Transcript
White paper
Panoramic cameras Up to 360º overview
Table of contents 1. Introduction
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2. Panoramic camera technology
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2.1 Single-sensor cameras
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2.2 Multi-sensor cameras
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3. Application areas
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3.1 Single-sensor cameras
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3.2 Multi-sensor cameras
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4. Conclusion
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5. Useful links
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1. Introduction A panoramic camera provides between 180 º and 360 º field of view, depending on model. This makes it ideal for surveillance applications that require wide area coverage. It offers a broad overview with great detail, outdoors as well as indoors, in an efficient one-camera installation. A panoramic camera can be used to detect activities in a large area, track the flow of people and improve area management.
2. Panoramic camera technology A panoramic camera is an effective alternative to installing two or more fixed cameras to cover a wide field of view. The use of just one single camera makes the installation easy, reliable and cost-efficient. Axis’ panoramic cameras are either a single-sensor camera with one wide-angle lens or a camera with multiple sensors. No manual focusing is required since both the single-sensor and multi-sensor cameras are factory-focused. To increase usability, panoramic cameras can be combined with other capabilities such as Video Motion Detection and Active Tampering Alarm.
2.1 Single-sensor cameras Single-sensor panoramic cameras have a wide-angle lens giving a 360 º fisheye view of an area. When ceiling-mounted, the camera will produce a circular overview of the entire room, see Figure 1. Typically, adapting a circular image into a rectangular view causes what is commonly referred to as a barreling effect, which means that the horizontal and vertical lines in the flattened image appear curved. Digital de-warping straightens the curved lines, producing an image that can be viewed in a panoramic or quad-view format, see Figure 2. De-warping can be used both in real time and for recorded video.
Figure 1: An example of a 360° fisheye overview.
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Figure 2: An example of the quad-view format.
2.2 Multi-sensor cameras An Axis multi-sensor camera has multiple sensors that together provide a detailed panoramic overview. Its fixed multi-megapixel lenses are focused from factory. With several standard lenses instead of one wide-angle lens, the multi-sensor camera gives an undistorted image without any loss of detail, see Figure 3. Since there is no image distortion, no de-warping is needed, which eliminates power-consuming data processing. The wider the scene, the greater the risk of a vast difference between light and dark areas. Since the camera’s full field of view is split between multiple sensors, camera settings such as brightness, contrast and white balance can be adjusted individually to provide a usable image across the entire 180 º view.
Figure 3: Example of a view from a multi-sensor camera.
See Section 5, Useful links, ‘Axis panoramic cameras’, for more information on Axis’ panoramic cameras.
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3. Application areas 3.1 Single-sensor cameras Single-sensor panoramic cameras are well suited for indoor monitoring of retail stores, hotels, schools and offices, as well as installations outdoors at hotels, gas stations, boutiques, restaurants, schools and offices. A main benefit when using a single-sensor panoramic camera is the elimination of blind spots when monitoring a smaller area, such as a small to medium sized retail store or a smaller building perimeter.
3.2 Multi-sensor cameras Unlike a single-sensor panoramic camera, a multi-sensor camera maintains a high pixel density when used at a further distance. This makes it suitable for monitoring wide areas at longer distances. See Section 5, Useful links, ‘Perfect pixel count’, for more information on pixel density. The large-area panoramic overview is well adapted for covering sizable indoor areas at railway stations, metro stations and airports, and for monitoring public outdoor areas such as squares, stadiums, university campuses and school yards. The multi-sensor technology is also ideal for perimeter surveillance around critical infrastructure, and inside large production halls, logistic centers and warehouses, as well as around public or governmental buildings, banks, and health care centers. Other application examples are parking lots outside hotels, offices and shopping malls, where large areas need monitoring in high image detail in order to ensure complete situational awareness. See Section 5, Useful links, ‘Axis panoramic cameras - videos’, for videos from Axis’ panoramic cameras.
4. Conclusion Panoramic cameras provide wide area coverage and image detail at the same time. The installation of a panoramic camera is easy, reliable and cost-efficient. Axis’ panoramic cameras require no additional focusing, since the sensors of both single-sensor and multi-sensor panoramic cameras are factoryfocused. The cameras can also be combined with other features such as Video Motion Detection and Active Tampering Alarm.
5. Useful links For more information, see the following links: Axis Communications – ‘Panoramic cameras’: www.axis.com/products/video/camera/panoramic/index.htm Axis Communications – ‘Panoramic cameras - videos’: www.axis.com/se/sv/technologies/panoramic-cameras/video Axis Communications – ‘Perfect pixel count’: www.axis.com/global/en/learning/web-articles/perfect-pixel-count/pixel-density
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About Axis Communications Axis offers intelligent security solutions that enable a smarter, safer world. As the global market leader in network video, Axis is driving the industry by continually launching innovative network products based on an open platform - delivering high value to customers through a global partner network. Axis has long-term relationships with partners and provides them with knowledge and ground-breaking network products in existing and new markets. Axis has more than 2,000 dedicated employees in more than 40 countries around the world, supported by a network of over 75,000 partners across 179 countries. Founded in 1984, Axis is a Sweden-based company listed on NASDAQ Stockholm under the ticker AXIS. For more information about Axis, please visit our website www.axis.com.
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