FLIR Tau SWIR User Manual
The information contained in this document pertains to a dual use product controlled for export by the Export Administration
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export or transfer to foreign persons or parties unless otherwise prohibited.
i
Tau SWIR ISC1202
User’s Guide
Document Number: 102-2009-45
Revision 102
Issue Date: October 2018
The information contained in this document pertains to a dual use product controlled for export by the Export Administration
Regulations (EAR). Diversion contrary to US law is prohibited. US Department of Commerce authorization is not required prior to
export or transfer to foreign persons or parties unless otherwise prohibited.
ii
Table of Contents
1.0 Scope .............................................................................................................. vi
2.0 Resources ......................................................................................................... 7
FLIR Reference Documents.......................................................................................................... 7
3.0 Unpacking the Camera .................................................................................. 7
4.0 Standard Camera Kit ..................................................................................... 8
Electrical Interface ........................................................................................................................ 8
Main Connector .................................................................................................................................... 8
TEC Connector ................................................................................................................................... 13
TEC Power Through Accessory Boards ............................................................................................. 14
Mechanical Interface ................................................................................................................... 15
Optical Interface .......................................................................................................................... 16
5.0 Optional Accessories ....................................................................................16
VPC Module Accessory .............................................................................................................. 16
Installation ........................................................................................................................................... 18
Camera Link Module Accessory ................................................................................................. 19
Installation ........................................................................................................................................... 20
6.0 Connecting to the Camera ...........................................................................21
Physical Connection .................................................................................................................... 21
FLIR Camera Controller GUI ..................................................................................................... 22
FLIR Camera Controller Software Interface............................................................................... 24
Troubleshooting the FLIR Camera Controller GUI .................................................................... 27
7.0 Operation of the FLIR Camera Controller GUI .......................................29
Menu Bar .................................................................................................................................... 29
Calibration Tab ........................................................................................................................... 31
Optimization Tab ........................................................................................................................ 35
AGC Modes: ....................................................................................................................................... 35
Linear Parameters: .............................................................................................................................. 38
Automatic Parameters: ........................................................................................................................ 38
Enhancements: .................................................................................................................................... 39
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iii
AGC ROI: ........................................................................................................................................... 39
Window Editor .................................................................................................................................... 40
AGC ROI Coordinate Values ............................................................................................................. 40
Digital Zoom: ...................................................................................................................................... 40
Orientation: ......................................................................................................................................... 40
Polarity / Palette: ................................................................................................................................. 41
Auto-Exposure Enable: ....................................................................................................................... 42
Save Settings ....................................................................................................................................... 42
Factory Defaults .................................................................................................................................. 42
Reset Camera ...................................................................................................................................... 42
Utilities Tab ................................................................................................................................ 43
Camera Link Configuration ................................................................................................................ 43
Camera Updates .................................................................................................................................. 44
External Sync ...................................................................................................................................... 45
Test Pattern ......................................................................................................................................... 47
TEC Control ........................................................................................................................................ 47
Lens Control ........................................................................................................................................ 47
Save Settings ....................................................................................................................................... 47
Factory Defaults .................................................................................................................................. 48
Reset Camera ...................................................................................................................................... 48
Debug .......................................................................................................................................... 49
8.0 Appendix – Extraordinary Conditions .......................................................50
Disassmbly .................................................................................................................................. 50
Cleaning the VPA Window......................................................................................................... 50
External Conditions .................................................................................................................... 50
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export or transfer to foreign persons or parties unless otherwise prohibited.
iv
Table of Figures
FIGURE 1. TAU SWIR CAMERA –HIROSE CONNECTOR ................................................................................... 8
FIGURE 2. PINS ON TAU SWIR HIROSE CONNECTOR ................................................................ ....................... 9
FIGURE 3. DETAILED ILLUSTRATION OF TEC POWER CONNECTOR ......................................................... 13
FIGURE 4. TEC POWER CONNECTOR PIN ASSIGNMENTS ............................................................................. 13
FIGURE 5. TEC WIRES ............................................................................................................................................ 14
FIGURE 6. OPTIONAL ¼-20 MOUNT ACCESSORY ............................................................................................ 15
FIGURE 7. FRONT-FACE C-MOUNT ADAPTOR .................................................................................................. 16
FIGURE 8. TAU SWIR CAMERA WITH VPC MODULE ...................................................................................... 17
FIGURE 9. VPC MODULE ACCESSORY KIT ....................................................................................................... 18
FIGURE 11. CAMERA LINK MODULE (SHOWN INSTALLED ON A TAU SWIR CAMERA) ........................ 19
FIGURE 12. CAMERA LINK MODULE ACCESSORY KIT ................................................................................. 20
FIGURE 13. CAMERA LINK MODULE INSTALLATION ................................................................................... 20
FIGURE 14. BNC TO RCA ADAPTOR ................................................................................................................... 21
FIGURE 15. DEVICE MANAGER SHOWING PROPER DRIVER INSTALLATION .......................................... 23
FIGURE 16. SELECT CAMERA MANAGER ......................................................................................................... 24
FIGURE 17. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER GUI STATUS TAB – NOT CONNECTED ................................... 25
FIGURE 18. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER GUI CONNECTION WINDOW PART 1...................................... 26
FIGURE 19. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER GUI CONNECTION WINDOW PART 2...................................... 26
FIGURE 20. CAMERA TYPE SELECTION ............................................................................................................ 27
FIGURE 21. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER GUI STATUS TAB – CONNECTED ............................................ 27
FIGURE 22. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER ERROR MESSAGE ....................................................................... 27
FIGURE 23. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER GUI – MENU BAR ........................................................................ 29
FIGURE 24. HELP -- ABOUT CAMERA CONTROLLER ..................................................................................... 30
FIGURE 25. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER GUI – STATUS TAB ..................................................................... 31
FIGURE 26. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER GUI -- OPTIMIZATION TAB ....................................................... 35
FIGURE 27. LOOK-UP TABLE OPTIONS (AS SEEN WITH TEST PATTERN ENABLED) .............................. 41
FIGURE 28. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER GUI -- VIDEO TAB ................................................................ ....... 43
FIGURE 29. IMPERX FRAMELINK EXPRESS SOFTWARE – CAMERA PARAMETERS WINDOW ............. 44
FIGURE 30. INTEGRATION PRIORITY MODE SYNCHRONIZATION ............................................................. 46
FIGURE 31. READOUT PRIORITY MODE SYNCHRONIZATION ..................................................................... 47
FIGURE 32. FLIR CAMERA CONTROLLER – DEBUG TAB .............................................................................. 49
The information contained in this document pertains to a dual use product controlled for export by the Export Administration
Regulations (EAR). Diversion contrary to US law is prohibited. US Department of Commerce authorization is not required prior to
export or transfer to foreign persons or parties unless otherwise prohibited.
v
Revision History
Version
Date
Comments
100
December 2016
Initial release
101
February 2018
Added detail to descriptions
102
October 2018
Updated controls for TEC table
List of Abbreviations
Abbreviation/
Acronym
Components
ACE
Actinve Contrast Enhancement
AGC
Automatic Gain Control
CDS
Correlated Double Sampling
DDE
Digital Detail Enhancement
ESD
Electrostatic Damage
FFC
Flat Field Calibration (or Correction)
FOV
Field of View
FPA
Focal Plane Array
FPS
Frames Per Second
GUI
Graphical User Interface
I/O
Input / Output
ICD
Interface Control Drawing / Document
IDD
Interface Description Drawing / Document
InGaAs
Indium Galium Arsenide
ISC1202
Indigo Systems Corporation, February 2012
LACE
Local Area Contrast Enhancement
LUT
Look-Up Table
NTSC
National Television System Committee
NUC
Non Uniformity Correction
OSD
On Screen Display
PAL
Phase Alternating Line
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vi
Abbreviation/
Acronym
Components
REACH
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
RoHS
Reduction of Hazardous Substances
ROI
Region of Interest
ROIC
Read Out Integrated Circuit
SIC-200
Silicon Inspection XX
SWIR
Short Wave Infrared
SSO
Smart Scene Optimization
TBD
To Be Determined
TEC
Thermo Electric Cooler
URL
Uniform Resource Locator
USB
Universal Serial Bus
VPA
Vacuum Package Assembly
Page 7
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export or transfer to foreign persons or parties unless otherwise prohibited.
1.0 Scope
Tau ™ SWIR is a miniature, 38mm×38mm×47mm, short wave infrared (SWIR) imaging core from FLIR
Systems, built around FLIR’s ISC1202 InGaAs SWIR sensor. This sensor provides high sensitivity from
0.9 to 1.7μm, low dark current, temperature stabilization and on chip (in-pixel) correlated double sampling
(CDS) for noise reduction, CDS fold-over protection (prevents “black sun effect”), anti-blooming (low gain
only), snapshot integration, 640 × 512 resolution with a 15μm pixel pitch running at 60 frames per second.
FLIR’s proprietary image processing algorithms start with 14-bit digital imagery and result in high-quality,
analog video or 8-bit digital imagery in both low light conditions and full daylight. Frame rates may be
adjusted from a minimum of 1fps to a maximum of 60fps for a full frame image. A preset 2X window of
the central 320 × 256 pixels may be selected allowing for a frame rate of up to 120fps. An external sync
mode allows integration with other camera systems, SWIR illuminators or pulsed lasers, synchronizing the
integration period of the camera with the external system.
There are three sensor gain modes providing increasing sensitivity, Low, Mid or High. Low gain is
appropriate for well illuminated, wide dynamic range scenes while each step up in sensitivity allows
imaging under lower SWIR illumination levels with an accompanying decrease in the dynamic range that
can be imaged. Within each gain mode, the integration period may be adjusted from as little as 10μs to as
high as the frame period. Response of the 14-bit digital imagery increases linearly with increasing
integration period.
FLIR’s built in Auto-Exposure algorithm allows automatic, smooth transitions of integration period (tint)
based on scene content to maximize image quality and detail without user intervention.The camera includes
FLIR’s advanced Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC), in-camera nonresponsive pixel replacement and
Automatic Gain Control (AGC) algorithms. The Tau SWIR comes standard with a C-mount lens adapter
installed. This may be removed allowing for custom lens mounts.
This User’s Guide includes quick-start information for the Tau SWIR, as well as detailed descriptions of
functions and adjustments for the camera that can be performed using FLIR’s Tau SWIR Camera Controller
GUI.
2.0 Resources
FLIR Reference Documents
Document Number
Document Title
102-2009-42
Tau SWIR 1202 Software IDD
102-2009-40
Tau SWIR 1202 Product Specification
102-2009-44
Tau SWIR Mechanical IDD
3.0 Unpacking the Camera
Page 8
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Regulations (EAR). Diversion contrary to US law is prohibited. US Department of Commerce authorization is not required prior to
export or transfer to foreign persons or parties unless otherwise prohibited.
When unpacking the camera, please heed customary electrostatic-discharge (ESD) sensitive device
precautions including static-safe work station and proper grounding. The camera is placed in a conductive
anti-static bag to protect from electrostatic-discharge damage and safely packaged to prevent damage during
shipping.
4.0 Standard Camera Kit
Components that come standard with the Tau SWIR camera are:
1. Camera body (includes standard Tau backshell, C-Mount Adapter installed)
2. 2-Wire, 12” lead for TEC power (shown in Figure 5)
3. Black Cap to cover C-Mount
Electrical Interface
Main Connector
Communication, video, and camera power are all accommodated through the Hirose 50-pin connector
shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2. Pin designations are described in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3.
Figure 1. Tau SWIR Camera –Hirose Connector
M2x0.4, 4mm deep mounting
holes, 24mm separation, 3 sides.
high-density 50-pin connector:
Hirose #DF12-50DS-0.5V(86)
Page 9
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Figure 2. Pins on Tau SWIR Hirose Connector
Page 10
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Table 1. Tau SWIR Pin-Out, Hirose Connector Mode (2) CMOS 14-bit (default)
Pin #
Signal Name
Pin #
Signal Name
1
COMM_TX (RS232_TX_OUT)
2
COMM_RX (RS232_RX_IN)
3
CMOS LINE_VALID_OUT
4
CMOS FRAME_VALID_OUT
5
DGND
6
DGND
7
CAMLINK_CLK [P]
8
CAMLINK_CLK [N]
9
CAMLINK_DATA [0P]
10
CAMLINK_DATA [0N]
11
CAMLINK_DATA [1P]
12
CAMLINK_DATA [1N]
13
CAMLINK_DATA [2P]
14
CAMLINK_DATA [2N]
15
CAMLINK_DATA [3P]
16
CAMLINK_DATA [3N]
17
DGND
18
DGND
19
DISCRETE IO REG [0]
20
CMOS DATA_OUT [13]
21
EXTERNAL_SYNC
22
CMOS DATA_OUT [12]
23
CMOS DATA_OUT [11]
24
CMOS DATA_OUT [10]
25
CMOS DATA_OUT [9]
26
CMOS DATA_OUT [8]
27
DGND
28
DGND
29
CMOS DATA_OUT [7]
30
CMOS DATA_OUT [6]
31
CMOS DATA_OUT [5]
32
CMOS DATA_OUT [4]
33
CMOS DATA_OUT [3]
34
CMOS DATA_OUT [2]
35
CMOS DATA_OUT [1]
36
CMOS DATA_OUT [0]
37
DGND
38
DGND
39
CMOS CLOCK_OUT
40 Z 41
DGND
42
DGND
43
VID_OUT_H
44
VID_OUT_L
45
DGND
46
n/c
47
MAIN_PWR_RTN
48
MAIN_PWR
49
MAIN_PWR_RTN
50
MAIN_PWR
Page 11
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Table 2. Pinout Hirose 50-Pin Connector, Output Mode (3) CMOS 8-bit
Pin #
Signal Name
Pin #
Signal Name
1
COMM_TX (RS232_TX_OUT)
2
COMM_RX (RS232_RX_IN)
3
LINE_VALID_OUT
4
FRAME_VALID_OUT
5
DGND
6
DGND
7
CAMLINK_CLK [P]
8
CAMLINK_CLK [N]
9
CAMLINK_DATA [0P]
10
CAMLINK_DATA [0N]
11
CAMLINK_DATA [1P]
12
CAMLINK_DATA [1N]
13
CAMLINK_DATA [2P]
14
CAMLINK_DATA [2N]
15
CAMLINK_DATA [3P]
16
CAMLINK_DATA [3N]
17
DGND
18
DGND
19
DISCRETE IO REG [0]
20
DISCRETE IO REG [1]
21
EXTERNAL_SYNC
22
(XP 12) Z
23
DISCRETE IO REG [2]
24
DISCRETE IO REG [3]
25
DISCRETE IO REG [4]
26
DISCRETE IO REG [5]
27
DGND
28
DGND
29
CMOS DATA_OUT [7]
30
CMOS DATA_OUT [6]
31
CMOS DATA_OUT [5]
32
CMOS DATA_OUT [4]
33
CMOS DATA_OUT [3]
34
CMOS DATA_OUT [2]
35
CMOS DATA_OUT [1]
36
CMOS DATA_OUT [0]
37
DGND
38
DGND
39
CLOCK_OUT
40
Z
41
DGND
42
DGND
43
VID_OUT_H
44
VID_OUT_L
45
DGND
46
n/c
47
MAIN_PWR_RTN
48
MAIN_PWR
49
MAIN_PWR_RTN
50
MAIN_PWR
Page 12
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Table 3. Pinout Hirose 50-pin Connector, Output Mode (1), BT.656
Pin #
Signal Name
Pin #
Signal Name
1
COMM_TX (RS232_TX_OUT)
2
COMM_RX (RS232_RX_IN)
3
DISCRETE IO REG [6]
4
DISCRETE IO REG [7]
5
DGND
6
DGND
7
CAMLINK_CLK [P]
8
CAMLINK_CLK [N]
9
CAMLINK_DATA [0P]
10
CAMLINK_DATA [0N]
11
CAMLINK_DATA [1P]
12
CAMLINK_DATA [1N]
13
CAMLINK_DATA [2P]
14
CAMLINK_DATA [2N]
15
CAMLINK_DATA [3P]
16
CAMLINK_DATA [3N]
17
DGND
18
DGND
19
DISCRETE IO REG [0]
20
DISCRETE IO REG [1]
21
EXTERNAL_SYNC
22
(XP 12) Z
23
DISCRETE IO REG [2]
24
DISCRETE IO REG [3]
25
DISCRETE IO REG [4]
26
DISCRETE IO REG [5]
27
DGND
28
DGND
29
BT656 DATA_OUT [7]
30
BT656 DATA_OUT [6]
31
BT656 DATA_OUT [5]
32
BT656 DATA_OUT [4]
33
BT656 DATA_OUT [3]
34
BT656 DATA_OUT [2]
35
BT656 DATA_OUT [1]
36
BT656 DATA_OUT [0]
37
DGND
38
DGND
39
CLOCK_OUT BT656 (27Mhz)
40
Z
41
DGND
42
DGND
43
VID_OUT_H
44
VID_OUT_L
45
DGND
46
n/c
47
MAIN_PWR_RTN
48
MAIN_PWR
49
MAIN_PWR_RTN
50
MAIN_PWR
Page 13
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TEC Connector
On one side of the camera housing there is a Molex connector that provides power for the thermo-electric
cooler (TEC). The TEC requires 4.9-5.5VDC input. While actual power consumption will vary with the
ambient and mounting environment, peak power for this connection is limited to 2.5W. Commonly, this
connector requires 0.3W at room ambient temperatures with the camera mounted on a tripod.
Included in the standard camera kit is a matching TEC power cable (FLIR PN 308-0268-00) terminated
at one end with a Molex Pico-Lock 2-pin connector. See Figure 5. This connector is keyed to prevent
connecting a reversed voltage to the TEC. The wires are black and red. The red is for a +5V supply and
the black is for the return or ground.
Figure 3. Detailed illustration of TEC power connector
Note: If, for any reason, the TEC power cable must be removed, the Molex Pico-Lock connector must be
pinched on both ends to disengage the locking mechanism. Once unlocked, gently pull out and slightly
forward (toward the front of the camera), ensuring the connector does not get hung up on the camera
body. Apply the minimum force necessary to remove the cable from the connector. Use caution as to not
pull the wires out of the connector body.
Figure 4. TEC Power Connector Pin Assignments
Page 14
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TEC Power Through Accessory Boards
When using either the VPC or Camera Link Adaptor accessory boards, power may be supplied to the
TEC Power connector via a cable from the accessory board. See Section 5.0 for a description of these
accessory boards. Once connected, a cover plate is installed over the cable and TEC power connector
port on the side of the camera. In this configuration both camera power and TEC power are supplied
through the USB connector on the accessory board. With either of these two accessory boards a USB
cable with a second power input is provided to handle higher than ½ amp current normally supplied
through USB from a computer.
Figure 5. TEC wires
TEC power connector
Page 15
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Mechanical Interface
Mechanically mounting the camera can be accomplished by utilizing the M2.0 x 0.4 mounting holes
located on the top, bottom and left side of the camera. Each pair of holes are 4mm deep and have a 24mm
separation.
Alternatively, an optional ¼ x 20 mounting accessory (FLIR part number 261‐2071‐00) can be purchased
that utilizes one of the the three M2.0 x 0.4 hole pairs. See Figure 6.
Figure 6. Optional ¼-20 Mount Accessory
Page 16
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Optical Interface
The standard Tau SWIR camera kit comes with a C-mount optical adaptor, as shown in Figure 7.
Figure 7. Front-Face C-Mount Adaptor
If the C-mount interface is not needed, it can be removed by unscrewing the four M1.6 mounting screws
using an M1.5 allen head wrench. Further details on the optical interface can be found in the Mechanical
IDD document. Use extreme caution when working with the optics to prevent contamination of the VPA
window. If cleaning becomes necessary, see Section 8.2 for instructions.
5.0 Optional Accessories
The Tau SWIR Camera can be used with either the Tau SWIR VPC Module Accessory (FLIR PN 4210059-00) or the Tau SWIR Camera Link Module Accessory (FLIR PN 421-0058-00) for simple desktop
operation. These accessories provide an easy way to evaluate the camera core and access analog and, in
the case of the Camera Link Module, digital video during development. To help simplify mechanical
mounting of the Tau SWIR camera, it can be used with the ¼ 20 Mount accessory (261‐2071‐00).
When using either the VPC or Camera Link Adaptor accessory boards, power may be supplied to the
TEC power connector via a cable from the accessory board. A cover plate is installed (see Figure 8) over
the cable and TEC power connector port on the side of the camera. In this configuration both camera
power and TEC power are supplied through the USB connector on the accessory board.
VPC Module Accessory
C-Mount Adaptor
TEC Power Connector
Camera Body
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