Low-Cost IR Color Camera Dives Into Underwater Operation

May 21, 2001
Measuring just 48.92 mm in diameter and 60.04 mm deep, Polaris Industries' SUBCAM-CL infrared (IR) camera enables inexpensive imaging for underwater applications. Submersible up to 100 ft., its built-in white IR LED provides a 15-m IR range. With...

Measuring just 48.92 mm in diameter and 60.04 mm deep, Polaris Industries' SUBCAM-CL infrared (IR) camera enables inexpensive imaging for underwater applications. Submersible up to 100 ft., its built-in white IR LED provides a 15-m IR range. With its heat- and water-resistant glass design, it can operate in rugged conditions.

The camera includes a 0.25-in. charge-coupled device (CCD) chip that supplies over 350 TV lines of resolution and a minimum illumination of 0 lx, with the IR imager on at a lens stop of F2.0 and a color temperature of 5600 K. It consists of an array of 542 by 496 CCD pixels and provides a 1-V p-p output into a load of 75 Ω.

Other features include an internal sync system, a signal-to-noise ratio of better than 45 dB with the automatic gain control (AGC) off, automatic white-color balancing, and a white-balance range of 3000 K to 5000 K. An electronic shutter spans the range of 1/60th of a second to 10−5 s.

The unit operates from a 12-V dc supply consuming 230 mA, and its IR portion requires 12 V at 150 mA. Its operating-temperature range is −20°C to 50°C. Rated to operate at a relative humidity up to 85%, it's made of aluminum with an original anodized finish. It also weighs just 150 grams.

Priced at $299.95, the SUBCAM-CL comes with an attached 20-m cable. The black-and-white SUBCAM-BW has an 80-m cable and costs $249.95.

Polaris Industries, 470 Armour Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30342; (404) 872-0722; fax (404) 872-1038; www.polarisusa.com.

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.

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