FLIR Systems, Inc. has announced that it has been named an Innovation Partner with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, which has won four consecutive Formula One World Championships in both Constructor’s and Driver’s categories. The racing team will use FLIR Systems’ infrared technologies to gather temperature data on its 2014 challenger, the RB10.
FLIR is set to develop miniature thermal imaging cameras to provide the Infiniti Red Bull Racing team with unique insights into the thermal characteristics of their car’s components and operations. With the introduction of 1.6 liter V6 Turbocharged engines with dual energy recover systems, Formula One teams are presented with a new challenge for cooling, as managing the cars’ temperatures effectively is a key aspect of ensuring reliability, according to a press release.
Of the new collaboration and cooling challenges, Christian Horner, Team Principal of Infiniti Red Bull Racing said, "This year sees the most fundamental changes to Formula One in well over a decade. The team which is most efficient in gathering the relevant data, learning effectively, and adapting accordingly will be the one which triumphs in this season of transition.
He added, “The insights which FLIR technology can give us will be critical to our understanding of the new car and could give us a key edge over our rivals."
FLIR President and CEO Andy Teich says that with the launch of FLIR’s new Lepton thermal miniature camera, there are numerous applications for thermal technology in the racing world. Lepton cameras are about the size and weight of a conventional CMOS cell phone camera module and feature an 80 x 60 uncooled VOx microbolometer array with a pixel size of 17 µm x 17 µm and an exportable frame rate of 9 Hz.
Aside from automobiles, Lepton is designed for integration into third party products such as smartphones, tablets, diagnostic tools, and OEM applications. The 8.5 x 8.5 x 5.9 mm fixed focus camera features a spectral range of 8 µm to 14 µm, 50° horizon field of view, and thermal sensitivity of <50 mK. Lepton utilizes wafer-level detector packaging, wafer-level micro-optics, and a custom integrated circuit that supports all camera functions on a single integrated low power chip.
View more information on the collaboration.
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