在监控应用中使用热感安防摄像机并不是一个新现象。从历史上看,热感摄像机已经在高安保建筑、周界保护项目中部署,以及保护诸如核电站、监狱、机场和管道的重要基础设施。然而,在这些应用中使用的热感摄像机非常昂贵,超出了绝大多数一般性安防客户的承受能力。
“买得起”热感安防摄像机是一种新的现象。非制冷传感器技术的创新,已经导致了热感摄像机的生产成本大幅降低,并且为视频监控设备供应商在其设备的投资组合中包含热感摄像机铺平了道路。
在2010年,安讯士通讯发布了一个低成本的网络热感监控摄像机,并且许多其他老牌视频监控供应商也发布或宣布有意推出低成本的热感监控摄像机,目标直指商用市场。据预测这种趋势在2011年还将持续。
老牌视频监控设备供应商已经能够利用现有的销售渠道和关系来刺激热感监控解决方案的新需求。这一战略证明了热感视频监控摄像机的新供应商的成功,并且使得他们避免与已有的供应商进行直接竞争。
随着越来越多的厂商开始面向现有客户群供应“买得起”的热感摄相机,商用热感安防摄像机市场预计在2011年将继续迅速扩大。展望2011年以后的市场,我们预期,由于经济规模的持续扩大以及镜头技术的进步(这些技术进步减少了目前对锗的依赖,锗是热感摄像机生产的重要成本要素),商业热感摄像机的价格会快速降低。
【英文】
The Commercial Thermal Surveillance Market Begins to Heat Up
The use of thermal security cameras in surveillance applications is not a new phenomenon. Historically, thermal cameras have been deployed in high security buildings, border protection projects and to protect critical infrastructure such as, nuclear power plants, prisons, airports and pipelines. However, thermal cameras used in these applications have been costly and beyond the reach of most security customers.
“Affordable” thermal security cameras are a new phenomenon. Innovations in uncooled sensor technology have led to a significant reduction in the cost of producing thermal cameras and paved the way for video surveillance equipment vendors to include thermal cameras in their equipment portfolios.
In 2010, Axis Communications released a low cost network thermal surveillance camera and a number of other established video surveillance vendors also released or announced the intention to release low cost thermal surveillance cameras aimed at the commercial market. This trend is predicated to continue during 2011.
Established vendors of video surveillance equipment have been able to leverage existing sales channels and relationships to stimulate new demand for thermal surveillance solutions. This strategy has proved successful for new vendors of thermal video surveillance cameras and enabled them to avoid direct competition with existing incumbent vendors.
The commercial thermal security camera market is predicted to continue to expand rapidly in 2011 as an increasing number of vendors begin to offer “affordable” thermal cameras to existing customer bases. Looking beyond 2011, it is anticipated that the prices of commercial thermal cameras could quickly reduce due to increasing economies of scale and advancements in lens technology that reduce the current dependence on germanium, a significant cost element in the production of thermal cameras.