Therefore, this paper argues that near wave infrared technologies follow a systems approach that integrates procedures, people and equipment into the security or barrier system to ensure detection, deterring, delay and response to intrusions. Background Infrared radiation (IR) was unheard of until about 1800 when Herschel experiment created a monochromator that uses a thermometer to detect and measure energy distribution in sunlight. Traditionally, near wave infrared technologies have been associated with night vision and remotely controlling function.
Until recently, the security applications were largely based on thermal imaging as surveillance and alerting military systems. Today, they are used in making motion detectors to detect intrusion. Infrared (IR) technology has been dedicated to security and surveillance, particularly, in the military field since its first application. Thermal-infrared imaging is applied extensively for military purposes, such as target acquisition, night vision, surveillance, environmental monitoring, homing and tracking.
Hamamatsu (2011) suggests that a typical system for detection of infrared radiation can often configured as indicated below. Both the sensor-based systems and the vision-based sensors use the configuration. Figure 1: Typical system for detection of infrared radiation The infrared source includes silicon carbide, tungsten lamps or blackbody radiation. Infrared lasers that radiate infrared energy of a certain wavelength may as well be used. Transmission media include the optical fibres, atmosphere or vacuum.
In order to focus or converge infrared radiation, optical lenses or sensors are used, although depending on their wavelengths (Hamamatsu, 2011). Sensor-based NIR systems The sensor-based systems use simple movement or contact sensor to detect intrusion into a protected area. Example includes passive infrared (PIR) motion detector. PIR motion-based detector PIR-based motion detectors are designed for detecting movement of animals, people or objects. Mostly, they are used in automatically-activated lighting systems and burglar alarms.
Individual PIR sensor senses the changes in the degree of infrared radiation imposed upon it. The radiation varied dependent on the surface and temperature properties of the objects within the NIR system’s sensor field of view. Once an intruder passes in front of the background, such as a fence or wall, the temperature in the sensor’s field of view rises from room to body temperature. The sensor then converts the resultant change in the received infrared radiation into a change in the output voltage.
This triggers detection. A typical protected facility such as an office space may have infrared motion detectors mounted to the ceiling, wall or overlooking perimeter fence. Once installed in place, the motion detectors use infrared light to create thermal image of the protected space (Ahmed et al.2011). Therefore, since each component in the office such as walls, floors, furniture and fabric has particular heat signature, the passive infrared detector develops a normal image of the room. When the image changes when a person, object or animal enters the protected area, the detectors identifies the image change.
Signal is then sent to the security system’s control panel. Pyroelectric Infrared Sensor (PIR) Dhake and Borde (2014) noted that Pyroelectric Infrared Sensor (PIR) is essentially made of Pyroelectric Sensors designed to create electric signal in response to shifts in the incidental thermal radiation. The sensors’ functioning is based on the principle that living organisms radiate low-level of radiation. The sensor’s detection range is between 3 metres and 7 metres. In order to modify the sensor’s field of view (FOV), the detector has lenses at the front.
To cover more extensive area, the detection lenses are split up into multiple sections. Each of the sectors is a Fresnel lens that condenses light, as a result, providing a range of NIR to the sensor.
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