issue n°139 - I-Micronews

10 | ISSUE N°139 | 7/02/13
IMAGING
Opgal introduces EyeCGas Camera System for remote gas detection
Opgal answers the needs of the petro and drilling industry’s gas leak detection requirements with its EyeCGas Camera System. EyeCGas, an innovative,
unique gas detection camera, has already achieved worldwide success for remotely detecting gas in the industrial environmental market.
The oil & gas industry continues to face
increasing safety and environmental
constraints, driving stricter regulations.
The recent discovery of significant gas reserves
off the coasts of Israel is just one example of
this growing issue. But the case of the city of
Haifa shows that Opgal’s camera addresses
other environmental hazards beyond those of
gas exploration and production.
Benzene, a component of gasoline, is known
as a potential contributor to the development
of human cancer. Dr. Ofer Dressler , the
Director General of the Haifa Bay Urban
Association for Environmental Protection,
states that «Petrol stations in the Haifa Bay
contribute about 15% of the benzene
emissions in the area as well as other toxins.
It’s critical that we continuously monitor these
stations.» The Haifa Bay Urban Association for
Environmental Protection has given top
priority to detecting the harmful gas. Opgal’s
EyeCGas provides a solution to this potential
problem as it is used to monitor more than
100 petro stations located within the city of
Haifa and will soon also monitor petrochemical
plants in the Haifa Bay area.
EyeCGas, equipped with a 75mm lens, is the
only camera of its kind in the world that has
been certified for use in sensitive and
hazardous locations according to American
and European standards (ATEX, CSA, UL). The
camera’s impressive performance has earned
worldwide accolades and has been sold to
dozens of companies around the world through
its inter national network of specialized
partners and marketing channels.
Opgal’s EyeCGas camera technology is based
on a unique infrared sensor and algorithms
that enable detection of multiple types of
hydrocarbon vapors, viewing them as a clear
video image on an LCD screen and recording
those video images together with an
associated audio narration. Assessments
conducted by third party laboratories have
proven the camera’s sensitivity way beyond
EyeCGas Camera System (Courtesy of Opgal)
the minimum EPA requirement of 60 grams
per hour. EyeCGas detects methane levels as
low as 0.35 grams per hour.
www.opgal.com
Cost-effective process to improve performance of
CMOS sensors
Image sensors are at the core of every digital camera. Before a snapshot
appears on the display, the sensors first convert the light from the lens
to electrical signals. The image processor then uses these to create the
final photo.
Ultra-thin: Organic sensors can be
applied to CMOS chips over large and
small surfaces, as well as to glass or
flexible Ultra-thin: Organic sensors can be
applied to CMOS chips over large and small
surfaces, as well as to glass or flexible plastic
films.
Many compact and cellphone cameras contain
silicon-based image sensors produced using
CMOS (complementary metal oxide
semiconductor) technology. Prof. Paolo Lugli
and Dr. Daniela Baierl from TUM have
developed a cost-effective process to improve
the performance of these CMOS sensors.
Their approach revolves around an ultra-thin
film made of organic compounds, in other
words plastics.
The challenge lay in applying the plastic
solution to the surface of the image sensors.
The researchers tested spin- and spraycoating
methods to apply the plastic in its
liquid, solution form as precisely and costeffectively
as possible. They were looking for
a smooth plastic film that is no more than a
few hundred nanometers thick. Spray-coating
was found to be the best method, using either
a simple spray gun or a spray robot.
Organic sensors have already proven their
worth in tests: They are up to three times
more sensitive to light than conventional
CMOS sensors, whose electronic components
conceal some of the pixels, and therefore the
photoactive silicon surface.
Organic sensors can be manufactured without
the expensive post-processing step typically
required for CMOS sensors. Every part of
every single pixel, including the electronics,
is sprayed with the liquid polymer solution,
giving a surface that is 100 percent lightsensitive.
The low noise and high frame rate
properties of the organic sensors also make
them a good fit for cameras.
Another advantage of the plastic sensors is
that different chemical compounds can be
used to capture different parts of the light
spectrum.
www.tum.de
Collection of customs duty on image sensors
suspended
FRAMOS eliminates cost factor for European industry.
FRAMOS has achieved a Europe-wide
suspension of customs duty on CMOS
image sensors with the support of two
members of the German Bundestag (lower
house of parliament) and the industrial
association VDMA. Allocating imported goods
into the correct customs tariff class is a
complicated task, especially when a range of
applicable tariff groups exist. A typical
example in this regard is the correct
allocation of imaging sensors, especially CCD
and CMOS sensors.
As all of the main functional assemblies are
housed on a chip, it is reasonable to allocate
CCD and CMOS to tariff group 8542 for
“Integrated circuits” and thus to account for
them as exempt from duty. However, the
usual interpretation applied by customs
officials is that this tariff group is not
applicable to these components, since almost
all sensors commonly used nowadays also
contain purely optical elements (micro lenses,
colour filters) without an electrical input or
output signal.
Under this interpretation, such an imaging
sensor is not an integrated circuit. Instead,
the sensors are to be allocated to tariff group
“8529 – Parts for television cameras” and are
therefore subject to a hefty rate of duty. A
customs duty suspension has already been in
place for special CCD sensors within the
applicable customs tariff number 85.29 9092
since 2010. As the technical description
broadly applies both to CCD and to CMOS
within the scope of this customs duty
suspension, the FRAMOS Group, one of the
biggest European importers of image sensors,
filed an application to have the customs duty
suspension extended to cover CMOS sensors.
This application was approved with effect
from 1 January 2013.
The prevalence of CMOS sensors has
increased in virtually every relevant branch
of industry in recent years. The automotive
industry, in particular, is increasingly reliant
on imaging techniques and extensively on
CMOS technology. The trend is also sharply
upwards in the areas of quality assurance,
process automation and medical technology.
www.framos.com
Two day conference plus expert
pre-conference workshops and
innovation platforms
IMAGE SENSORS 2013
FOCUS ON DIGITAL IMAGING
19-21 March, Park Plaza Victoria, London
image-sensors.com
This year’s Image Sensors agenda has now been released.
The programme includes 14 brand new speakers, including:
ZOOM
Embedded vision boosts
driver-assistance designs
By Tom Wilson, CogniVue Corp.
Forward facing Advanced Driver
Assistance Systems (FF ADAS) are
becoming increasingly important,
especially as the European New Car
Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP)
ratings are tied to AEB (Autonomous
Emergency Braking) and other important
car safety features. Euro NCAP recently
announced a new rating scheme for the
years 2013 to 2017, which is also driving
ADAS trends for players across the
automotive market, from tier 1s and
manufacturers, to semiconductor
suppliers.
ADAS applications such as AEB and Lane
Departure Warning (LDW) will be taken
much more strongly into account by 2014,
and will be key for achieving a top Euro
NCAP 5-star rating, which significantly
impacts car manufacturers’ sales rates.
image-sensors.com
Book now to save 15%, quote ‘AD15M’
Dr Howard E Rhodes, Chief Technical
Officer, OMNIVISION, USA
Jim De Filippis, CGO, Consultancy in Media
& Broadcast, (formerly FOX TV), USA
Alan Roberts, Colour Science
Consultant (formerly BBC R&D), UK
Prof Franco Zappa, POLITECNICO DI
MILANO, Italy
To the complete article, please visit
eetimes website.
www.eetimes.com