Merck reinforced its surveillance of the perimeter of its laboratories with 5-megapixel cameras in the vicinity of Mexico City, so we bring you the details of this installation.
by Arecont Vision
Merck is the second largest healthcare company in the world and is a global leader in consumer products and animal care. Over the years, Merck researchers have discovered ways to treat and prevent a variety of diseases, from vitamin B1 to the first measles vaccine, as well as cold and antacid remedies, and the first statin drugs to treat excess cholesterol. This large pharmaceutical company has built corporate laboratories in Naucalpan de Juarez, Mexico, a municipality northwest of Mexico City.
The challenge
Merck S.A. De. C.V. was looking for video technology to provide day and night surveillance in the perimeter area of corporate laboratories in Mexico. The company needed sharp, high-resolution images that would allow for facial and license plate identification, but analog technology was insufficient to meet its needs.
Megapixel solution
When it came to providing high-quality video for perimeter surveillance in Merck's newly built corporate laboratories near Mexico City, Ariel Maldujano, head of management and technology services, turned to Alarmas Universales, an integrator with 38 years of experience in the market.
The experience of this integrating company includes previous work with large companies such as DHL, Banorte (a Mexican bank), Domino's Pizza, Montepio Luz Savinon (a non-profit organization), Coca-Cola and Mercedes-Benz. Marco A. Godina, of Alarmas Universales, designed and installed the new system at Merck's facilities in Mexico. In seeking the technology to provide high-quality video imaging capabilities, Mr. Godina learned about Arecont Vision through a manufacturer's representative.
Arecont Vision's 5-megapixel day/night cameras were the perfect choice to provide the resolution needed for Merck's application in Mexico, and Alarmas Universales installed five Arecont Vision AV5105DN cameras used with 12VM1040ASI (10mm - 40mm zoom) optics housed in 12-inch housings throughout the perimeter area.
The AV5105DN model from Arecont Vision is a 5-megapixel day/night camera with a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor that allows you to obtain images of 2,592 x 1,944 pixels at 9 frames per second. The sensitivity is 0.3 lux to F1.4. The camera uses H.264 compression (MPEG 4, Part 10) to minimize storage and system bandwidth needs. This model can also be used in lower resolutions, with different frame rates, until full movement is reached. The camera provides 1280 x 1024 pixel video with full motion progressive scanning at 30 frames per second (fps), 1600 x 1200 pixel video at 24 fps or 2048 x 1536 at 15 fps.
The camera incorporates Arecont Vision's MegaVideo image processing at 80 billion operations per second. Among its features are extremely detailed zoom to zoom in and view details of a recorded image, motion detection and image cropping. The day/night version of the camera used in merck's application in Mexico features a motorized infrared (IR) cut-off filter. The camera can generate numerous image formats, allowing simultaneous visualization of the visual field at maximum resolution and areas of interest for forensic zoom in high definition.
Alarmas Universales connected the five AV5105DN cameras of Arecont Vision to a 16-channel hybrid digital video recorder using ExacqVision to cover the perimeter of the laboratories. The ExacqVision recorder works day and night to provide video and protect the perimeter area. Recording is carried out using motion detection during the day and night. The data is transmitted over the local area network and the cameras feature outdoor lights for lighting throughout the night.
Megapixel cameras are connected via Cat-5 cables and a 36-port switch. The VCR is connected to the Ethernet network to provide data and images. The power supply of the chambers (24vCA) is supplied by 127 volt transformers. The system is monitored locally over the existing network, and the video is displayed on a 52-inch Pelco monitor in the video monitoring area known as "CARE".
Megapixel Advantages
The quality of Arecont Vision's megapixel cameras is an excellent selling point, and Mr. Godina of Universal Alarms explains that: "We never forget that Arecont Vision was the pioneer in megapixel technology." The quality of the megapixel image was very important, and another advantage highlighted by the integrator company is the digital zoom of Arecont Vision. The superior sharpness of the images allows the customer to use facial and license plate identification. The system has worked well so far, and Arecont Vision has responded to the needs of the integrator company and the end user.
Arecont Vision's megapixel IP cameras provide better coverage with higher resolution to deliver superior image quality and better results. In addition, Arecont Vision cameras provide wider coverage with fewer cameras. The system produces superior quality images in both day and night lighting environments. The cameras combine high image quality with smaller image files and enhanced video streaming using H.264 compression. Smaller file sizes reduce storage requirements.
The cameras provide video images of extreme clarity throughout the day and night. In addition to greater image clarity, the ability of megapixel cameras to cover more surface area with fewer cameras compared to conventional standard resolution IP cameras helps reduce the total cost of ownership of the system. Megapixel IP cameras allow operators to enlarge specific areas of live or archived video to view important details, such as a license plate number.
About Arecont Vision
Arecont Vision collaborates with several NVR/DVR vendors, such as ExacqVision, to ensure seamless system integration using Arecont Vision megapixel cameras. Arecont Vision also collaborates with technology partners for tighter integration with complementary products, such as servers, storage and other systems, making the integrator's job even easier.
Arecont Vision's line of cameras offers image resolutions from 1.3 to 20 megapixels, and includes cameras that provide advanced features such as dual day/night and panoramic viewing. Thanks to H.264 compression, Arecont Vision cameras provide more efficient compression that allows you to solve problems related to bandwidth and storage.
Arecont Vision's products are manufactured in the U.S. and offer the low-cost, low-cost, massive parallel image processing architectures MegaVideo® and SurroundVideo®, which represent a huge leapfrog over traditional analog and network camera designs. All-in-one products such as MegaDome, MegaView and the D4F/D4S series provide practical and convenient solutions for the installer. The JPEG and H.264 series of compact cameras offer solutions for applications where low cost is important. These innovative technologies allow Arecont Vision to deliver multi-megapixel digital video at a better price than VGA IP cameras.
