The FLIR Maritime Thermal Monitoring System provides a sense of security.
Most boaters have heard of FLIR camera systems and their ability to “see” at night through thermal imaging by detecting differences in heat, not light. These systems have been an enormous safety feature when plying the waters in the dark. In fact, they’ve been a useful tool in most every outdoor activity from maritime, public safety, and security systems to industrial safety, transportation, defense, and aerospace systems to science and research programs, including from the air with the SIRAS drone and into space with the Boson camera.
In the maritime world, FLIR also produces the Maritime Thermal Monitoring System, the FLIR MTMS, that watches temperatures on critical equipment such as engines, exhausts, and shaft bearings. Another item that has peaked interest for both private and commercial use is the FLIR ONE Edge Pro. This innovative thermal camera wirelessly connects to smart devices, like the new iPhone 15, so users can see an image on their device wherever the camera is pointed. The FLIR ONE is a small, handheld camera that you can maneuver into tight spots and out-of-sight locations. This is a real advantage when trying to look behind equipment or in dark spaces, such as in the bilge, and is compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
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Thermal Cameras
The mainstay of the FLIR line are the thermal cameras, and for most mid-size yachts, the M300 series provides high-performance features with up to a vessel sight range of two nautical miles and more than 3,000 feet for objects the size of a human, such as paddleboarders, kayakers, and smaller objects.
The M364C and M364C LR (long range) have the added capability of the patented FLIR Color Thermal Vision technology that blends thermal and high-definition visible color video for enhanced visuals of buoys, vessels, and other floating targets at night, not to mention its gyrostabilization platform and the 30x optical zoom lens.
The M400XR is designed for larger yachts with a 3.7 nautical mile range for vessels and one nautical mile for smaller objects. It has video tracking capability to lock on targets using the visual or thermal camera in which the camera will tilt or pan to keep the target in view. The M400 series also has an IceAlert mode where cool objects, such as icebergs, appear in varying shades of blue and green.
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For smaller crafts, like kayaks and bay boats, the handheld Scion OTM monocular camera really fits the bill. It detects objects in complete darkness, glaring light, or haze and quickly captures images and video on a microSD memory card or the 2 GB internal storage in an IP67-rated waterproof housing.
Besides Raymarine, FLIR cameras are compatible with multifunction navigation displays from Garmin, Furuno, and Simrad. When integrated with the Raymarine Axiom series MFDs, FLIR’s smallest, most affordable marine thermal camera, the FLIR M232, offers ClearCruise IR video analytics, a cool feature that automatically detects and marks non-water objects with brackets to make it easier to identify boats, nav markers, people in the water, etc., and sends an alert when they appear in the camera’s range.
MTMS
Teledyne FLIR is the parent company, which also includes Raymarine, so FLIR’s MTMS camera integrates directly with the Raymarine chartplotter or a PC. What’s new with the FLIR MTMS system is that Garmin now supports the camera with its latest software update. Features include a live display of the video feed from the FLIR MTMS camera system, audible alarms and visual alerts on the Garmin chartplotter, full support for thermal, visible, and MSX thermal/visible blending, and thermal color palette selection as well as custom camera naming.
The FLIR MTMS is a powerful tool for monitoring and protecting vital machinery and equipment from catastrophic breakdown without waiting for smoke as a warning. The system has proven itself to effectively identify temperature anomalies in equipment like gas and diesel engines, generators, bearings, electrical panels,
and much more, including lithium-ion batteries that are used in the variety of toys and tenders on board.
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Besides the engine room, the camera is small enough to install in the tender garage and can detect a temperature range of 14 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit with a 46- by 37-degree field of vision and send alerts and/or alarms when temperatures exceed pre-set thresholds. In fact, the monitor is programmable to provide alerts based on high-, low- or delta-temperature factors. Alarm configuration is completed using the MTMS’ built-in web server through any network-connected device with a web browser.
The FLIR MTMS is equipped with both a FLIR Lepton thermal imager (longwave infrared camera module) as well as a visible camera with LED lighting making it suitable for use in lit or unlit spaces. flir.com
-by Jeremy Peters
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