CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA /BUSINESS WIRE/ -- Leveraging the company's market-leading expertise in video tracking to enable enhanced situational-awareness solutions to be developed, GE Fanuc Embedded Systems announced the ADEPT5000 image processing subsystem. Designed to interface with a wide range of physical sensors, ADEPT5000 is available for both fixed security installations and for military in-vehicle deployment.
ADEPT5000 has been developed in response to growing recognition of the difficulties posed by information overload in situational awareness, where multiple disparate information feeds—in which the inter-relationships between sensors is not always obvious—are delivered to banks of monitors. This creates the possibility of information overload, confusion, and suboptimal reaction times on the part of operators, who are often fatigued or stressed.
"With over 300 man years of expertise and experience in the design and development of real-time image processing systems behind it, ADEPT5000 truly represents a significant step forward in situational-awareness solutions that better support decision making in life or death situations," said Clarence Peckham, General Manager, Military & Aerospace Systems, GE Fanuc Embedded Systems. "It is robust, highly flexible, and can make a vital contribution when deployed in platforms such as armored vehicles, aircraft, remote unmanned platforms, or in any environment where optimum surveillance and security are requirements."
Key to the performance of the ADEPT5000 system is its data-extraction process, which provides user-selectable options. ADEPT5000 can use scene-change detection, moving-target detection, or contrast detection, and this is enhanced by a classification process that is dependant on the operating scenario, sensors employed, and system elements. Unlike existing situational-awareness systems, which rely on the operator to detect and classify an event, the ADEPT5000 system automatically brings events to the attention of the operator.
A typical contact notification includes a graphical symbol around the contact; a graphical symbol flashing at the operator indicating the direction in which the contact should be visually followed; an audible alarm; the current image of the contact in a picture-in-picture window; and a recorded image of the contact displayed in a supplementary window.
ADEPT5000 also provides a solution to the problem in which information from multiple sources is delivered to several screens, requiring the operator to correlate and interpret the various images. With ADEPT5000, video signals from multiple sensors are seamlessly merged into a real-time interactive panoramic image, which can be displayed on a single monitor, making the task of interpreting information significantly easier while also reducing the total space and weight required. By integrating multiple sensor inputs, ADEPT5000 also allows real-time monitoring of an area much larger than is possible with a single sensor.
The operator is able to interact with the panoramic image through a range of interface options, including touch screen, joystick, and game controller. These devices facilitate scrolling through the panorama and zooming in and out on selected images through a technique known as virtual camera. Used in this way, the panorama is intuitive to use and interpret. The panorama can also be integrated with a head-mounted display to form a virtual control room effect.
ADEPT5000 is designed to interface with any video sensor, including thermal imagers. Currently available with analogue video (CCIR/RS170) interfaces, in the future the full range of digital video interfaces, including Gb Ethernet, will be available.
For more information, visit the company's Web site.
About GE Fanuc Embedded Systems
GE Fanuc Embedded Systems is a leading global provider of embedded computing solutions for a wide range of industries and applications. Featuring a comprehensive offering that includes Intel and PowerPC-based single-board computers, sensor processing, networking products, avionics interfaces, rugged flat-panel monitors, and complete computer systems, GE Fanuc Embedded Systems can support the full range of embedded computing needs. GE Fanuc Embedded Systems is part of GE Fanuc, a joint venture between General Electric and FANUC Ltd. of Japan. For more information, visit the company's Web site.