Using ZnSe and GaAS lenses with Sony Starvis and similar detectors at high gain and frame rates for machine vision applications

To: Fuzhou Hundreds Optics Inc

100Optics.com,

Some very low light and NIR sensors might be able to pick up LWIR, out to thermal wavelengths 5-15 microns — if they used ZnSe lenses or GaAs.

You could check pretty easily.  I think the Sony Starvis might work but would need to use statistical methods and high gain to clean up and analyse the images.

It might be worth checking.  I am using a ZWO ASI715MC which is 3864×2192. It can run at 640×480 @156 fps, 284 fps for 320×240 and 450 fps for 128×128. The higher frame rates for regions of interest give more data for security and monitoring applications.  I treat “astronomy” as a monitoring activity.

Even it is takes a bit of software, there is a growing demand for high resolution night time and thermal sensors at higher and higher resolutions.  The requirements of memory and processing are not as hard to meet now with faster processors, lower cost memory, lower energy usage.

I wanted to try it, but cannot afford a lot of different lenses.  The M12, CS and C-mount seem to be the most popular.  The ZnSe lenses work with thermal sensors, but they should also be somewhat useful with regular CMOS, particularly low light sensors for deep sky astronomy and security.  And with statistical techniques, at very high gain in sensors like the IMX Starvis it should work where the intention is detection, identification, and event tracking.

Filed as (Using ZnSe and GaAS lenses with Sony Starvis and similar detector at high gain and frame rates for machine vision applications)

Richard Collins, The Internet Foundation


Wien Displacement Law

Use the OmniCalculator at https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics/wiens-law

288 Kelvin –> 10.062 micron
300 Kelvin –>  9.66 micron
273.15 Kelvin –> 10.609 micron

10 microns –> 61.93 Fahrenheit
12 micron –> -25.004 Fahrenheit
14 micron –> -87.1 Fahrenheit


Prasanna,

I am finishing up 26 years of work for the Internet Foundation.  That included many technical and industry studies.

I would like to see if ZnSe and GaAs (zinc selinide and gallium arsenide) lenses will work with Sony Starvis sensors at high gain and high frame rates.  The purpose is often not radiometry, but detection, classification and record keeping of events.  Any place you see people using false color presentations, there are opportunities to use advanced machine vision and statistical methods.

I wrote some notes and posted them at

theinternetfoundation.net/?p=16015 – Using ZnSe and GaAS lenses with Sony Starvis and similar detectors at high gain and frame rates for machine vision applications

Richard Collins

Richard K Collins

About: Richard K Collins

Director, The Internet Foundation Studying formation and optimized collaboration of global communities. Applying the Internet to solve global problems and build sustainable communities. Internet policies, standards and best practices.


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