In this article, we’d like to share one of the top thermal cameras for drones which is the FLIR Duo Pro R HD Thermal camera. A thermal imaging camera on a drone is a very powerful tool as it can be used in many sectors right from electrical, firefighting, construction, mining, search and rescue.
Thermal drones use vision imaging cameras which detect the heat from almost all objects thus turning them into images and videos. Not only thermal cameras play a significant role in our daily lives but drones also have that specialty as it carries many types of sensors and cameras to cover many sectors.
FLIR Duo Pro R Thermal Camera
Features
- Dimensions: 85 × 81.3 × 68.5 mm
- Thermal Frame Rate: 30 Hz
- Thermal Imager: Uncooled VOx Microbolometer
- Weight: 325 g
- Thermal Lens Options 19 mm: 17° x 13°
- Multiple Color Palettes: Yes – Adjustable in App and via PWM
- Visible Camera FOV: 56° x 45°
- Other Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Barometer
- Visible Sensor Resolution: 4000 x 3000
- Objective Lens Diameter: 25 mm
FLIR Thermal Imaging Vision Cameras
As we all know that “FLIR ” is the leading manufacturer of Thermal Imaging Infrared Cameras for both UAV’s and ground based. There are 6 different types of thermal cameras for drones which are: Each of the cameras has various resolutions, lens, FOV, thermal frame rate, color scale, as well as measurement accuracy.
- FLIR Vue Pro
- FLIR Vue Pro R
- FLIR Duo Pro R
- FLIR Duo & Duo Pro R
- DJI Zenmuse XT Premium / FLIR Thermal Camera
- DJI Zenmuse XT2
These kits were specifically created for Firefighters, Building Inspection, and First Responders but could also be used in many other sectors too.
HD Dual Sensor
FLIR comes with an HD dual-sensor thermal camera which combines a high resolution, 4k color camera, radiometric thermal imager, and finally the high-definition color images in flight. FLIR Duo Pro R is fully integrated with GPS receiver, barometer, IMU magnetometer just to provide an accurate date for the flight controllers.
The Duo Pro R has a 336 x 640 resolution camera in some cases a 336 resolution camera will be enough and for some critical applications, the 640 precision camera is needed. These cameras produce clear identification even if the target is 75 feet away and can be used in law enforcement, security, search, and rescue, etc.
MSX Technology
The MSX blended imagery is the best FLIR’s patented technology that carefully takes the edges of the RGB image and then overlays with the thermal image. With this feature, you can see even the letters and numbers or facial features in the image. The blurred colors of thermographic images become identifiable which means the tool can be utilized for critical security applications.
Inspecting Tool
This thermal camera can easily detect the issues in buildings so in this image you can see that the camera is used to check the water and insulation damage in roofs.
- It can capture video and still images in thermal and video for improved accuracy
- Has a wide 5-26 VDC power input range
- Airborne dual-sensor in a single component
- Live analog or digital video output.
- MSX blending for greater image detail in daylight conditions
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Fig 2 shows the picture of an on-board sensor suite which makes more accurate orthomosaics of large installations in solar farms.
FOV(Field of View)
In these images the value of the lens is set to various values, first you can see just a small object at 9mm, the next image is set to 13mm so you can get a better clarity than the one before. Finally the value is 19mm, the lens is closer to the target.
Image Quality
FLIR Duo Pro HD camera comes with FHD image and video quality and can produce the output picture in picture effects. It’s possible to set the 2 camera functions which will work via PWM and thus helps you to get closer to the target and control it. When it comes to I/O the FLIR Duo well supports mini USB, microSD for onboard recording and mini HDMI.
How does the Duo Pro R HD Camera get Power?
Step 1:
The Duo Pro R needs 12W to function properly; it cannot be powered through a USB-C port but it cannot be switched on via a PC USB port or mobile chargers.
When you power the camera initially the LED2 gets on and the red flashlight blinks and then changes to solid blue, the LED 1 will show the light green. If these changes occur the device will be ready for use.
Step 2
In this step, you should be clear that Duo Pro R can display both analog and digital video if you need an analog video display then just use yellow RCA plug and then connect to monitor video input.
For digital video, connect to the HDMI display with the help of a micro HDMI camera port. These steps will disable analog video and display what you’re looking for.
Step 3
As shown in the picture press the record button to start recording, as soon as the LED1 will show red color which indicates the active recording. If you need to stop recording again press the record button.
Step 4
To retrieve recordings just remove the SD cards from the camera and then read the files using SD card reader.
Step 5
To activate the bluetooth just look if the LED2 is blue and then connect to FLIR UAS mobile app, now the bluetooth will be enabled but if it is inactive for more than 2 minutes LED2 will turn green.
Step 6
Download the FLIR UAS mobile app and then connect the camera over bluetooth so that camera settings can be changed now you can either start or stop recording remotely.
Step 7
You can choose any option between visible, thermal, and picture-in-picture display modes, if needed change the color palettes as you like and see the different thermal color schemes. Its easy to switch between video and still recording modes.
Step 8
Final Words
With this camera you can definitely inspect almost all areas, it comes with an excellent resolution rate so the exact images and videos will be displayed on the screen for you, no matter how far the target is. Make a worthy investment and enjoy its benefits.