Camera Pole Movement In High Wind
Camera pole movement in high wind – We’re having trouble with an installation with high wind causing movement of a pole supporting a PTZ camera and the image being unstable when the camera is zoomed in on a gate where we need to see plates. Any suggestions?
A: Any time you are installing cameras in high wind areas seriously consider side-mount configurations – the bigger the camera, the greater the windage. You need to make sure the camera is symmetrically-mounted in line with the horizontal rotating axis.
Side mounting reduces imbalance on the horizontal tilting axis ensuring a significant decrease in wind loading. You’ll also find this configuration has no requirement for springs and counter balancing weights. Reducing wind loading will decrease vibration and mean an improved picture.
Other strategies may include using wall mount and longer focal lengths, installation of rubber pads to deaden vibration, the addition of struts or bracing, selecting of mounting poles designed to reduce wind friction and more. Reducing vibration is an in-exact science, so be prepared to experiment.
Try to keep the poled equipment as small as possible to reduce wind resistance. Select cameras with vibration compensation. If possible reduce the distance from lens to target. It’s not an easy fix – in some applications – particularly near the coast, large sites and strong winds are going to make real time monitoring difficult.
There will also be conditions when the wind is so strong there’s pole movement no matter what strategy you employ. In this case you can pull the lens back for a wide look and use digital zoom to dig back in. Having somewhat higher resolution cameras will be a significant advantage here.
In extreme conditions when site operations are at stake, you might need a mobile camera with 4G located right at the gate. The latest solar 4G cameras make this option easy and relatively inexpensive, especially for sites that depend on vehicle identification for secure operation.
#SEN #SENnews #security #electronics
