Why Multisensor Cameras Offer Multitude of Advantages
One of the innovations driving more mainstream video surveillance usage of late is multisensor cameras. Here are some major benefits.
Multisensor camera benefits include detailed 360° coverage from a single camera, such as Pelco’s Optera the company highlighted on YouTube.
One of the innovations driving more mainstream video surveillance usage of late is multisensor cameras that offer bigger coverage areas, higher detail, and the promise of improved overall wide area surveillance and monitoring.
A number of factors have helped these cameras capture the attention of system designers and end users alike: Lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)Initial investment costs are typically less because one single multisensor camera can replace multiple single-sensor or pan/tilt/zoom (p/t/z) type cameras, allowing systems to be designed with fewer cameras to cover larger areas of interest.
That means fewer VMS licenses are required, installation costs are lower, and long-term maintenance costs are reduced. Multisensor cameras are designed so each sensor can be individually adjusted to focus on specific areas of interest within the 360° range.
This flexibility allows a single multisensor camera to often provide the same detailed coverage as multiple single-sensor fixed cameras and viewing improvements over p/t/z cameras.
Improved Image Quality
Images are completely stitched, seamless and blended. Further, these cameras use conventional fixed IP camera lensing with much greater uniformity of resolution across the scene.
As a result, for the same nominal resolution, you can get more pixels on target with a multisensor camera. Advanced WDR (wide dynamic range) and low light technologies have additionally improved the image quality of multisensor cameras for use in mainstream applications.
Other designs that further enhance image quality include: anti-bloom technology for nighttime scenes where bright lights obscure key details such as a vehicle’s license plates or vehicle model; 3D noise filtering for sharp, accurate images and better storage capacity; and tone mapping to address contrast loss by preserving details and color appearance from the original scene.
Full-Featured Functionality
Multisensor cameras are typically designed with a full complement of analytics capabilities including, but not limited to, abandoned object detection, adaptive motion detection, camera sabotage, directional motion, loitering detection, object counting, removed object detection and stopped vehicle detection.
Using these analytic capabilities across a full scene, with immersive viewing, creates a video security and surveillance ecosystem where the camera becomes both an event detection device and a recording device.
Operators are alerted to site incidents in real-time and can digitally zoom in to specific regions of interest within the larger overall view for a more immediate response.
Increased System Integration
The integration capability presents innovative possibilities. For example, the multiple immersive views that multisensor cameras provide could be preconfigured for use by different operators.
With video analytics, these cameras can also detect people and objects and then have a VMS track with conventional p/t/z cameras.
Video can also be integrated at the VMS with other systems such as access control, building management systems, fire control and intruder detection systems to heighten overall security and business intelligence.
Applications Aplenty
The many advantages and features make multisensory cameras appropriate for wide-ranging installations. They are available in 180°, 270° and 360° configurations good for mission-critical spaces like transportation, city surveillance, and gaming to more cost sensitive applications like education and retail.
A 180° multisensor camera is great for mounting on walls covering outdoor building perimeters, parking lots, loading docks and more.
A 270° model provides wall-to-wall coverage when mounted on the exterior corner of a building with a sensor looking directly down at entryways and three sensors covering surrounding areas.
A 360° multisensor camera is ideally suited for covering outdoor street and interior aisle intersections, as well as for wide area spaces such pole mounts in parking areas, airport tarmacs and rail yards.
Kevin Saldanha is Director, Product Management at Pelco by Schneider Electric.
If you enjoyed this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
Related Content
Security Is Our Business, Too
For professionals who recommend, buy and install all types of electronic security equipment, a free subscription to Commercial Integrator + Security Sales & Integration is like having a consultant on call. You’ll find an ideal balance of technology and business coverage, with installation tips and techniques for products and updates on how to add to your bottom line.
A FREE subscription to the top resource for security and integration industry will prove to be invaluable.
