As opposed to PTZ cameras, the wide-angle panoramic camera does not move, yet it is able to track objects entering its field of view, be it people or vehicles. How is this possible? What’s so exciting about it, and how does the Techson TCI PA0 M116 indoor/outdoor panoramic camera work?
The TCI PA0 M116 IS ADM S4 extends the Techson professional camera range, and it does so quite successfully, due to the state-of-the-art features the M116 camera has to offer. The camera is capable of doing the job of several cameras on its own, while it only occupies one channel in the video recorder.
Let us now review the capabilities and features that make the M116 a truly efficient device.
If the 5520x2400, i.e., 16 Mpixel resolution and the 180° angle of view are not convincing enough, it is time to consider the special features of this surveillance camera as well. Night-time colour images are produced by means of CMOS image sensors with a sensitivity of 0.008 lux. Apart from that, the area may also be illuminated with the built-in infra-LEDs, should the surrounding lighting be insufficient for a colour image. No adjustment of depth of field is necessary, as the objectives with a 4.5 mm focal length have a focal range enough to capture precise and sharp images throughout the entire area covered. An intelligent software integrated into the camera combines the 4 Mpixel images captured by the four camera modules, to create a single 180° panoramic image, and thus the M116 only occupies one channel in video recorders or VMS software.
It must be noted, that in spite of its typically high resolution, the M116 can still be used with recorders that cannot handle 16 MP size images. In these cases the camera offers smaller resolutions for the given recorder, while the rest of its features can be utilized entirely.
The artificial intelligence integrated into the camera has many functions beyond just the merging of images. It also realizes a number of analytical functions, including features that are almost mandatory and customary these days, face detection, independent face recognition, and the recognition, distinguishing of various objects – such as people, two-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicles – and the counting of these.
Withal, its most exciting feature is object tracking, i.e. auto-tracking, only available earlier in advanced speed-dome or PTZ type cameras. Moreover, this is realized by the M116 in rather unique way, or perhaps in a way that can be expected from an intelligent panoramic camera!
While auto-tracking capable PTZ cameras can only concentrate on a single object, and evidently, they are only able to track one object at a time, the M116 can detect up to five different areas, and is able to track objects (up to five at a time) that pass through these areas. This E-PTZ operation is accomplished by an intelligent tracking algorithm. In order to provide a visual experience of this feature, the Techson wide-angle camera establishes a special data flow, i.e. it uses a unique screen division, somewhat similar to the dewarping image mode of fisheye optics. Besides the panoramic image, the main data flow of the camera includes five smaller images as well, which sort of surround the main image in the bottom and on the right side. This is what appears on the recorder screen, when the primary data flow is selected, e.g. in 1x1 view. In this case the five detected zones, which trigger the tracking function, can be viewed on the main screen, along with the frames of the five virtual camera images generated from the zones. These frames are equivalent to the camera images surrounding the main image, which track objects violating the area in the same manner as PTZ cameras.
Tracking can be adjusted in a number of ways. The tracking of an object may be triggered by line crossing, intrusion into an area, or appearing within an area. This way the M116 can substitute five auto-tracking capable PTZ cameras, and as a compact solution, it is easy to install and convenient to use. Due to the omission of moving parts and its vandal-proof design, the M116 is a stable and durable device.
With an electronic PTZ function and intelligent object tracking, this camera is particularly suitable for the indoor and outdoor surveillance of warehouses or industrial areas, and for the detection of long straight sections, intersections, railway-yards or fence sections all at once. The Techson TCI PA0 M116 IS ADM S4 wide-angle camera is exactly the type of device, that gives you that familiar feeling: I want one of these too!