A Clear Vision

The importance of safety has never stopped growing in the mobile off-highway market. With fewer skilled workers on each job site, as well as a general preoccupation with safety throughout the entire country, camera systems have become essential for most managers and machine operators.

For most mobile equipment, cameras serve as a set of extra eyes for an operator's blind spots. Commonly cameras are placed on the back of large pieces of machinery so the operator can make safe decisions while maneuvering the equipment. Cameras can be mounted on a trailer to monitor the critical load conditions, at the end of a sprayer to monitor the valves, or on a lift boom to monitor the load.

There are countless places a camera can be mounted on a piece of mobile equipment, and the features available make the system even more versatile than it has been in the past.

The camera

In accordance with demand for camera systems to last the life of the vehicle, durability as well as functionality are both high priority for the user. When working in industries like mining and construction, the amount of hazards that could potentially damage the camera are great.

Vibration, dust, water and debris are just a few of the countless environmental hazards present on the work site, and the camera must be able to stand up to those conditions in order to deliver the durability that customers demand and expect.

Intec's XL Series of cameras was engineered specifically for extreme-duty environments. Military specific moisture protection — involving multiple internal seals — and industrial strength construction often allows Intec's cameras to outlast the machine they're mounted on.

The cameras are also integrated with robust active safety technologies such as pulse radar. "The combined camera/radar system provides the driver the means to both actively recognize and then verify hazards and needed avoidance measures," says Donald Nama II, president, Intec Video Systems Inc., Laguna Hills, CA.

Intec Video Systems manufactures the Video Sentinel, a fully remote pan and tilt scene surveillance system, ideal for aerial views. The Sentinel features a color zoom camera coupled with a thermal camera enabling the viewer to locate dangerous hot spots without committing extra manpower to the task, excellent for mining applications.

The AgCam by Dakota Micro, Cayuga, ND, features such tight waterproofing that the company has cameras that have been submerged in fish tanks for around two and a half years.

Caterpillar's Work Area Vision System (WAVS) camera is sealed to IP69K to enable pressure washing. And if water isn't the issue but rather snow or ice, WAVS includes an automatic internal heater to eliminate lens fogging and icing. The camera is able to operate from -40 C to 75 C (-40 F to 167 F).

Its photochromatic lens darkens in ultraviolet light exposure so as not to white out the cameras input when in direct sunlight. In the future, Caterpillar will be introducing an optional lens washing system for extremely dusty applications.

The SuperSight camera from Superior Signals Inc., Olathe, KS, has a built-in microphone to allow the operator to use the monitor to not only see hidden hazards, but to hear potential problems, as well. This enhancement for the safety system allows the operator to rely on two senses, sight and hearing, to heighten his or her awareness while in the cab.

The PathFindIR by FLIR Systems, Wilsonville, OR, features thermal imaging, currently used for BMW's night vision system (see title images on page 34). The PathFindIR detects living objects up to 300 m, allowing more reaction time.

The night vision system produces an image based on the differences in heat radiation of objects and people. The differences are then transformed into a crisp image. The system is unaffected by light, so there is no risk of the operator being blinded by oncoming lights. Nor does the image received by the sensor/camera depend on light allowing the operator to see objects that are not illuminated at all.