BAE Systems unveils high-definition, uncooled thermal sensor

02 Nov 2020

Athena 1920 combines exceptional infrared image clarity with a wide field of view.

Potential applications for the new sensor include security and surveillance.

The compact, light, and low-power thermal camera core delivers what BAE calls, “superior imagery and uncompromising performance, and is ideal for long-range and demanding applications, including security, surveillance, and targeting systems.”

Robyn Decker, director of Lexington Business Center and Sensor Solutions at BAE Systems, commented, “Our thermal core enables a new class of sensing systems for everything from aerial reconnaissance to perimeter security to asset monitoring. We put more pixels on the target, giving users the situational awareness they need to make critical decisions.”

Technical specification

The Athena 1920 features a 1920 x 1200 pixel vanadium oxide (VOx) uncooled microbolometer array that builds on the BAE’s 12µm pixel technology. The camera’s 60Hz frame rate delivers exceptional clarity and minimizes motion blur in dynamic scenes, providing unparalleled detail of complex environments.

The high-definition sensor offers nearly eight times the field of view of traditional camera cores, and with its small size (51 x 40 x 21 mm) and light weight (70g), is suited for high-performance applications where size, weight, power, and cost are important factors.

The Athena 1920 camera core is manufactured at the company’s state-of-the-art sensor facility in Lexington, Ma, which enables high-quality camera core production at scale.

BAE’s Sensor Solutions division develops low-cost, high-volume visible and infrared imaging sensors for vision systems. These are produced for a wide variety of commercial and military applications including security and surveillance, firefighting, driving aids, and weapons systems.