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CCTV TECHNOLOGY


CCTV – MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY PICTURE


Brian Taylor, a specialist in Hazardous Area Communications at Eaton, charts the evolution of CCTV in industrial areas and considers where it is headed next


ince its inception, CCTV technology has proven its worth in hazardous and industrial environments by helping humans to monitor reliably and consistently 24/7. Sometimes the application is for safety purposes: there are obvious benefits in ensuring only authorised personnel can gain access to potentially dangerous machinery or chemicals, for example. Other times, remote CCTV cameras can monitor processes in hazardous environments which are hostile or largely inaccessible to humans. Examples include remote pipelines, unmanned offshore platforms and locations that involve extreme temperatures, from -60˚C to +70˚C. The fact that CCTV has become such a fundamental part of industrial control systems in a relatively short period of time makes it easy to overlook the rapid advances in technology that have led to its successful adoption. Throughout its development, CCTV has experienced some stumbling blocks. But the advent of digital technology at the beginning of the 21st century removed these barriers, though its rapid evolution continues to cause some issues for early adopters. For users who have already invested in analogue CCTV for their hazardous or industrial application, the cost and downtime involved in swapping out an entire analogue system in order to reap the benefits of digital technology can be prohibitive. Cabling is the central issue, because it is both expensive and disruptive to replace standalone systems based on Coax with the CAT5/CAT6 digital cables that are essential for full networking and IP based CCTV systems.


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Eaton was quick to realise the need for a transitional technology to resolve this dilemma. Its solution – Ethernet over Coax


50 FEBRUARY 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL


CCTV has become a fundamental part of industrial control systems, performing safety, security and process control functions


Ex-rated GRP Cameras for hazardous and harsh industrial environments (opposite)


(EoC) – was the first technology of its kind on the market and allows IP data to be transmitted across existing analogue cabling. As a result, customers are able to upgrade to a superior IP CCTV system without the disruption and cost of replacing all the cabling in an installation. The EoC analogue to IP upgrade also allows customers to reuse existing racks, only replacing some central equipment, and is compatible with Eaton’s wide range of CCTV camera stations.


For new installations, the clear technology progression points to digital solutions. Any distance restrictions on CAT 5/6/7 ethernet cables are easily overcome by fibre optic media converters allowing vast distance coverage – up to 20km. Combined with the ability to remote view from any location via cloud technology, digital CCTV offers a package suitable for even very complex sites.


Functionality developments Digitalisation has prompted rapid developments in increased CCTV functionality. In addition to fixed cameras, users can now opt for CCTV systems with tilt, panning and zoom capabilities at magnifications (x20, x30) that were previously unknown. These functional developments improve the ability to track, monitor and respond to potential safety or process incidents, while higher resolution allows better definition than ever before. Even the challenge of low light levels has been overcome, with the advent of night vision cameras. For example, Eaton offers a Smart IR optical camera in which the light beam will mimic the zoom function to ensure the illumination is focused on the same object or area. In addition to maintaining high quality monitoring 24/7, night vision enables the extension of reliable CCTV coverage into largely unlit industrial areas, such as warehouses and silo storage facilities, where


monitoring was previously not possible. Digital CCTV also means that visual data can be used to trigger a desired response. Cross line detection and person counting are just two examples, both of which have important roles in ensuring safe working. The first may raise an alert if a person or vehicle enters a restricted, virtually-defined zone. The latter may be used to prevent too many people entering a defined area, or to ensure an area is clear of all personnel. Better image clarity and improvements in motion detection mean that digital CCTV is able to differentiate between vehicles, people, animals and trees – improving accuracy and reducing false alarms.


Indeed, the technology can provide sophisticated decision-making, based on digital data. ‘Person down’ functionality has the intelligence to discern between someone working close to the ground as opposed to someone ‘overall not moving’ and trigger an alarm for the viewer to verify and send out a responder service. This function can also work in tandem with crowd detection, where people may gather around a casualty.


The recent advent of combined optical and thermal cameras means that CCTV is also capable of environmental monitoring, with cameras being used to measure the temperature of vessels, machinery and conveyors. This means CCTV is used increasingly as an integral part of quality control, traceability and predictive maintenance regimes.


In other words, CCTV functionality has moved from passive monitoring to providing high quality, real-time data which enables smarter working: increasing efficiency in problem/incident solving and improving security and safety in the workplace. In order to keep pace with the demands of modern industrial environments, industrial


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