With an increased emphasis on COVID-19 restrictions, many businesses and organisations are having to increase the levels of protection on offer to staff, visitors and contractors. Despite the lockdown, many sites offering essential services need to remain operational, and Government guidance places an onus on them to ensure people are kept safe.
One way in which technology can be used to help create COVID-Secure spaces is through the deployment of temperature monitoring. One of the symptoms of COVID-19, along with other viruses and illnesses, is an elevated body temperature.
While it must be accepted that not every person with COVID-19 has a raised temperature, nor will everyone with a raised temperature be infected with the virus, an elevated temperature is one of symptoms identified by the Government which trigger the need for a test. By identifying such individuals, businesses and organisations can not only protect personnel, but can ensure those who may not have any other symptoms are aware a test is needed.
To assist with temperature measurements in COVID-Secure applications, Hanwha Techwin has launched an IEC 60601 certificated temperature detection thermal camera. The Wisenet TNM-3620TDY is equipped with a QVGA thermal imager and a high definition camera. As a result, it can detect heat sources and measure temperatures with a high degree of accuracy, whilst also providing visual verification and image capture of people within its field of view.
When deployed in body temperature mode, the QVGA thermal imaging camera is able to estimate a person’s body temperature within a range of 30-45°C, with +/-0.5°C accuracy. When supported by black body technology, the accuracy increases to +/-0.3°C, allowing the TNM-3620TDY to provide a reliable indication as to whether or not a person may have a fever.
Offering support for Deep Learning AI-based face detection functionality, the TNM-3620TDY can measure the temperatures of up to ten people simultaneously, in real time, at a distance of up to 3 metres. Operators can view either the captured thermal images or standard high definition video images, depending upon the operational requirements.
The TNM-3620TDY is compliant with IEC 60601, a series of device technical standards for the safety and performance of medical electrical equipment. In addition, Hanwha Techwin has completed the FDA facility registration process, and device registration in respect of FDA 510(k) clearance is in progress.
In Radiometric mode, the thermal imager detects and measures changes in temperature within the -20 to 130°C range, with users able to set up detection zones to cover specific areas of interest within the camera’s field of view. This enables the creation of a solution which generates alerts if, for example, there is a threat of fire in recycling, waste management and landfill type facilities where spontaneous combustion may occur. A detected change in temperature can also create notifications which indicate if machinery in factories, processing plants, cold stores and utilities is faulty.
In addition, a spot detection functions enables operators to click on any pixel within an image, via a web-based viewer, to obtain a measurement of the temperature of the area covered by that pixel.
The TNM-3620TDY supports H.265, H.264 and MJPEG compression formats, as well as WiseStream II, a complementary compression technology which dynamically controls encoding. This can balance image quality and compression levels, according to movement in the image, to preserve bandwidth. Bandwidth efficiency is improved by up to 75 per cent compared to current H.264 technology when WiseStream is combined with H.265 compression.
The high definition video surveillance camera modules feature a set of intelligent video analytics which include directional detection, motion detection, enter/exit, virtual line, audio detection and camera tamper detection.
The TNM-3620TDY includes a MicroSD/SDHC/SDXC slot, which allows up to 256GB of video or data to be stored at the edge should there be disruption to the network. Video evidence which potentially might have been lost can be retrieved when the network connection has been restored.
The camera can be powered by PoE+ (IEEE802.3at) or traditional 12V DC power supplies.
‘Regretfully, in terms of the reputation of the video surveillance industry, some so-called fever screening solutions devised by other manufacturers, have attracted negative publicity,’ stated Uri Guterman, Head of Product and Marketing for Hanwha Techwin Europe. ‘This is because they have been oversold in terms of what they are capable of delivering.
‘Although we have often been the first to market with new product developments and technologies, in this instance we have taken the time to develop the TNM-3620TDY to ensure it is fit for purpose. We highly value the trust our customers and business partners have in our ability to provide solutions which do not compromise on performance and quality. In this respect, they can be confident this camera will meet, if not exceed, their expectations.
‘As such, the TNM-3620TDY is a great addition to our suite of COVID-19 related solutions, which includes face mask detection, occupancy monitoring and AI deep learning-based social distance measuring applications.’