Solutions to common problems with waterproof cameras

In security TV monitoring systems, with the improvement of people's safety awareness, the need for 24-hour continuous TV monitoring of important places and the maturity of infrared imaging technology, the use of infrared waterproof cameras is getting higher and higher, and has gradually developed into a trend, so common problems also stand out.
Solving the problem of fog and water vapor in waterproof cameras
Problems such as fog and water vapor can be solved in the following ways.
In the first case, fog appears inside the machine:
The formation of fog and frost is due to the condensation of saturated water vapor in the air when it encounters cold. Depending on the strength and weakness of the cold environment, it condenses into frost and fog respectively. During the working process of infrared cameras, especially those indoors, fog or frost will often form on the window glass of the protective cover due to fog or water vapor, causing the camera to be unable to see objects clearly, directly affecting the monitoring effect.
Each company's solution to this problem is also different. Add a defrost circuit, open air holes, fill with nitrogen, add a fan, put in desiccant, etc. The methods are different, and the results are of course different. Some can solve the problem, and some still cannot. However, from the most basic point of view, it is necessary to strictly control the cleaning of materials and try to eliminate the presence of volatile matter. For example, there should be no residual flux on the PCB board, and the light-shielding rubber sleeve should be made of high-quality silicone material.
In the second case, frost or fog appears outside the machine:
Camera works in a humid environment, and dirt is prone to appear on the window glass of the protective cover, blocking the camera's view.
Solution: 1. Add a wiper on the protective cover and clean the glass by controlling the wiper. 2. Use invisible wipers for window glass. Compared with ordinary window glass, invisible wiper window glass has the function of repelling water and dust.
Finally, some requirements for shell sealing under high humidity conditions
If the infrared waterproof camera is used in the north, there will be a large temperature difference between the inside and outside of the camera, and the front lens will be fogged. Therefore, the machine must have good sealing, and the protective cover must also have good rainproof performance.
At this stage, mainland technology has certain technical problems in terms of sealing, such as the design of the casing, joints and screw interfaces, which are often the places where water leakage occurs.
How to make the sealing better? The basic solution is as follows:
1. Add a waterproof rubber sleeve and a water pad at the interface to play a waterproof role, and the effect is ideal.
2. Apply waterproof glue to the wiring screw mouth to enhance waterproofness.
3. The infrared waterproof camera adopts an aluminum alloy casing to improve the accuracy of the interface, and is bonded with high-quality silicone material, and the effect is also ideal.
Waterproof camera image problem solving
Why does the infrared waterproof camera flicker? As mentioned before, when the illumination intensity is lower than the threshold, the infrared light turns on and emits light. It turns off when it is above the threshold. Let's consider the situation when the illumination intensity is slightly lower than the threshold: the photosensitive element detects that the illumination intensity is slightly lower than the threshold, controls the infrared light to turn on and emit light - after the infrared light emits light, the detected illumination increases (plus the infrared light returned in the reverse direction), and exceeds the threshold, controls the infrared light to turn off - causing the detected illumination to decrease, and controls the infrared light to turn on again.This goes back and forth, causing the image to flicker. This situation occurs because of the principle. Not to mention it is normal, at least it is not a quality problem of the product.
First, the use time of the infrared lamp of the infrared waterproof camera is extended, which affects the service life of the product;
Second, turning on the infrared light when color images can still be produced will cause the image quality to decline;
The third is to produce infrared eyes on color images (infrared eyes are also determined by principles and are a phenomenon that people do not want to see). If the threshold is low, it is possible that the infrared light cannot be turned on in time when supplementary lighting is needed.
Today's ordinary infrared waterproof cameras generally use photosensitive elements to detect the lighting intensity of the environment. According to the threshold determined in the design parameters, a control signal is generated to turn on the infrared light. The level of the threshold depends on the use environment, user preferences, and the importance of designers considering various factors. The products of each manufacturer are different. Such as 20, 10, 5Lux., etc. If the threshold is high, the turn-on time is earlier. It is possible that the infrared light is turned on before the camera has converted from color to black and white. This has three disadvantages. [page]
So how to solve this problem?
The problem occurs when the ambient illumination detected by the photosensitive element is slightly lower than the threshold. There are two situations:
1. At some point in the evening, for a short period of time, this problem occurs. If we don’t want to increase the cost and use a general chip, our idea is to explain the reason clearly to the user and tolerate it.
2. This problem must be solved when the lighting intensity is stable.
1. Change the threshold.
In products of the same model, the thresholds are also different, and there is discrepancy. Replacing a product may solve the problem.
Products with different design thresholds are provided by the manufacturer and replaced.
Products with higher threshold design parameters are less likely to cause flicker.
2. Change the environment
Change the intensity and angle of lighting.
Slightly change the installation angle of the infrared waterproof camera, move it up, down, left and right, the illumination detected by the detector will change a lot, and it will leave the vicinity of the threshold, thereby solving the flicker problem.
3. Use high-quality low-illumination camera chips with backlight compensation and anti-glare, especially dedicated IR lenses;
In addition, when there are people or other objects near the infrared waterproof camera that reflect the infrared light, the detected illumination will change repeatedly, causing flickering. For example, when doing demonstration tests and inspections, the camera is installed at a low position and there are objects blocking the camera at close range.
This is not a problem. When the infrared waterproof camera is in a normal installation position, this phenomenon will naturally disappear. For example, when demonstrating, just be careful not to let the infrared light reverse directly to the photosensitive element from a very close distance.
Waterproof camera Solving the heat dissipation problem
The infrared waterproof camera uses 58-inch lights connected in series to make a light panel. The heat generated by its lights is transmitted through positive and negative stages, and it cannot play a role in heat dissipation. After working for a period of time, a crack layer will appear, resulting in light decay.
When it comes to surveillance infrared waterproof cameras, everyone in the market knows about them;I believe everyone has a clear understanding of its advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take the heat dissipation effect as an example.
Traditional infrared waterproof cameras use 58-inch lights connected in series to form a light panel. The heat generated by the lights is transmitted through positive and negative stages, and it does not play a role in heat dissipation. Its packaging material is epoxy resin, which will cause cracks after working for a period of time, resulting in light attenuation. After 3 months, traditional infrared waterproof cameras can attenuate by 30%.
In order to change the situation that the life of infrared waterproof cameras is not long due to poor heat dissipation, the new generation of infrared waterproof cameras has made innovations and improvements in lights.
The new generation of infrared waterproof camera uses a single lamp. One of its lamps is equivalent to 70-80 infrared lamps of a traditional camera. Its lamp is connected to the lamp through a light panel (the lamp panel is made of aluminum alloy). There is also a heat dissipation block, which is connected to the shell through the chip to achieve heat dissipation. Its packaging material is selenium glue. Because there is no fracture layer, there will be no light attenuation. The night vision effect is very good, the lifespan can reach 5-10 years, and no attenuation can be seen with the naked eye within 2 years.
Therefore, the new generation of infrared waterproof cameras have very good heat dissipation. If you find that the casing is very hot to the touch after using it, it means that its heat energy has dissipated, which is a good thing. Good heat dissipation will extend the life.
The new generation of infrared waterproof camera is integrated at many points. Each dot matrix lamp can integrate 60-80 LED light-emitting crystals. The integrated volume is only about the size of a fingernail, and the finished product will not be too bulky. Since dot matrix lamps are highly integrated LEDs, their size is much smaller than other products.
The main reason for its small size is ease of application. If an infrared light source combined with dozens of single LEDs is installed on a high-speed dome machine, the effect can be imagined. The luminous angle of ordinary products is generally 7°-10°, so it forms a beam like a flashlight. The angle of our luminous body can reach up to 180°. Indoors, the entire space can be illuminated evenly. The optical output of a single LED is 5mw-15mw, while the optical output of a dot matrix lamp reaches 800mw-1000mw, and the volume is only the size of a penny coin. This shows that dot matrix lights provide clearer, brighter and longer-distance monitoring images than similar products on the market.