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Category: Security & Surveillance

Optics in Agriculture
Optics in Agriculture
Five OnlineAR/MR/VR, Industrial, Knowledge Center, Security & SurveillanceComments are off for this post

Key Takeaways: Optics in agriculture, powered by advanced sensors, revolutionize farming with real-time crop health data and precision farming techniques.  Smart agriculture sensors like hyperspectral and LIDAR provide detailed insights into soil composition, plant health, and growth patterns, enabling targeted interventions for water, fertilizer, and pest management.  This approach reduces chemical use, boosts efficiency, and enhances yield.  Avantier offers custom optics for agricultural applications, supporting farmers with high-performance solutions tailored to optimize smart agriculture practices. Smart agriculture, powered by cutting edge optics, is transforming the way we produce food today. Optics in agriculture have the ability to provide an in depth understanding of many facets of crop health, and the use of optical sensors is gaining widespread popularity as a way of optimizing yield. It may be utilized to provide continuous crop monitoring and  flag potential issues before they become problematic.  Machine vision systems can also guide precision machinery, and artificial lighting enables farmers to maximize growth even under adverse outdoor conditions.  Optics in agriculture enable us to take food production to the next level. In this article we’ll look at some of the optical systems used in smart agriculture. First, though, just what are the benefits of harnessing optical technology for agriculture?  Benefits of Optics in Agriculture​ A few of the benefits of using optics in agriculture include: Increased Efficiency: Optical monitoring provides real-time information on crop health that enables the farmer to target water, fertilization, and pest control to areas that need it, reducing waste.  Machine vision systems enable streamlined cultivation, irrigation, harvesting, and sorting of produce.    Reduced Chemical Use: Optical monitoring systems enable targeted responses to actual problems, rather than relying on blanket preventative methods to safeguard their crops against a host of potentially nonexistent pests.   Cost Savings: Optical-powered precision agricultural methods provide significant cost-savings when compared to traditional ‘blind’ agricultural management methods. Improved Yield and Productivity:  Quick response to emergent conditions leads to healthier plants and livestock, resulting in higher yields. How Optics Power Smart Agriculture Precision agriculture systems rely on optics to provide precise, real time information on crop health and growth. Here, let’s focus on two specific types of optical monitoring sensors: hyperspectral sensors and LIDAR.    Focus in: Hyperspectral Sensors in Agriculture RGB sensors measure light at three color bands and multispectral sensors at 4-10 different bands, but when you use a hyperspectral sensor you can measure light at dozens or even hundreds of narrow, adjacent bands. This provides a wealth of information about imaging targets, whether that be soil, minerals, or vegetation.  This image produced by hyperspectral sensors highlights the fungal infection on Merlot leaves. Do you need information on a plant’s chemical composition? Hyperspectral sensors can provide that. They can also give you details of health and maturity, and provide precise information on leaf density, water, and chlorophyll content. Pathogens are visible with hyperspectral sensors before they are visible to the human eye, and these optics can be used to determine early stages of nutrient deficiency as well.  Some farmers even use hyperspectral sensors to predict the shelf life of leafy greens!  LIDAR is another important component of optics in agriculture. Focus In: LIDAR in Agriculture LIDAR is another powerful optical tool in the precision farmer’s toolbox. This multi-faceted tool can be used to create detailed 3D maps of farming land, complete with variations in slope, aspect, and elevation as well as soil type and water flow. This knowledge enables farmers to make intelligent decisions on what to plant where, as well as to plan effectively to avoid soil erosion, improve irrigation,  and make the most of natural water catchment areas.    During the growing season, LIDAR can be used to provide a bird’s eye view— comprehensive but detailed— on crop growth and expected yield. It is often turned to after a drought or environmental disaster to help farmers determine exactly how badly a particular crop has been damaged.  Optics in Agriculture: A Dynamic Field​ These are just a few examples of optics in agriculture, providing farmers with an in-depth understanding of the land they cultivate and of the growth of their crops.  But optic use is far-reaching, and can provide information into almost any aspect of plant growth. IR sensors measure crop temperature and provide insights on plant respiration and moisture content. Multispectral sensors can give information on plant health, maturity levels, and the levels of contamination or presence of foreign bodies. Even basic RGB sensors can be used to produce maps of vegetation growth at different stages, predict yield,  and minimize chemical load.   At Avantier, we produce custom optics for high-performance optical applications, including those in agriculture. If you’d like more information on how we can work with you to get you the optical components you need, contact us! We’d love to partner with you and enable you to get the most out of your precision agriculture setup. Related Content

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SWIR Camera Surveillance
SWIR Camera Surveillance
Five OnlineKnowledge Center, Optical Lens Assembly, Security & SurveillanceComments are off for this post

Key Takeaways SWIR Camera Surveillance uses SWIR light to achieve superior SWIR imaging in conditions where visible light fails. SWIR light penetrates fog and smoke better than visible light, providing clearer images. SWIR imaging is unaffected by heat haze and atmospheric variations, ensuring consistent quality. SWIR cameras use sensors like InGaAs or MCT, often integrating with existing systems with minimal changes. SWIR Camera Surveillance: Eliminating Haze There’s a deep fog over everything, and you can’t see your hand when you hold it in front of you. The perfect night for a thief to sneak into your factories, make out with whatever they can carry, and get out the same way they came— or is it? Not if you have SWIR camera surveillance. While visible light cannot penetrate well in water vapor, SWIR light has no problem that way. A SWIR camera can produce clear, high resolution images even when the human eye is unable to make heads or tails of anything. Here we’ll look at just what SWIR can do and how it does it.  SWIR camera surveillance makes it possible to get a clear view of a foggy landscape. The Foundations of SWIR Camera Surveillance SWIR is short for short wave infrared and is the part of the spectrum with wavelength between 0.9 and 1.7 microns. Photons of SWIR light are absorbed and reflected from an object in a way analogous to visible light. It enables a high dynamic range and good contrast in imaging. But this light is invisible to the human eye, and the silicon sensors used for visible light imaging don’t work with SWIR. Dedicated SWIR sensors (typically made of InGaAs or MCT) are used instead.  SWIR lighting can illuminate an industrial complex at night while maintaining the appearance of darkness. Outdoors, natural SWIR (‘night glow’) is present under nearly all weather conditions, both day and night.   Night glow is a type of atmospheric radiance that allows SWIR camera surveillance in even the darkest nights. Why SWIR Camera Surveillance? We’ve touched briefly on why short wave infrared SWIR camera surveillance is so important to a wide range of applications, but let’s look at it in more detail now. The importance of SWIR imaging lies in its wavelength. Since SWIR light has a shorter wavelength than visible light, it isn’t scattered by the microparticles of fog and smoke. This makes SWIR imaging more effective in such conditions compared to visible light. Heat haze and atmospheric temperature variances can cause havoc with thermal imaging. However, these factors do not affect SWIR imaging. This makes SWIR imaging ideal for ensuring clear images at any time, whether it is night or morning. It also works effectively regardless of the atmospheric conditions.  Visible LWIR SWIR SWIR camera surveillance can provide clear images even when both visible and LWIR imaging fails. Is that the only reason major players in industry, defense, and security are turning to SWIR camera surveillance? No, there are more.  One benefit of SWIR vision systems is that no visible illumination is needed. As mentioned in the last section, a powerful beam of SWIR light can illuminate a setting that looks dark to everyone using more traditional imaging equipment. A SWIR sensor can also be used to locate lasers and beacons, making it helpful in keeping track of mobile teams or for military IR laser spotting and tracking.  In biometrics, SWIR can be used to distinguish between fake hair and human hair. This enables easy identification of individuals who might be attempting to disguise their identity. Human hair will appear light, while fake hair shows up as dark. There’s nothing easier than picking out a person who is carrying around a head of hair that was manufactured in a factory.  SWIR Imaging Equipment The InGaAs sensors used for SWIR imaging are manufactured from indium gallium arsenide. These sensors can detect light radiation ranging from 550nm to as high as 2.5μm. An alternative to InGaAs is MCT, or mercury-cadmium detector, which can detect into the long wave infrared LWIR region. The benefit of MCT is that it is ‘tunable’. The optical absorption wavelength changes based on the cadmium concentration. This allows the amount of cadmium (Cd) to be chosen to create a sensor that absorbs optimally in a given region. There is a big downside to MCT sensors, however— they must be cryogenically cooled.  SWIR radiation travels through glass in much the same way as visible light. This means that standard camera lenses, mirrors, and other optics can be used in short wave cameras.  If you’d like to switch your existing surveillance system over to SWIR you may need to make only small modifications.  It may take less than you think to set up your new SWIR camera surveillance system. Custom SWIR Camera Surveillance At Avantier, we’re all about producing custom optics that enable our customers to reach their performance goals, no matter what the application. Whether you need a SWIR camera with high frame rates and low exposure time, a SWIR vision system for an unmanned vehicle, or SWIR imaging equipment for a research project, we can assist you. We provide the optical components and lens assemblies necessary for your specific needs. Just let us know your requirements, and we’ll tailor our solutions accordingly. Related Content

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Optics for LiDAR and Sensing
Optics for LiDAR and Sensing
Five OnlineAutomotive, Custom Optics, Knowledge Center, Security & SurveillanceComments are off for this post

Key Takeaways Optics for LiDAR and sensing are crucial for a LiDAR system, which uses a laser to measure distances by calculating the time it takes for light to return—essentially answering what is LiDAR. LiDAR technology has advanced from its early use in satellite tracking to applications in mapping and autonomous vehicles. Modern LiDAR systems utilize various lasers, including 1550 nm Er-doped fiber lasers and 534 nm or 1064 nm lasers for different environments. Custom optics, including bandpass filters, are essential for optimizing LiDAR performance and controlling background noise. Advancements and Accessibility in Optics for LiDAR Technology Optics for LIDAR and sensing are far more affordable today than they were just ten years ago, and the technology is currently accessible to almost anyone.  In fact, if you carry around a newer iPhone Pro, you’ve got your own mini LIDAR system, though it may be there more as a novelty than for any practical purpose.  Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) was first introduced in 1961, not long after the laser was invented, as a method to track satellites by measuring the time it took for a laser signal to return.  A LiDAR altimeter was used to map the surface of the moon in 1971, but the device was enormous, expensive, and gave subpar results. Today, improved technology is used to create maps, elucidate archeological sites, and provide the vision needed for autonomous vehicles. But that’s just a few of the thousands of uses of this key photonic technology.   But just what is LiDAR, and what optics are needed for a successful, high performance system? That’s what we’ll look at here. First questions first: what is LiDAR, and how does it work? What Is LiDAR? A LiDAR system is the photonic analagy of radar. Light from a precisely directed, rapidly firing laser is bounced off an object or terrain. On its return, time of flight calculations  give the exact distance between two points, information that can be used to create detailed 3D models or topographical maps. LiDAR mapping is derived from time of flight calculations on laser light. Laser for LiDAR A LiDAR system can be designed to use UV, vis, or NIR lasers. The laser selected depends on the objects being surveyed and the environment the imaging takes place in.  Non-scientific applications typically use 600-1000 nm lasers, but care must be taken since these wavelengths can be damaging to the human eye. Er-doped fiber 1550 nm lasers are the preferred option for many military applications, as they are both relatively eye-safe and not visible to night vision goggles. They are also used for topography mapping, measuring distance, and obstacle avoidance, but they rely on InGaAs sensors and are therefore more expensive to use LIDAR based on lower-wavelength lasers. LiDAR can use eye safe Er -doped fiber 1550 nm lasers to generate topographic maps like these. For underwater and bathymetry applications, you need  a laser that has good transmission in pure water as well as limited backscattering from the small particles that will be encountered in seawater.  we recommend 534 nm frequency-doubled diode pumped YA lasers. These lasers penetrate water with minimal attenuation. For airborne topographic mapping, 1064 nm diode-pumped YAG lasers are preferable.  Other key laser parameters key to your LiDAR setup include pulse repetition rate, laser power consumption, and beam divergence.  You will also need to choose between flash LiDAR, in which the whole field of view is illuminating at once, or more conventional scanning LiDAR which goes over the field of view point by point.  Controlling the Spectral Width with Bandpass Filters When laser at 1064 nm is used for long range airborne LiDAR systems, one challenge to be overcome involves the high levels of background noise created by radiance from the sun. Signal to noise ratio can be increased by fitting the LiDAR receiver with a narrow bandpass filter. Harsh environmental conditions necessitate a robust filter that can perform consistently and reliably. Multilayer thin film coatings that provide transmission narrowly matching the laser wavelength are often chosen.  When narrow linewidth meter-oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA)  based pulsed lasers are used, the central wavelength is determined by the seeding laser pulse but is affected by numerous diode conditions (temperature stabilization, drive current, and pulse repetition rate, among others). Wavelength control is no longer simple, and in this situation a bandpass filter should be chosen with a band wide enough to allow for any expected wavelength shifts.  Custom LiDAR Systems At Avantier, we focus on custom optics that are tailor-made to meet our customers’ exact specifications. LiDAR is one field where there is no one size fits all, and if you try to fit a ready-made solution into your application you’re sure to run into frustration. A better option is to work with our optical engineers and designers to order a system custom-made to your specifications. Sound intriguing? Contact us today to start exploring your possibilities or set up an initial consult with one of our experts in LiDAR technologies.  Related Content

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