The superb DRS Watchmaster IP ULTRA 6000 Pan Tilt Camera. By Fraser

[Fraser]

I have added a modern thermal surveillance camera to my collection.......

The Ganz ZNT6-P is made by DRS (a Finmeccanica Company)  and sold by them under the name Watchmaster IP ULTRA 6000

DRS are a major player in the world of military imaging systems and the surveillance systems used in UAV platforms. They manufacture top performance thermal imaging cores and systems. Their expertise in military imaging systems has migrated into civilian applications. An example of this migration of technology is the DRS Tamarisk core. It was designed to be heavily integrated to reduce volumetric size and weight. A very desirable factor in military applications. The core needed to maintain excellent performance whilst doing so in a more compact format. This is always a challenge. In order to meet this requirement DRS developed a 17um pixel microbolometer technology that incorporates state of the art enhancements to achieve the required performance level for UAV applications. One such enhancement is the use of thermal collection 'umbrellas' that are attached to the VOx pixels. Very novel as it provides maximum thermal collection area and avoid the normally lost area caused by the pixel bridge arms and vertical supports. DRS have produced a very capable 17um microbolometer FPA that is commonly available in 320x240, 640x480 and 1024x768 pixel formats.

My DRS Watchmster  IP Ultra 6000 is available in 320x240 and 640x480 pixel formats. I have the VGA 640x480 30fps model. This is the highest resolution camera in my collection to date.

The DRS Tamarisk Core is at the centre of the IP ULTRA 6000 Pan Tilt camera head. It provides superb VGA images to a comprehensive communication and control module. Via this module the camera head is fully remote controllable via either a standard PELCO D or IP interface. Composite video output and IP streamed video in an industry standard format is also provided.

As an IP camera there is a Web Service in the unit that provides remote control of the PT head plus many configuration options. It is a very comprehensive control package that can make the most of the Tamarisk core. The DRS 'ICE' (Image Contrast Enhancement) software is included as a means of improving detection of targets in low contrast scenes. ICE has several levels of enhancement that my be applied to the image to suit the situation..

On top of being a very capable thermal camera head, the Watchmaster IP Ultra 6000 is equipped with an integrated DVR and motion detection system. The motion detection feature may be configured to monitor small or large areas for change and is multi-zonal in nature.

This little camera is a work of art in what it provides in a compact 20cm x 26cm 3kg format.

My Ultra 6000 will likely be used to monitor the presence and activity of wildlife on my property. Its built in DVR will be very useful for such.

If you want a serious high resolution camera, consider the DRS Tamarisk core. If you want a high resolution Pan Tilt camera head, consider the Tamarisk equipped DRS Watchmaster IP Ultra 6000.

Fraser

[Fraser]

More pics....

[Fraser]

Pictures with flash......

[Fraser]

Detail of the umbrella mounted on the 17um DRS VOx pixel.

[Fraser]

DRS ICE Image Contrast Enhancement.....

[Fraser]

Some nice Videos of the Tamarisk 640 and Watchmaster IP Ultra 6000 in operation......

[homestea]

How do you like it? I bought 2 of them myself recently but haven't had much time with them yet.  Mine are the 6325 models.  With 25mm lens 

[Fraser]

It arrived today so no chance to play with it yet. I am told to expect great things from the DRS imaging core though. Mine is fitted with the 44 degree FOV F1.2 lens that best suits my needs.

Fraser

[IanB]

This little camera is a work of art in what it provides in a compact 20cm x 26cm 3kg format.

I find this comment slightly amusing, inasmuch as the imaging modules in TV video cameras were probably equally compact about 40 years ago. Do you think that another decade or two will produce thermal imaging sensors equivalent in size and weight to modern digital camera sensors?

[Fraser]

IanB

The development of thermal camera imaging cores continues at a pace and they are getting more compact. There is a current development program involving several major companies to miniaturise the thermal imaging core whilst maintaining performance. That is the key, it is possible to miniaturise a core but maintaining the performance at acceptable levels is the challenge that must be met.

My comments regarding the DRS Tamarisk core relate to the companies integration of the electronics and the high performance of the core. We must not forget that thermal camera sensor pixels are massive when compared to those of visible light cameras. That is just the physics of the situation. The thermal camera lenses need to provide good performance matched to the FPA, so are often quite large.

The FLIR LEPTON 3 proved that a miniature thermal camera core is both possible and a commercial proposition. It is not, however, a particularly high performance core and contains many compromises to achieve its small size. It has only a 160x120 sensor and its lens is a clever but limited silicon layered design.

The microbolometer FPA continues to be refined and reduced in bulk. The support components can be further integrated and miniaturised in the same way as has occurred with visible light cameras. We must also remember that the world of thermal imaging is minute when compared to that of the consumer visible light camera. Development costs a lot of money and is often driven by sales. Specialist equipment is often less 'developed' than large scale mass produced generic products. They are after all.....specialist products.

The DRS pan tilt head is not cutting edge technology in its design. It is based on well proven technology and contains the, now common, IP camera technology that the market desires. It is the combination of this technology with the DRS Tamarisk that makes it impressive. I should state that be  Ultra 6000 was first produced in 2011/12 ! Mine was made in 2014. Brand new freshly released technology it is not, BUT the core still has impressive capabilities and resolution. The US military are using such in their drones and infantry firearm weapon sights. That is where the development money comes from.

Fraser

[Bill W]

The imaging unit in this is only around a 50mm cube and weighs 90g.

The sensor is 13.6 mm imaging diagonal.  Smaller than an SLR chip

The rest is power supply, network interface and PTZ

Bill

[Fraser]

For those interested, here is an excerpt from a DRS paper that discussed the DARPA LCTI project

"Low Cost Thermal Imager –Manufacturing
In 2011, DARPA initiated an uncooled development program aiming at dramatically reducing the uncooled camera size,
weight, and power (SWaP) and production costs. The objectives of the Low Cost Thermal Imager – Manufacturing (LCTIM)
program are:
Develop a cell phone-like miniature uncooled infrared camera with wafer-level processes for chip-scale
manufacturing
Demonstrate a very compact fully integrated thermal camera interfaced to a small handheld platform (e.g. cell
phone).
Key requirements of the LCTI-M Thermal Imager are listed below:
Thermal Imager HFOV: 40 degrees
Range of operation: 75 m (min) and 400 m (max)
Frame Rate: >15 Hz (DRS design includes 30 and 60 Hz)
Power Consumption: 500 mW
Thermal Core Weight: <25 grams
Complete Camera Volume: <3.5 cm3
Cost per Camera (fully functional) <US$500
Format: 640x480
Display: Handheld device
To achieve such ambitious goals, DRS has assembled a team of industrial experts including FiveFocal of Boulder
Colorado, RTI International and MEMSCAP of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina to develop several critical
technologies and manufacturing techniques including small pixel pitch (sub 17 um) VOx microbolometer, advanced digital
readout (ROIC), chip-scale low cost optics, wafer level vacuum packaging (WLVP) and 3-D integrated camera electronics.
Comparison of the LCTI and Tamarisk ®
320 size and key features are shown in Figure 4 and Table 2, respectively. A brief
description of the LCTI-M technical elements and their development status is summarized below. BAE Systems,
Lexington, Massachusetts and Raytheon Vision Systems, Goleta, California are also participants of the DARPA LCTI-M
program."

Fraser