When a normal lens is used for IR camera, the picture becomes out of focus at night by this reason. So the lens for the IR Camera should have a dual focus capability, with all glassed aspherical mechanism and with deep depth of field. |
Day/Night Image conversion from Color to real B/W  |
It enables the camera to produce a very natural coloration at daytime and to greatly improve the sensitivity and resolution by converting the image to a color signal removed B/W image at night. |
IR Cut filter Removable (ICR) mechanism |
Day/Night Camera can be called as ‘True Day & Night’ only when this function is incorporated. Color camera builds-in an IR Cut filter hence it cannot accept IR Lights in principle. So the camera should remove the IR Cut filter at night in order to pass IR Lights through the image sensor. The filter should be removed at the same moment when the image is converted to B/W at a designated lux level. Centrix™ developed its own ICR mechanism that incorporates a BLUE IR Cut filter (for natural color reproduction in daytime) and IR focus compensation filter (for clearly focused picture at night time). |
Use of a good sensor and a good Digital Signal Processor (DSP)  |
Most of IR cameras we are using for professional version are with Sony full chip. Sony’s new Ex-view Sensor provides 30% higher sensitivity than Super HAD version. Most of Centrix™ IR cameras are compatible to the use of Sony Ex-view sensor for best quality. |
Use of high power IR LEDs  |
Using a good quality IR LED is one of the key factors for long distance IR camera’s performance. Centrix™ has developed its own high power IR LEDs suitable for long distance night view surveillance. |
Use of a good F-Stop lens  |
The sensitivity level of the IR camera will show a big different performance depending on the level of the F-Stop of the lens used. Most of Centrix™ lenses are all glassed aspherical Day/Night version with good F-stop. For example, our 10 times zoom lens; 7.5-50mm is one of the best qualities Varifocal Day/Night lens in the world with the number F1.3. |
Intelligent IR response against IR saturation  |
When the objects come closer to the IR light shooting area, the objects become all WHITE, making the image totally unrecognizable in conventional IR cameras. Centrix™ has developed a special technology that analyzes the strength of light reflection of the objects and automatically adjusts the image quality clearly recognizable even when the objects get close to the IR shooting area. It is very important function in that the camera can identify the objects against a strong IR light reflection. |
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It may look simple but in reality, it requires a high level of qualified and educated engineers for a suitable installation for CCTV system.
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Installers should have an exact understanding on the security plan, its’ target, installation plan, system allocation, characteristics of each equipment, how to verify the product’s quality, local laws involved with fire norm, electric safety norm etc.
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Security products are not to be regarded as an electric consumer product that is disposable by out of use. It is a security concerned for caring for people’s life and safety. It should be working fine for 24 hours and at all harsh environments. Failure is not allowed by any reason and in any unexpected situation.
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The convenience of installation is one of the key factors favorable for the installer’s point of view. But, how about the reliability? All of Centrix™ products are oriented from their R&D stage to the product’s verification procedures for the safety of people’s life and facilities and easy installation as well.
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Control remotely via RS485 with Pelco D & P protocol is enabled for all Centrix™ thanks to the open protocol service. Pelco D & P protocols is an international standards that almost all of the security equipments are able to comply with. Most of Centrix™ cameras are equipped with Pelco D & P protocol built-in RS485 port wth which installers can adjust/ upgrade/ maintain camera functions in the On Screen Display (OSD) from a remote area.
