The Panomera camera developed by German manufacturer Dallmeier has been awarded a European patent, eight years after receiving a German patent.
In contrast to conventional technologies, which may mix megapixel and pan and tilt cameras, or cameras with multi-sensors, Panomera multifocal-sensor cameras capture all regions of an area continuously and in highest resolution because the images are stitched together in one camera from as many as seven detail sensors plus an overall image sensor. The minimum resolution quality can be defined precisely for each region as early as the planning stage, thus ensuring that its data is usable in court or of a quality that permits analysis. The developers add that areas or distances can be captured with a much smaller number of cameras than by conventional solutions.
During surveillance or observation itself, operators can zoom into any number of regions at the same time, while the high-resolution display of the overall event is maintained at all times. Panomera has now been granted European Patent Number 2715692. Any number of zooms can be made with high resolution in all detail regions of the overall event even after the fact, in the back-up – important for forensic analysis.
At the same time, the Panomera cameras deliver “blanket coverage” in high image resolution. In every partial region of the area to be monitored, the image quality does not fall below a defined minimum level. The criterion here is the “resolution density”, which is defined in standard DIN EN 62676-4 with the unit “pixels per metre” (px/m). For example, to be able to identify an unknown person, at least 250 px/m are required in the corresponding section of the image. This ensures that the video recordings are usable in court and is also particularly important for video analysis applications (such as, object classification) for which consistent, precisely planned minimum data quality is essential. This is important for AI-based analysis procedures, which are not yet on the market yet.
Panomera cameras also reduce the associated infrastructure (cost of masts, erection, wiring, cable routing, installation points, screens to be watched), the firm adds. Panomeras are in use at stadiums, airports, factories, and casinos; and in logistics. The Panomera can be operated with Dallmeier Video Management Software (VMS) or integrated in third party systems.
