Bullard DXT Thermal Imager Camera Bundle Package Instructions
- June 27, 2024
- Bullard
Table of Contents
Bullard DXT Thermal Imager Camera Bundle Package
WARRANTY
The manufacturer shall make standard a warranty for the thermal imager, its battery, and all features installed in the thermal imager to be free of defects in material and workmanship, under normal use and service, for five years. The product registration date considered for warranty must include a 30-day grace period after the manufacture date, and extend three (3) months after the product manufacture date. The manufacturer must provide a warranty that covers all required battery replacements for five years.
SERVICE
The manufacturer must be located in the U.S.A. and provide a full-service
repair center in the U.S.A. and Germany to ensure timely and efficient
processing of any service issues concerning the imager around the globe. Any
repair, warranty, or non-warranty, that requires an imager be shipped to a
service center, may be temporarily replaced, at the discretion of the
manufacturer, with a loaner imager, free of charge, to satisfy usage needs
during the repair period. This loaner imager may stay with the end user until
the repaired imager is returned to the possession of the end user. The imager
should be designed such that silicon boots and window covers are available for
separate purchase and can be replaced by a trained technician of the fire
department.
STANDARDS / QUALITY
The manufacturer must ensure quality design and manufacturing methods through third-party certification to ISO 9001:2015, or its equivalent. To ensure that the product is of the highest quality, documentation must be presented upon request illustrating a battery of tests that have been conducted to verify water resistance, heat resistance, and shock/ impact resistance.
PHYSICAL CONFIGURATION
The imager shall be a hand-held design with a total weight not exceeding 2.4 pounds (1.1 kg) with all standard features installed. The imager’s physical dimensions shall not exceed 5.4” (137 mm) tall, 4.6” (117 mm) wide, and 8.2” (208 mm) long. The imager shall ship in cardboard packaging. A waterproof flight case is available as an option.
DURABILITY
The imager shall remain operational after being submerged under 3 feet (1m) of
water for 30 minutes according to IEC 60529 (IPx7). The imager shall withstand
a 6 feet (2m) drop in any orientation and sustain no operational damage. The
imager shall be able to withstand an environment temperature of 300º F (150º
C) for 15 minutes without operational impact or damage to the unit. The
manufacturer must perform these tests in front of designated department
representatives at a mutually determined time and location. Failure to perform
these tests in front of designated department representatives shall constitute
non-compliance with this portion of the specification.
SENSOR
The imaging array shall utilize a 320×256 pixel uncooled vanadium oxide (VOx)
focal plane array. The dynamic range of the detector and associated
electronics shall be nominally 1100°F (592°C). The detector spectral response
shall be 8 to 14 microns. Mid or short-wave infrared products that operate
below this portion of the infrared spectrum (below 8 microns) are not
acceptable due to unreliable performance in smoky conditions. The frame rate
of the infrared engine shall be no less than 60 Hertz. The imager will use
gain modes to cover the full object temperature range. Switching between these
gain modes will be automatic and not include a forced shutter operation that
may take several seconds. The mode switching will therefore be perceived as
instantaneous and will not introduce risks of missing information.
DEFAULT IMAGE
The image shall be enhanced with software. Contours and edges in the image
shall be highlighted in white, such that the user can easily recognize
important details in the scene. The lower temperatures shall be colorized
black to white (with white for the hottest objects). To provide a greater
degree of safety, the imager shall utilize an automatic colorization mode for
higher temperatures. This colorization mode shall utilize a yellow/orange/red
color scheme. Two colorization schemes shall be available, only configurable
while the imager is connected to a configuration tool on a pc. For safety
reasons, the user should not be able to switch between these colorization
schemes while using the imager in the field.
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In the default mode, the display will show yellow colorization at temperatures of 500°F (260°C) to 799°F (426°C), orange colorization at temperatures of 800°F (427°C) to 999°F (537°C), red colorization at temperatures of 1000 °F (538°C) to 1100 °F (592°C) and dark red for hotter temperatures until the saturation occurs.
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In the alternate mode, the display will show yellow colorization at temperatures of 302°F (150°C) to 571°F (299°C), orange colorization at temperatures of 572°F (300°C) to 841°F (449°C), red colorization at temperatures of 842 °F (450°C) to 1100 °F (592°C) and dark red for hotter temperatures until saturation occurs.
Such colorization shall be gradual and appear transparent to be able to discern scene details and thermal flows though the color. While Manual Colorization Modes and other features may be present on the imager, a mechanism should exist to return to the default image automatically when a set threshold of pixels registers a dangerously high temperature.
SCREEN
The imager shall have a 3.5″ (89 mm) Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen with
114 pixels per inch (PPI) or more. The screen shall have Planar Switching
(IPS) technology with view angle of 85° in all directions, enabling multiple
firefighters to see the image at the screen. The screen must be visible both
in thick smoke as well as in sunny conditions to the operator while using it
at arms-length. In addition, a clear polycarbonate cover must protect the
display screen. This cover must be field-replaceable, watertight and of a
scratch-resistant material.
LENS
The imager shall have a 40° V x 50° H field of view. The lens shall be
protected with a watertight, sealed 2 mm thick germanium cover window. The
germanium window cover shall be large enough to be glove cleanable. The window
cover shall be curved to reduce reflections to a minimum.
SWITCHES, FEATURES, AND MODES OF OPERATION
The imager shall use only one switch to activate the unit. The switch shall
employ a press-and-hold protection mechanism which prevents accidental shut-
off. During operation, a single press of the main power switch must always
return the imager to the default image for standard firefighting regardless of
the current operational state or mode. The imager must employ a secondary pair
of switches for activating and adjusting advanced features
- a manual colorization mode, which helps the user identify the hottest objects in a scene irrespective of absolute heat levels. This colorization mode must be manually adjustable by the user and colorize the hottest objects in a scene with blue, using gradients of blue to discern scene details through the color. When sufficient pixels reach the threshold where the imager would normally color them yellow, orange or red, a safety kick out mechanism will bring the user back to the default image. Thermal imagers that employ yellow, orange, or red to identify hot objects below the automatic yellow-orange-red colorization are not acceptable as they can easily be confused with the automatic colorization modes which typically use such colors to designate fire and high heat conditions.
- A digital zoom option for better scene understanding. The zoom feature will offer 2x or 4x magnification, and automatically recalibrate on the zoomed area for best performance.
- an on-screen playback functionality for playing the recorded videos and snapshots on the image display, such that quick tactical discussions can be supported with thermal footage.
The following registration features shall be available under one single button through a short or long press:
- image capture functionality for taking snapshots of the scene. Stored snapshots shall download to the user’s computer via a USB connection.
- a recording functionality for taking videos. Stored digital video shall download to the user’s computer via a USB connection. A time and date stamp shall be included in the recorded video for documentation purposes.
Furthermore, the following features which are especially beneficial in high- stress situations shall be available as always-on, such that the operation doesn’t distract the user:
- A highlighter mode that always indicates the hottest point in the scene with a red square, to quickly draw attention to that point.
- A highlighter mode that always indicates the coldest point in the scene with a blue square, to quickly draw attention to that point.
- An always-on recording feature for continuous registration of thermal footage. When this mode is active, the imager shall still permit to capture images with a button press.
CONFIGURATIONS AND CUSTOMIZATION
The imager shall be available in different configurations, but at least in the following three:
- A configuration without additional manual colorization modes or features
- A configuration with all available additional manual colorization modes or features
- A configuration with all available additional manual colorization modes or features except for features that enable recording, image capture or replay. No matter which configuration is purchased the following means of customizing the imager shall be available:
- An on-screen menu that enables setting of time and date. This enables including a regular check into a maintenance procedure that doesn’t require access to a PC. To avoid accidental access to this menu, it must require two buttons to be pressed for multiple seconds.
- An online customization tool that allows the end-user to activate individual features, adjust individual features, and set a custom image for the startup screen. This level of customization requires the imager to be connected to a computer with USB cable and requires a username and password, such that non-intentional or non-authorized changes are unlikely.
A four-digit access code can be set up such that the following elements are only available to users with the code: downloading/deleting recorded footage, changing time and date, changing settings with the online customization tool. All configuration or customization tools shall be fully online or on-imager, and not require software to be installed on a PC.
SIMPLICITY AND APPLICATIONS
The thermal imager will be used in many different situations such as fire
attack, person search, overhaul, size up, smells and bells, and wildland
firefighting. Training will be centered on how to use multi-purpose features
to different use cases. To avoid complexity, the imager shall only have
(multi-purpose) functional modes that can be employed in many situations. No
specific use case modes (e.g. person search, search mode) may be available as
the training for such modes is not scalable.
OUTER HOUSING
The imager shall be ergonomically designed. A slight bend in the axis between
the lens and the display shall naturally discourage the user from keeping the
imager directly between the eyes and the object of attention, and therefore
reduce the risk of missing any information. The outer shell or housing must be
manufactured from heat-resistant Ultem® thermoplastic. Due to the likelihood
of rigorous use, the thermoplastic must be molded with color pigment
throughout to mask small surface scratches. Outer shells or housings that are
painted or otherwise lacking consistent color through their entire thickness
are not acceptable. Model and brand logos shall be pad printed on the imager
for the same reason.
IDENTIFICATION
The imager shall be available in no fewer than six scratch-resistant colors to
allow for color-coding as needed by the department. All lower housings shall
be presented in black, with the upper housing to include options for the
following colors at a minimum: Red, Yellow, Black, Orange, Blue, and Lime-
Yellow. The imager shall be customizable by the user with a startup image.
This image may serve to identify the imager with for example a department
logo, fire engine number, asset ID, or any other image as provided by the
user.
STRAP SYSTEMS
To reduce bulk, the imager must not have an integral strap system; however,
the imager shall accommodate an available self-retracting strap. This
retractable strap shall be attachable to a D-ring at the base of the thermal
imager, under the display, and must be capable of holding the unit to the
firefighter’s body with the full weight of the imager, with battery, hanging
unsupported from the strap. All straps must be field-replaceable.
POWER SUPPLY
When fully charged, the imager shall provide a minimum of 8 hours of
continuous use. The imager shall have an internal battery that can be charged
wirelessly such that contacts that can corrode over time are absent. .
TRUCK AND STATION CHARGER
The manufacturer must offer a wireless charging system to mount the imager in
a vehicle or fire apparatus or on the wall of a fire station. The system must
be designed to be mounted securely following NFPA 1901-14.1.10.2 and DIN EN
1846-2 5.1.2.2.2 when storage of the imager in a vehicle is required. The
truck mount must carry a two-year warranty.