TECHNICAL
NOTE
Seeing through fog and rain with a
thermal imaging camera
Metrological effects of Fog & Rain
upon IR Camera Performance The PTZ-35x140 MS is a thermal imaging system incorporating
two thermal imaging cameras and a daylight/lowlight camera.
Both thermal imaging cameras are equipped with a longwave
uncooled microbolometer detector, offering excellent range per-
formance in fog.
Thermal imaging cameras can produce a clear What is the sensitivity? What is the size of the object Transmittance of infrared radiation
image in total darkness. They need no light at all you want to detect? What is the temperature of the Even in clear skies, inherent atmospheric absorption
to produce a crisp image in which the smallest target and the background? places limits on how far a particular infrared camera
of details can be seen. It makes them an excel- can see. A thermal imaging camera produces an
lent instrument for numerous night vision applica- The “How Far...”question is most often answered image based on the differences in thermal radiation
tions. under ideal climatological conditions so the next that an object emits. In essence, the farther this
question that needs to be answered is then : “What infrared signal has to travel from the target to the
“How far can you see with a thermal imaging happens to the range in fog, rain or other climatic camera, the more of that signal can be lost along
camera?” is a frequently asked question which conditions?” the way.
is extremely important to answer for most night
vision applications. The distance you can see Although thermal imaging cameras can see in As such, the attenuation factor needs to be taken
with a thermal imaging camera, also called the total darkness, through light fog, light rain and into account. This is the ratio of the incident radiation
range, is highly dependant on a number of camera snow, the distance they can see is affected by these to the radiation transmitted through a shielding
variables: What lens are you using? Is the camera atmospheric conditions. material. Humid air acts as a “shield” for infrared
equipped with a cooled or uncooled detector? radiation. Summer month atmospheres usually have
a higher attenuation compared to winter months
due to increased humidity levels. Therefore, assuming
clear skies and good weather conditions, you will be
able to see farther with a thermal imaging camera in
winter than in summer.
COMMERCIAL VISION SYSTEMS
TECHNICAL
NOTE
HRC-Multisensor ThermoVision 3000 Multisensor
The HRC and the ThermoVision 3000 Multisensor are both equipped with a cooled detector. The HRC is equipped with a
Indium Antimonide (InSb) detector operating in the 3 – 5 μm midwave IR band. The ThermoVision 3000 incorporates a
Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector operating in the 8 – 9 μm longwave IR band. Both can detect man sized targets
at extremely long ranges.
But humid air is just one example of how infrared radiative cooling of the air at temperatures close to Moderate Resolution Propagation Model
radiation can be lost. There are other climatic the dew point. (MODTRAN)
conditions which are far more detrimental to the MODTRAN is an atmospheric radiative transfer code
range of a thermal imaging camera. Some fogbanks are denser than others because the created and supported by the United States Air Force.
water droplets have grown bigger through accretion. It has the ability to model the atmosphere under
Fog and rain can severely limit the range of a thermal In fog conditions droplets can absorb more water a variety of atmospheric conditions. It can predict
imaging system due to scattering of light off droplets and grow considerably in size. The question whether atmospheric properties including path radiances, path
of water. The higher the density of droplets, the scattering is less in the IR waveband compared to the transmission, sky radiances and surface reaching solar
more the infrared signal is diminished. An important visible range depends on the size distribution of the and lunar irradiances for a wide range of wavelengths
question that customers ask is how much rain or fog droplets. and spectral resolutions.
will limit the range performance of a thermal infrared
camera, and how does this compare to the range in There are different ways to classify fog. An often-used MODTRAN enables the calculation of transmittance
the visible region of the spectrum. classification is the one used by the International and radiance in a wide spectral range. It offers six
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). According to this climate models for different geographical latitudes
Fog classifications system, fog can be classified in 4 categories: and seasons. The model also defines six different
Fog is a visible aggregate of minute water droplets aerosol types which can appear in each of the climates.
suspended in the atmosphere at or near the surface Category I: visual range 1220 meters Each of the climate models can be combined with the
of the earth. When air is almost saturated with water Category II: visual range 610 meters different aerosols.
vapor, this means that the relative humidity is close Category IIIa: visual range 305 meters
to 100%, and that fog can form in the presence of a Category IIIc: visual range 92 meters How far you can see through fog or rain with a thermal
sufficient number of condensation nuclei, which can imaging camera will also depend on the climate
be smoke or dust particles. The reason for degradation of visibility in a foggy in which you are using the camera and the type of
atmosphere is the absorption and scattering of aerosol which is present in this specific climate.
There are different types of fog. Advection fog is natural or artificial illumination by fog particles. The
formed through the mixing of two air masses with amount of absorption and scattering depends on the
different temperatures and/or humidity. Another microphysical structure of the fog particles, which are Climate Aerosol
form is radiative fog. This is formed in a process of also called aerosols. Tropical Rural
Midlatitude summer Maritime
Midlatitude winter Urban
Subarctic summer Advection fog
Subarctic winter Radiative fog
US Standard Desert
The input data for the MODTRAN model
The input data for the MODTRAN model are the above Atmospheric Transmission Model Results - Fog
mentioned specific climates and aerosols but also the The spectral transmission of the atmosphere for varying ranges enables a simple
visibility according to ICAO categories, geometry and qualitative comparison of the visibility in different atmospheric windows.
length of the atmospheric path and the temperature
and emissivity of target and background. Figure 1 shows the spectral transmission for CAT I fog in midlatitude summer and
rural aerosols. In the visible spectral waveband (0.4 - 0.75 microns) the transmission is
In general, a comparison of the different aerosols significantly lower than in both thermal IR windows (between 3-5 and 8-12 microns).
shows that the maritime aerosols always result in the In these conditions a thermal imaging camera will see significantly further than the
lowest detection range independent of the climate naked eye regardless whether it is using a longwave or midwave detector.
model, since maritime aerosols have in average
greater particle radii than rural and urban aerosols.
The rural and urban aerosols produce noticeably
greater detection ranges in the infrared band.
This means that you can see less well through fog
©Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
IR window
IR window
in maritime conditions than in land conditions, visible window
irrespective of the climate type.
Thermal imaging camera and target
Just as the type and thickness of the atmosphere has
an influence on how far one can see through fog,
the type of infrared camera used and specifically the
waveband in which the camera operates are also of
importance.
There are two wavebands of importance for thermal
imaging cameras: 3.0-5μm (MWIR) and 8-12μm (LWIR).
The 5-8μm band is blocked by spectral absorption of When we reduce the visibility to CAT II conditions with radiative fog in the model,
the atmosphere by water vapor to such a tremendous then it predicts that only the LWIR (8-12 microns) band is superior to the visible
extent that it is rarely used for imaging. band, and that a midwave infrared camera will not see much further than the
naked eye. (Figure 2)
IR window
©Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
IR window
The electromagnetic spectrum
Thermal imaging cameras that are equipped with
uncooled sensors are designed to work in the
visible window
longwave infrared (LWIR) band between 7 and 14
microns in wavelength, where terrestrial targets emit
most of their infrared energy and uncooled detection
is easy.
Thermal cameras that are equipped with cooled
detectors (where the sensors are cooled to cryogenic Finally, in Cat III conditions (Figure 3), with visibility less than 300 m, there are
temperatures) are the most sensitive to small no substantial differences between how far you can see with a thermal imaging
temperature differences in scene temperature and are camera and how far you can see with the naked eye.
generally designed to image in the midwave infrared
band (MWIR) or in the longwave (LWIR) band.
The spectral transmission is different in the MWIR and
©Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR)
visible window
the LWIR bands. Therefore there will be a difference
how far one can see through fog with a thermal
imaging camera equipped with an uncooled LWIR IR window IR window
detector compared to a cooled MWIR detector.
The transmission alone does not fully determine All detection ranges for IR are significantly better than
how far and what you can see, but the comparison the visual for Cat I type of fog. For Cat II type of fog
between visual and IR transmission shows whether the result is four times better with a thermal imaging
the atmosphere favors or discriminates a certain camera equipped with a LWIR detector compared
waveband. to visual.
Detection range In Cat IIIa and Cat IIIc types of fog, there is virtually
The conditions of the atmosphere alone aren’t no difference between how far you can see with a
enough to predict how far one can see through fog thermal imaging camera and with the naked eye Fog Thermal image
or rain. The size of the target and the temperature since the atmosphere is the limiting factor. Radiation
difference with the background both need to be does not penetrate through this dense type of fog in
taken into account. Furthermore, the limited spatial all (visible, MWIR and LWIR) spectral bands.
resolution of the optics and the detector, and the
noise of the detector and signal processing also Conclusion & results
reduce the contrast radiance of target to background. According to these models, Cat I and Cat II types
The influence of the infrared sensor’s transfer functions of fog, the thermal IR band offers better range
on the contrast radiance is simulated with the TACOM performance compared to the visual band. As
Fog Thermal image
Thermal Image Model (TTIM). This model enables to such, thermal IR cameras are well suited to look
simulate different types of IR sensors with focal plane through these types of fog. The models suggest that
arrays. thermal imaging cameras are potentially useful as
landing aids for airplanes or as part of driver vision
The table below compares the detection range in enhancement systems for the transportation and
kilometers through fog with the naked eye, a MWIR automotive industry.
camera and an LWIR camera, given a temperature
difference of 10°C between the target and the The models suggest that fog penetration is higher in
background and a detection threshold of 0.15 K the LWIR compared to the MWIR band in all studied Fog Thermal image
cases. For Cat II type of fog, the LWIR spectral band
Fog Category Visual MWIR LWIR offers about four times better range performance
Cat I 1.22 3.0 – 9.8 5.9 – 10.1 compared to the MWIR band. However, sensor
Cat II 0.61 0.54 2.4 thermal sensitivity and the target signatures must
Cat IIIa 0.305 0.294 0.293 be taken into account to arrive at a final selection
Cat III c 0.092 0.089 0.087 of the best system to meet the application. Also
cost considerations come into play. For instance, for
For Cat I, the IR detection range is given in a range security & surveillance applications, it is generally not
Fog Thermal image
span, representing the variation within different economical to use uncooled LWIR systems for longer
climates and aerosols as specified in MODTRAN. In ranges as the lenses become too big and expensive.
Being able to see through fog is useful for a lot of
the LWIR the best conditions occur in winter with low applications. Maritime, security, automotive and
absolute humidity and a rural aerosol distribution. MWIR radiation is adversely affected by atmospheric aviation applications can all benefit from the power of
thermal imaging and its ability to see further through
In the MWIR band the detection range is best in pollutants and pollutant gases (possible increased
most types of fog than the naked eye or a CCTV camera
conditions with high temperatures , like a summer or atmospheric absorption and/or increase levels of in-
tropical atmosphere. path radiance – both of which reduce target image
contrast). LWIR is much less affected.
Rain can significantly reduce target contrast (due
to increased atmospheric scattering and general
obscuration) and LWIR and MWIR perform similarly
in the presence of rain. IR system performance Acknowlegements to Dr. Austin Richards and
degradation due to rain is very range sensitive, Mr. T. Hoelter for valuable input and advice.
whereby there is a dramatic drop off in the 100-500 References:
meter range. K. Beier, H. Gemperlein, Simulation of infrared detection
range at fog conditions for Enhanced Vision Systems
in civil aviation in Aerospace Science and Technology
Just like it is impossible to give a simple answer 8 (2004) 63 - 71
to the question “How far can I see with a thermal
imaging camera?”, it is equally impossible to say
how much shorter the range will be in foggy or For more information about thermal imaging
rainy conditions. This is not only dependant on the cameras or about this application,
atmospheric conditions and the type of fog but it is please contact:
also dependent on the IR camera used and on the
properties of the target (size, temperature difference FLIR Commercial Vision Systems B.V.
of the target and background, etc) Charles Petitweg 21
4847 NW Teteringen - Breda - Netherlands
Phone : +31 (0) 765 79 41 94
Fax : +31 (0) 765 79 41 99
e-mail : flir@[Link]
[Link]