Netherlands-based Siqura, recently rebranded under the TKH Security Solutions group title, has launched its latest surveillance camera that has been developed specifically for use in road or rail tunnels.
Tunnels are notoriously dangerous places, which is why those longer than 1,640ft (500m) are required under European law to be outfitted with security cameras. TKH’s new TunnelCam Ultimo has been specially designed for tunnel applications. Not only can the Ultimo withstand the harsh tunnel environments of corrosive exhaust gasses and vibrations, it can also endure the high-pressure water jets used during periodical tunnel cleaning. Made from stainless steel with a nano glass window, the TunnelCam network surveillance camera has been developed to withstand the wear and tear challenges that occur within the tunnel environment.
The TunnelCam Ultimo uses a hybrid monitoring system for tunnel safety and fire protection, and is equipped with both visual and thermal sensors that can simultaneously communicate over a single IP (Internet Protocol) address. The camera’s thermal sensor ensures the quick detection of hotspots, and can zoom in on the heat source, even in heavy smoke. The Ultimo is designed to produce high-quality, high-definition color images of the tunnel, with adjustable white balance and hue that will adjust for various lighting conditions. Backlight compensation and great wide dynamic range functions enhance image visibility in difficult lighting situations, ensuring quality pictures, even if vehicle headlights are seen in the frame.
The TunnelCam also allows third-party automatic incident detection (AID) software to be installed within the camera. Should a fire or incident occur in a tunnel protected by the Ultimo, the control center operators and emergency personnel can respond immediately, with the situation reported directly to the nearest traffic control center, so that vehicles coming in to and out of the tunnel can be rerouted or stopped, helping to avoid any further complications or safety issues.
TKH says the compact, and lightweight unit can be installed by one person right out of the box, as the Ultimo can be ordered with pre-configured settings, and power supply options. It also comes with a versatile bracket system for ceiling, wall and/or pole mounting, and the remote zoom and focus lens ensures easy adjustment. The Ultimo has multiple-stream capability for simultaneous streaming of one or more H.264, combined with MJPEG. It can also stream in different aspect ratios without scaling or transcoding, offering interoperability with existing traffic center systems with no added latency.
