With the rapid development of drone technology, choosing the right imaging device is crucial to ensure the success of drone missions. Drone thermal imaging and drone optical imaging technology each have their own unique advantages and limitations. Here, we will explore which is the "best eye" for drones.
Explore the working principles of thermal imaging and optical imaging
Optical imaging
Optical imaging technology forms images by capturing images in the visible light band. Cameras and drone cameras are based on this principle. The optical lens focuses the light in the environment onto the imaging sensor, which converts it into digital signals to form the image we can see.
The key features of optical imaging are:
High clarity: The captured visual image is "real world" with rich details, suitable for accurate observation of the shape, color, etc. of the object.
Dependence on light conditions: Optical imaging has high requirements for light. The effect is best when there is sufficient light source during the day, but optical imaging will be seriously affected in low light or nighttime environments.
Thermal imaging
Thermal imaging technology generates thermal images by detecting temperature differences on the surface of an object or the environment. It does not rely on visible light, but uses infrared radiation emitted by objects to form images. Thermal imaging sensors can detect heat on the surface of objects and represent temperature changes through different colors. Usually, high temperature areas are displayed as red or yellow, and low temperature areas are blue or purple.
The key features of thermal imaging are:
It does not rely on light: it can work at night or in a completely dark environment, and use heat energy to generate images.
Strong temperature detection ability: it can clearly show temperature differences and is suitable for tasks such as temperature monitoring, fire warning, and animal tracking.
Comparison between thermal imaging and optical imaging
Based on the performance characteristics of thermal imaging and optical imaging, the two imaging technologies have their own advantages and disadvantages under different environmental constraints.
1. Performance in low light or dark environments
Optical imaging is limited by ambient light, and the image quality will be significantly reduced at night or in low light conditions. Even with powerful lighting equipment, there may still be problems such as shadows or reflections in the environment, resulting in loss of image details.
Thermal imaging is not affected by light. It can provide clear images in a completely dark environment, which is suitable for scenes such as night rescue and night patrol.
Therefore, most search and rescue drones and inspection drones that work at night are equipped with high-definition thermal imaging lenses or dual-camera lenses, which can provide a clear view at night.
Best thermal imaging drone recommendation: Autel EVO II 640T V3, Autel EVO MAX 4T.
2. Ability to identify and detect targets
Optical imaging can provide detailed visual images, suitable for accurately identifying the shape, color and position of objects. Therefore, if the target object requires clear details (such as license plate numbers, facial features of people, etc.), optical imaging is more effective. However, optical imaging is easy to lose the target when there are obstructions or complex backgrounds, especially in bad weather such as smoke, rain and snow.
Thermal imaging can highlight the temperature difference between the target and the surrounding environment, and can even effectively identify the target in smoke, haze or forests. Therefore, thermal imaging has obvious advantages in finding missing persons, tracking animals, fire warnings, etc.
Optical imaging is suitable for task recognition and detection that requires fine visual information, while thermal imaging is good at target detection in special environments. Drones with AI intelligent recognition technology can also obtain more information, recognize numbers, follow shooting, etc.
Best AI recognition and detection drone recommendations: Autel EVO Lite Enterprise series, Autel EVO MAX series.
3. Details and precision
Optical imaging provides more visual images that can show details, colors and textures, suitable for tasks that require high resolution and precision, such as building inspections, terrain surveys, etc. Its advantage is that it can accurately present subtle differences.
However, thermal imaging focuses on showing the temperature changes of objects and cannot present color and texture information as detailed as optical imaging. Thermal imaging is suitable for observing the existence and location of heat sources, but for tasks that require high details, thermal imaging does not perform as well as optical imaging.
High-definition optical imaging drones can detect subtle or imperceptible places by magnifying details. Thermal imaging drones also support image magnification, but it is best to combine the visible light camera image to clarify the problem.
Select inspection drones: Autel EVO II PRO V3 6K camera, Autel EVO II Dual 640T V3, Autel EVO MAX 4TXE.
4. Performance in complex environments
In environments such as smoke, haze, rain and snow, optical imaging is often limited by visibility and image quality is greatly reduced. For example, in a forest fire, optical imaging may have difficulty penetrating the thick smoke to see the source of the fire, while thermal imaging can effectively identify fire hotspots and provide clear thermal images, even if the surrounding environment is completely shrouded in smoke.
Thermal imaging performs better than optical imaging in complex environments, especially when it is necessary to penetrate obstacles or operate in low visibility conditions. In other words, optical conditions are very dependent on external ambient light. Adding ND filters and UV filters can improve the amount of light entering the camera to a certain extent, but it cannot handle shooting in complex environments.
Recommended drones for complex environments: Autel EVO II Dual 640T Enterprise V3, Autel EVO Lite 640T Enterprise, Autel EVO MAX 4T, Autel EVO MAX 4N.
5. Cost and maintenance
Optical imaging equipment is relatively cheap, the technology is mature, and there are a large number of options with different prices on the market. Due to the universality of optical imaging technology, its maintenance and upgrade costs are relatively low. Most beginner drones carry 720p cameras, 1080p cameras, 2K cameras, 4K cameras, etc., with prices ranging from low to high.
Thermal imaging equipment is relatively expensive, especially on high-resolution and high-sensitivity sensors, which are more expensive. Thermal imaging equipment is more sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, and requires more frequent calibration and maintenance. The current high standard of thermal resolution of thermal imaging drones is 640*512, 30hz refresh rate, 10 thermal palettes to choose from, and multiple temperature measurement modes.
Low-cost camera drone recommendation: Autel EVO Lite Plus
Advanced thermal imaging drone recommendation: Autel EVO II Dual 640T V3, Autel EVO MAX 4T.
Conclusion
Thermal imaging and optical imaging have their own advantages and disadvantages, and their strengths and weaknesses lie in the different tasks and environments. At night or in low light conditions, thermal imaging drones are undoubtedly the "best eyes", which can easily penetrate darkness and smoke and help quickly identify heat sources.
In daytime or under sufficient light conditions, optical imaging drones provide more detailed and clear images, suitable for precise measurement and detailed analysis.
Drones have served in various industries and have played a strong advantage in aerial photography, inspections, agricultural monitoring, building inspections, environmental protection and other industries.
The combination of thermal imaging and optical imaging technology will be the best solution for future drone applications. Dual-camera drones will be able to further improve the efficiency of drone missions and complete a variety of complex tasks.
