Boson+ 640 imaging product

The Boson+ 640 is a longwave infrared thermal camera core made by Teledyne FLIR for integration into other systems. It is an OEM module without a housing, offered with or without a lens, that gives a 640 x 512 image from uncooled thermal detection, and it is used as the imaging element of payloads, sights and sensor systems. The maker lists unmanned ground vehicles, unmanned aircraft systems, wearables, security equipment, handhelds and thermal sights as target platforms.

The detector is a 640 x 512 pixel array with a 12 micrometer pixel pitch, sensitive in the 8 to 14 micrometer longwave band. The frame rate is 60 Hz as baseline, with 30 Hz selectable at runtime, and the optics have an f-number of 1.0. Thermal sensitivity is below 20 mK in the Industrial grade and below 50 mK in the Professional grade, as listed by a distributor. In practice sensitivity decides how much scene detail remains visible in low-contrast conditions, and the frame rate decides how well fast-moving scenes and tracking are followed. Continuous electronic zoom runs from 1x to 8x, and image orientation can be flipped vertically or horizontally.

The module is small: 21 x 21 x 11 mm without lens and 7.5 g in the lightest configuration. Power dissipation varies with the configuration, starting at 900 mW from a 3.3 V DC supply, which matters for gimbals and small airframes with a tight power budget. Four tapped M1.6 x 0.35 holes in the rear cover provide mounting. The operating range is -40 to 80 degrees C, the non-operating range is -50 to 85 degrees C, the operating altitude is up to 12 km and the shock rating is 1,500 g for 0.4 ms. Solar protection is integral.

For integration, control is by UART or USB, with I2C, SPI and SDIO as peripheral channels, and video leaves as CMOS or USB2. The Boson SDK, a GUI and product integration documentation support development, and the mechanical, electrical and optical interfaces are shared across the Boson family so that designs can be reused. Non-uniformity correction is factory calibrated and updated by a shutterless algorithm, and a symbol overlay can be written on every frame. Teledyne FLIR states that the product is made in the USA, and the listing is NDAA compliant and ITAR-free.

Typical applications are thermal payloads for inspection, search and rescue and security flights on UAS, as well as detection and tracking in ground and handheld systems.