The White House’s Opening Up America Again guidelines ask employers to develop and implement appropriate policies before reopening their workplaces, including monitoring the workforce for symptoms of COVID-19. Temperature checks are among the recommendations.
Building upon existing video surveillance technology, a thermal imaging solution is an efficient way to get quick and accurate temperature readings. No human contact is required. The thermal solution is well-suited for airports, public transportation hubs, office buildings, and schools. It can be deployed at entrances, exits, and corridors to provide real-time monitoring. It provides instant data to alert operators to elevated temperature. In addition, it reduces manpower requirements, saves material resources, and allows for a seamless flow of people.
The Dahua Thermal Temperature Monitoring Solution requires a hybrid camera, a blackbody device, and an NVR. Let’s break down each of these components.
The Camera
The dual lens, fixed bullet camera uses hybrid technology to combine thermal and visible light sensors into an integrated package. The thermal sensor provides temperature monitoring while the visible light sensor provides visual identification as a typical video surveillance camera would.
The Blackbody
A crucial component of the solution is the blackbody device, which provides a constant reference temperature with which to calibrate the camera and ensure accurate temperature readings. The camera is installed facing the blackbody, which is in turn installed within the camera’s field of view. The camera conducts real-time comparison and correction between the temperature measured by the blackbody and the preset temperature value in the blackbody. This continually improves the accuracy of the temperature reading; in fact the accuracy is rated at ± 0.54° F. Whereas other solutions may require recalibration if the ambient temperature changes – such as when a door opens and lets warm air in from outside, or when an A/C unit turns on – the implementation of the blackbody means recalibration is unnecessary even if the room temperature goes up or down.
The NVR
Both streams from the camera are fed into a feature-rich, 4 TB NVR for synchronized recording and playback. When the NVR is configured to activate the thermal alarm setting and face detection setting, it will work in tandem with the camera to send an alarm if a detected temperature exceeds a threshold established by the operator. Live alerts can also be pushed to the mobile app, and defined temperatures can be recorded automatically. NVR-based facial detection can provide positive ID of known individuals against a user-inputted facial database, providing more detailed data if needed.
We’ve put together a comprehensive online resource where you can get product specs, watch videos, download a free white paper, and learn how the thermal solution is being used in a variety of industries. Check it out here.
The Dahua Thermal Temperature Monitoring Solution is not FDA-cleared or approved. The Solution should not be solely or primarily used to diagnose or exclude a diagnosis of COVID-19 or any other disease. Elevated skin temperature in the context of use should be confirmed with secondary evaluation methods (e.g., an NCIT or clinical grade contact thermometer). Public health officials, through their experience with the Solution in the particular environment of use, should determine the significance of any fever or elevated temperature based on the skin telethermographic temperature measurement. The Solution should be used to measure only one subject’s temperature at a time. Visible thermal patterns are only intended for locating the points from which to extract the thermal measurement.