I thought I would start this thread to highlight the challenges that we face when discussing thermal imaging technology on a public forum with a membership that is spread across our planet.
Why the need for such a post ?
I was recently trying to assist a fellow forum member with a modification to his thermal camera. The camera in question was a 320 x 240 pixel high frame rate model that uses a BST sensor. Such technology used to be found at the business end of a heat seeking weapons system.
I was warned by a very good friend that I needed to tread carefully. He has my best interests at heart and I thank him for the advice. The problem was, I am in the UK and the chap I was trying to help is in a country that is subject to a wide ranging embargo issued by the UK government. The embargo includes providing technical support for certain controlled technologies.
Whilst my assistance to date was not in any way in depth circuit level information, I could have strayed into dangerous territory oblivious to how such might be considered and viewed as 'too much' by the powers that be
Technical support is a very loose term and open to interpretation.
OK, to the topic of this thread......
Whether we like it or not, thermal imaging technology remains controlled in terms of who may have access to different levels of capability. There have been many discussions about whether this is right, fair or effective, but be that as it may, there are regulations in place that are enforced by a large number of countries, for the greater good. No one wants to make it easy for 'bad people' to get their hands on highly capable technology that reduces the technology gap between the sides of right and wrong. This will always be a controversial topic though, and I understand that. Thermal imaging technology has never been so cheap or available as it is today. That availability sadly leads to people expecting more capability and availability of better cameras. Such may be incompatible with extant regulations that cover such technology.
So what are these regulations and how are they applied ?
You will often hear the terms ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) that comes from the US DoD and BIS policy makers. Basically ITAR lays down rules regarding what can, and cannot, be shipped outside of US borders without an export licence. If an Export licence is required, various paperwork must be submitted, checked and approved before a licence may be issued. This is intended to prevent the wrong people getting their hands on equipment and technology that the USA have issues with, such as enemies of the state.
What some may be unaware of is that ITAR can apply to a whole equipment/machine, or just a single component within it, such as a microprocessor, encryption ASIC or, in our case, a thermal imaging sensor.
So when someone states that ITAR does not apply to an equipment manufactured outside of the USA, it is not always true. If a component part of that equipment was exported from the USA under export licence due to ITAR, that part remains an ITAR controlled product even when integrated into a machine or system. Common sense really. This is why you will find NEC AVIO thermal cameras that were made in Japan labelled with warnings about it being subject to export controls. In some cases the microbolometer is a USA sourced Boeing product of military weapons grade. Hence it would have been exported to Japan under an ITAR export licence.
Now whilst the USA has ITAR regulations, the rest of the World has the Wassenaar arrangement This is an official agreement between many countries regarding the export of certain equipment and technologies that are deemed 'Dual Use' or of military potential. That is to say, an item that may be used for both civilian and military applications that could present an aid to the perceived 'enemy'. Separate Dual Use technology regulations also exist in parallel to the Wassenaar arrangement.
The Wassenaar Arrangement ties in closely with the US ITAR regulations and assures the US DoD and BIS that their controls under ITAR will be extended to members of the Wassenaar arrangement. So the agreement may not be ITAR, but it does respect and support the objectives of ITAR.
If you build a capable thermal imaging camera and the country in which it is built has signed the Wassenaar arrangement, the sale and export of that camera will be subject to controls to avoid it falling into the wrong hands. This applies even if there are no USA sourced parts within the camera. The difference is that no application for an export licence is submitted to the US BIS for approval. Such occurs within the manufacturers own country, so the USA is not involved. This is applicable where French ULIS Microbolometers are used in a design. There are sometimes still export controls, just not US export controls.
So what exactly is covered by ITAR and the Wassenaar Arrangement ?
It is best to google this and check for yourself as it is a wide ranging and complex topic !
What I do need to highlight though is that it is not just the physical device or equipment that comes under the controls of these regulations.
Knowledge can be power and technical knowledge can enable otherwise stalled or slow R&D.
For this reason it is not only the physical item that is controlled, but also the detailed technical specification (military equipment) and any technical information that may aid enablement or development of such an item by those deemed inappropriate to own such. In our case, this would include deep technical detail of how a microbolometer may be constructed, integrated into a host system, schematics and even interconnection wiring information. Details of data protocols are also protected where appropriate.
So basically, if I were to provide significant detail of how to integrate a microbolometer into a capable thermal camera design, the schematics for such, or just the pinout of commercial high capability thermal cameras, I would risk a visit from the UK's Special Branch to discus my actions and potential prosecution under the relevant regulations and laws. Not something I would wish to happen. This is another reason why you will not normally find schematics for high resolution, high frame rate thermal cameras on the internet. Even camera service agent Service Manuals tend to contain only test point data and board replacement guidance, no schematics that could leak into the public domain.
Thankfully the UK is not a Police State and our Police are not known for being petty. To gain their attention you would need to release enough sensitive data to reasonably enable an undesirable recipient to significantly advance their R&D or integrate a capable core, obtained illicitly, into a system. Even so, today's events are making me think carefully about how deep I will go into thermal camera designs and associated deep technical detail. Such is a bit of a minefield. Showing teardowns is not a big deal, but releasing reverse engineered schematic detail would be.
There are plenty of books on the topic of thermal imaging and the technology used. I have many and they can be very interesting reading. They tread a careful path though. Just enough detail to explain how a thermal imaging system works and why it behaves as it does, without providing detail that may be of use to undesirables.
Before anyone says this level of control is daft, remember ISIS were desperate to re-enable time expired missile systems that used M-SALT high current short duration battery packs. They actively sought information on making a replacement battery to enable the missiles use. Knowledge IS power and it should be disseminated responsibly.
I am happy to discuss this matter further, just remember, I did not create the policies, I do have to comply with them however.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Traffic_in_Arms_Regulationshttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-use_technologyhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassenaar_ArrangementFraser
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