Unmanned vehicles and the cameras they use

For the past 10 years military technology has seemed to lean more and more towards expanding unmanned vehicles. There is one thing all unmanned vehicles have in common, the need for a camera. Maritime, land, and air all call for an industrial imaging device to relay video data feed from the vehicle back to the operator.

RQ-4 GLOBAL HAWK

10 years ago video feed was blurry and cutout over half of the time. In today’s military, top of the line imaging sensors like the 1/4 inch CMOS and CCD sensors used in Sony’s block cameras are used. Not just for the main feed from sensor to operator but for a vast array of applications on the vehicle. Some sensors and cameras are dedicated to the infrared spectrum for night operation, while others are used to monitor what is on all sides of the vehicle and the distance of the object.

Block cameras like Sony’s FCB line, which includes cameras like the FCB-EX480 and the FCB-EX980 are perfect for application on unmanned vehicles where PTZ are not of importance. I.E. monitoring whats happening underneath a bomb squads unmanned rover. PTZ’s however are important for the operator to be able to completely control the vehicle through a variety of obstacles. PTZ cameras are almost always used on UAVs, where variables from 360 degrees must be monitored at all times.

Some of the PTZ cameras that can be used are the:

AN UNMANNED VESSEL

• Canon
• VCC 50
• I VBC 60
• VBC 300
• And Sonys
• EVID70
• BRC300
• EVI-HD1
• SNCRZ50N
• and the
• EVID-HD7V

-BRADLEY FRY