Infrared (IR) cameras have been a boon for security applications, as they are able to capture clear images even at night or in other situations in which there are low levels of visible light. Such cameras function by utilizing LED arrays that illuminate the field of view with infrared light. In recent years, as IR LED technology has advanced, long-range IR capabilities are being incorporated into surveillance cameras. However, long-range IR generally depends on high IR intensity, which results in overexposure if an object is too close to the LED. For example, a person’s face will be “whited out” so that no features can be discerned, making the images captured unusable for identification purposes.

VIVOTEK has worked to overcome this shortcoming plaguing conventional IR cameras by drawing on Smart IR technology. Smart IR eliminates overexposure problems by dynamically adjusting the intensity of infrared light emitted by the camera’s LED source as an object of interest moves closer or farther away in the field of view. This ensures that the object is captured by the camera at an appropriate exposure level, preserving detail that would otherwise be lost with a conventional IR camera when the object is close by. The result is greater effectiveness for demanding applications such as identification of people or vehicle license plate numbers under low visible light conditions.