Mikron DualVision Ultra System Combines Surveillance, Thermographical Sensing for Substations

Sept. 9, 2005
IP-enabled, durable system is designed for full monitoring of power substations

Mikron Infrared's new DualVision Ultra substation monitoring system sees the invisible and hears the inaudible. It is the first remote system to combine airborne ultrasound sensing with visual and infrared video for continuous substation monitoring – all in an environmentally hardened, internet-enabled package.

"The DualVision Ultra adds a new dimension to substation security and maintenance monitoring with ultrasound detection," said Jon Chynoweth, Mikron Infrared's Vice President of Sales. "The ultrasonic sensor detects the unique sound patterns of arcing, tracking or corona conditions that cannot be detected with the use of infrared alone. By integrating airborne ultrasound detection with infrared and visual camera systems, we now have the ability to detect a wide range of anomalies before the underlying problems reach a critical stage. This turnkey system makes it economical to provide both security and predictive-maintenance monitoring in a single package, on one line, to any computer – with site-commissioning by the manufacturer."

The DualVision/Ultra 724 system consists of separate thermal imaging and video cameras, plus an ultrasonic detection unit, all housed in an environmentally sealed, temperature-controlled enclosure. The cameras and ultrasound sensor have Internet IP addresses and password protection, allowing control from any computer using wired or wireless Ethernet.

Utilized with Mikron's MikroSpec™ R/T software, the DualVision Ultra system can produce separate IR and visual images, a composite visual/IR image, ultrasonic wave forms, and audible sound "translated" from the ultrasound. The software blends the thermal and IR camera feeds into a single image with correct aspect ratio and spatial area. By applying an isotherm color pallet to the IR image, hot spots are easily identified while viewing the scene as a visual image. The composite image can be adjusted to show any percentage of the IR and visual, simply by moving a slider bar in the software screen. The infrared imaging system is fully radiometric, capable of measuring temperatures to ±2°C. Up to 32 regions of interest (ROIs) can be defined on the thermal image in any complex shape, enabling the software to trigger alarms at the approach of intruders or from temperature excursions on substation hardware. A total of 14 cameras and ultrasonic sensors can be monitored at one time from a PC, and the system can easily be used as a component for an enterprise-wide SCADA system.

Visual surveillance enhanced with IR imaging makes it easy to spot intruders 24/7, without supplementary lighting. The DualVision Ultra system can also record 75 minutes of blended visual and IR video feeds and ultrasonic data in real time. Total record time can be greatly extended by capturing images at intervals, rather than continuously. Video capture can be triggered by a temperature alarm from one of the ROIs or by direct command from the PC. A user-selectable prebuffer of video allows the operator to also capture what happened in a scene before an event trigger.

The IR and visual cameras are housed in a single enclosure that has a hinged back section containing all the interface connections, including RJ45 Ethernet, RS170 video, connection for a high-resolution LCD, and a power termination strip. An Ethernet-enabled pan-and-tilt head is also available.

The visual camera can be color or b/w with fixed focus or auto iris and remote focus. The MikroScan IR camera uses state-of-the-art UFPA microbolometer technology. It can be set manually or automatically for three different temperature ranges. Two image update rates (30Hz/60Hz) are selectable. Standard field of view is 28.9°(H) x 21.9°(V), with autofocus from 30 cm to infinity. Telephoto and wide angle lenses are available.

The DualVision systems are available online at www.mikroninfrared.com.