Vue Pro R: Raw values differ between single frame / tiff sequence - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: RHilland
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 01, 2019, 02:31:38 pm
content: Hi all,Tried searching for this but didn't come up with anything - please point me to another thread if this has already been discussed elsewhere.I'm working with a FLIR Vue Pro R at the moment and finding the 1Hz sample rate of the image option a bit restrictive. Recording as a 'movie' increases sample rate but saves the resulting data as a multipage .tiff file. Using exiftool and the Atlas SDK for Matlab I can extract calibration coefficients and reconstruct the same temperature values that FLIR does and that's all hunkey dorey. But the tiff files are giving me a headache.I use imagemagick to decompose the tiff sequence to a series of individual frames and then read in these .tiff files to Matlab for further processing. But the numbers are in a totally different range for the .tiff files than the rjpegs. It looks like a lot less metadata is stored for each of the .tiff files than the rjpegs so not sure what's going on there.The rjpegs are in a ~3000 range which produce good temperatures when converted using the coefficients. The tiffs are in a ~7000 range and are obviously not. My assumption is this is some kind of 14/16-bit disparity but my attempts to convert the tiff values to 14-bit haven't yielded good results, nor vice versa. The user guide for the imager says it records 14-bit values but the exif data says the sensor and file are saved as 16-bits.Generally confused, looking for any advice on the topic or directions to further reading.Thanks in advance,Rainer

author: RHilland
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 07, 2019, 06:53:37 am
content: Well I finally got an update from FLIR regarding this issue, so here's a follow up just in case anyone else ever runs in to the same issue:According to FLIR, the Vue Pro R (radiometric) does NOT store radiometric information for any of its video formats. The UAS software also seems to be locked to 1 Hz max sample rate for radiometric jpgs.If you purchase this 9 Hz radiometric imager you actually only get a 1 Hz radiometric imager!This is in direct contradiction to the user guide for the imager which explicitly states that it will record 14-bit raw tiff sequences, but oh well

author: Dianyang
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2019, 12:23:24 pm
content: Hi RHilland,The 14bit raw data will cost a lot of system resource to write into the micro SD card, Vue Pro CPU is hard to increase the performance, so it is not locked, it is the system capability, I think it could be 1-2 14 bit radiometric image in one second.

author: RHilland
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 20, 2019, 12:47:06 pm
content: I think you're correct that it's a hardware rather than software limitation. Either way none of their literature about the product lets you know that you'll be locked to only 1 Hz.

author: Dianyang
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2019, 02:08:44 am
content: You may disassemble the hardware, and look at that CPU, if you are familiar with that, you may calculate the capability of the CPU.

author: Ben321
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2019, 06:45:03 am
content: The point is, the literature SHOULD disclose this defect. The fact they do not is indicative of an unfair (and likely illegal) business practice, involving intentional deception, to make the product sound better than it actually is, so people will buy it who would otherwise not buy it. In other words, this is a classic example of false advertising, all as a way for them to make an extra buck, hurting their customers in the process. I would recommend that you return it and ask for a refund, or even better sue them, and take your winnings from the suit and buy a REAL high frame rate high resolution thermal imager, capable of recording true radiometric raw video files (like the T640 or the T1024).

author: RHilland
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 28, 2019, 07:21:25 am
content: I mean we definitely discussed that idea, but there's not a lot of extra time in my PhD program for getting embroiled in legal battles. We have a couple other higher frequency imagers, but the Vue Pro R seems to be the best option at the moment for drone-based thermography. If you have other suggestions I'm all ears.

author: Dianyang
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 01:04:43 pm
content: Actually you didn't find the correct UAV infrared camera, we may provide some UAV cameras 384x288, 640x480 with 30Hz - 50Hz video output, 1Hz or 30Hz (different version) 16bit raw data output, 4 PWM channels, 25mm lens (could be changed), cvbs or Ethernet port, almost the same size as FLIR Vue Pro etc...https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/U640-Night-Vision-Infrared-Thermal-UAV_60836616721.html?spm=a2747.manage.0.0.33e371d2SPFMrT

author: Hyper_Spectral
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 02:53:34 pm
content: Hi, who produces your thermal cores, a manufacturer in China?Also, do you offer resolutions higher than 640x512? A minimum of 1000x1000 pixels would be nice for UAVs but I do not know if it can be imported into the US and exported from China.

author: Hyper_Spectral
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2019, 02:54:28 pm
content: The only other option without a huge hassle is the XT, essentially the Tau 2 core. Obviously you have to be sure you get the radiometric version...which may be export controlled in the US. Is that the problem you ran into, export/ITAR controls?

author: Dianyang
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 01:41:03 am
content: The core is ULIS sensor, now only have 640*480 and 384*288. I attached some pictures with around 50m and 100m view for your reference, the image is much better than FLIR Vue Pro (Tau2).And the radiometric files can be analyzed by our software.

author: Vipitis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2019, 11:16:05 am
content: What is the asking price for one of those 640 cores based on ULIS sensors?

author: Dianyang
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2019, 08:32:14 am
content: It is around US$3,000 to US$4,000, depend on different configurations.