The German company SICK has an international reputation as the producer of a wide range of products, including scanners and vision sensors that help in the never ending battle against intruders and keeping properties safe.In the last few months the company has developed an innovative laser scanner, the LaserGuardian, which it claims can pinpoint a threat faster and more reliably than ever before through GPS mapping technology.
“The system works by using technology which combines a PTZ camera and a laser scanner to track the threat in real time,” said John Slater, sales engineer for building automation and security for the company.
He added: “This means you will be able to constantly know the location of the intruder and be able to respond appropriately based on the threat level”. The precision of the scanner also means that false alarms arising from environmental conditions are reduced or minimised.
Slater explained how the scanner works by sending out a beam on a rotating mirror into the field of protection. If the beam returns within a particular time period it knows there is no intruder within that field. But if it detects an intruder, it will then set off an alarm and the data fed into the security camera to take an image.
The LaserGuardian contains new software which was developed jointly with Hawkeye Effect Technology in Ohio in the United States. The software has been customised specifically to interface with SICK’s laser measurement sensors.
“It can be intergraded into all security systems,” said Slater, “and can be part of a digital or ethernet system. The data from the laser can then be uploaded into a building or management system.”
The LMS5xx series provides five measurements for each emitted pulse and offers a field of view of 190 degrees over an area up to 169 metres in diameter. The LMS1xx series provides two measurements for each emitted pulse and offers a wider field of view of 270 degrees over an area up to 160 metres in diameter.
John Slater said that the sophistication of the software means that the scanner can work effectively in low visibility or poor weather conditions. The scanners had been used effectively for security purposes in prisons, ports and harbours but the company is now looking to launch the LaserGuardian into new markets.
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