FireCAM
FireCAM is a time-lapse camera designed to take both visual and radiometric thermal images periodically and record them as json-structured files to a local Micro-SD Card. The visual images are stored in jpeg format. The thermal images are the raw radiometric data (temperature) to enable later analysis. The camera includes a touch LCD control panel and a WiFi interface allowing control, configuration and image viewing from an external application.
FireCAM is open-source hardware and software. The design is here. It is also available to order as a bespoke device. Please contact me for more information.
FireCAM is open-source hardware and software. The design is here. It is also available to order as a bespoke device. Please contact me for more information.
FireCAM is comprised of three components.
- Hardware design based around Flir Lepton 3.5 and ArduCAM 2MP image sensors and an ESP32 micro-controller.
- Firmware for the ESP32.
- A desktop application for Windows and Mac OS X allowing remote control, configuration and viewing of images from a connected FireCAM.
Features
- 160x120 pixel Radiometric Thermal Imaging Camera (Flir Lepton 3.5)
- 640x480 pixel Visual Imaging Camera (ArduCAM 2MP)
- 2.8" 320x240 pixel touchscreen
- External temperature sensor
- Micro-SD Card for image storage
- USB interface for charging, firmware updates and diagnostic output
- 2500 mA LiPo battery with built-in charger providing 5-6 hours continuous runtime per charge and automatic low-battery shutdown
- Battery-backed RTC/parameter storage
- Wifi interface capable of either AP or client modes for remote access
- Configurable recording intervals from 1 second to 1 hour per image
Applications
- High temperature event monitoring
- Device thermal monitoring
- Structure thermal leakage analysis
- Wildlife detection and monitoring
- Thermal biometric monitoring
- Remote accessible camera for AI and data processing applications
Data Format
File and command data are json-structured strings allowing easy interface to custom software tools. A complete file is shown below. Large data sets such as the jpeg image from the visual camera, radiometric data from the thermal camera and thermal camera telemetry data are base-64 encoded (mostly omitted here for clarity.)
{
"metadata": {
"Camera": "firecam-01DD",
"Version": "2.0",
"Sequence Number": 0,
"Time": "21:18:39",
"Date": "5/18/20",
"Battery": 4.170127868652344,
"Charge": "OFF",
"FPA Temp": 34.769981384277344,
"AUX Temp": 34.969993591308594,
"Lens Temp": 35.67091751098633,
"Lepton Gain Mode": "HIGH",
"Lepton Resolution": "0.01"
},
"jpeg": "/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQEAAAAAAA..."
"radiometric": "I3Ypdg12B3YPdgt2BXYRdgF2A3YFdgF2AXYNdv91+3ULdvd..."
"telemetry": "DgCDMSkAMAgAABBhCIKyzJpkj..."
}