Panvision

The eyes of the Nocturnal Helmet Gecko have an extraordinary sensibility, more than 350 times the human eye, and can distinguish colors also at very low light intensities when human eyes are color blind. It’s surprising and unique multifocal optical system, uses several distinct concentric zones, and each with different refractive powers.

Also, PanVision is a real novelty: it allows a true clear 5MPIX panoramic 360°vision in azimuth and an extremely large field of view in elevation of 270°… this is the ultimate (r)evolution in the field of omnidirectional panoramic lenses: the HYPER HEMISPHERIC VISION. 

Moreover, the Bifocal version adds also an enlarging view of a desired spot in the panoramic field in the same compact lens… simply a genial MULTIFOCAL 360° omnidirectional optical system. 

The innovative PanVison optical system uses a double reflection catadiopter instead of a convex mirror. This brings several advantages to PanVison: much more compact, self-supporting, and allows to balance efficiently aberrations. The latest applied innovations offer the ability to use the classical donut “blind spot” of panoramic omnidirectional lenses by introducing an additional optical group of lenses to capture the frontal field, allowing PanVision to reach a true HYPER HEMISPHERIC VISION.

For the first time in history, dynamic hyper-hemispheric high-quality images can be recorded, allowing to monitor efficiently various scenes tracking moving objects and people with a single omnidirectional lens. Using simultaneously two PanVision lenses allows obtaining a stereoscopic 3D view that finds applications in unmanned vehicles, drones and other mobile vision systems, or in the entertainment sector.

The Bifocal version of PanVision is equipped with a specific frontal optic that allows obtaining an additional enlarged image of any desired point in the full panoramic view. Various magnification ratios of the zoom spot can be chosen to allow the best view possible of a certain scenario. In this case, the classical donut “blind spot” is filled with the enlarged image of the chosen spot. It allows obtaining simultaneously on the same single sensor a complete view of the panoramic image and the magnified spot with a high 5MPIX resolution. 

The Bifocal version brings numerous advantages for modern vision systems and high-end surveillance systems: 

• A single lens allows to monitor efficiently at 360° a vast area;
• Low data volume: requires much fewer data elaboration power instead of systems based on several individual cameras;
• A smaller system, lightweight and more versatile;
• Objects and people always in focus, in all directions;
• Real-time data elaboration of the gathered images allow to “dewarp” without problems the images so that they become “easy to read” by systems and people;
• Numerous applications are under development in the scientific, industrial and civil fields of application, really allowing to open up new horizons;
• An infrared version, working from 1.4 up to 15 μm, is possible, allowing to work in SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR bands by changing the glass material used for the optical systems (ZnS and ZnSe) and the chosen type of image sensor/camera.