China explosion-proof camera industry development history and status quo

Explosion-proof cameras have already been familiar with and are widely used by industry workers. However, many people in the industry are not fully aware of the detailed development history of explosion-proof cameras used in special environments. This article will introduce the development history of explosion-proof cameras in China so that readers can have a deeper understanding of explosion-proof cameras.

As far as the explosion-proof camera itself is concerned, it is characterized by using one or more explosion-proof measures to process the camera so that it can be used in an inflammable and explosive field environment. A security industry veteran told the author that the explosion-proof camera has nothing to do with the security industry and belongs to the category of television applications. This theory seems to be correct in theory. The scientific name of the explosion-proof camera standard is called explosion-proof industrial television, and also called explosion-proof environmental application television. The early years did indeed originate from the needs of industrial instrumentation automation. However, today there are two dimensions. On the one hand, many of the explosion-proof cameras in explosion-proof areas are mostly manufactured by security companies, and they also perform the dual tasks of on-site control and on-site security. Currently, explosion-proof cameras are basically based on security camera technology and are used through security management platforms. Most of them are contracted by security contractors for construction and maintenance. Therefore, explosion-proof cameras are currently closer to the security industry.

Newton said: "If I can see further, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants." Everyone knows that manufacturers of explosion-proof cameras are no less. In Changzhou, there was only one home five years ago, and now there are already six; Beijing had no home five years ago, and now there are already four, and there are also many small and large manufacturers in Shenzhen, and the industry is developing rapidly. When we examine the development history of the explosion-proof video camera manufacturing industry in China with an objective and fair eye, we can see that the work of the pioneers has left latecomers with little to no detour.

The beginning of localization of explosion-proof cameras

With regard to the history of explosion-proof surveillance products in China, as far as the author knows, it started from the 1980s. It was already a story that was almost 30 years ago.

The earliest explosion-proof cameras in China originated from the technical needs of two industries. One was coal and the other was petrochemicals. If you want to examine the origins, you will also find that China's explosion-proof cameras were originated in these two industries almost at the same time, and they are unusually coincidental in time. This also illustrates the inevitability of the law of economic development.

Two flowers bloom, one each. First of all, explosion-proof cameras originated in the coal industry. In the early 1980s, after the “Cultural Revolution” ended, the Chinese economy began to recover greatly. The coal industry as the main energy provider has entered a large-scale construction period. Modern coal mines are not just a simple way to dig out coal from the bottom of the earth. Except for the lawless “small heart” small coal mines, the coal industry has always put all kinds of safety equipment as a prerequisite for production. Therefore, explosion-proof cameras have become an important part of the coal mine monitoring system. In 1988, Changzhou Yuhua Electrical Factory was also a small private enterprise affiliated with the sub-district office. After a chance to contact the automation equipment of the coal industry, Yuhua Electric Factory decided to start the development of mine explosion-proof cameras for the KJ32 mine monitoring system of the Ministry of Coal Industry Automation Research Institute.

Figure 1 is the early intrinsically safe mining explosion-proof fiber optic camera developed at that time, the supply voltage is AC 127 volts, the imaging device is a tube camera, the signal processing circuit and the power supply circuit are intrinsically safe, and a single video multimode optical transceiver is integrated inside. (This video transmitter is also one of the earlier pioneers in China.) From the current point of view, of course, the performance parameters of the tube camera are normal (the definition is only 380 lines), and the appearance is also not the beauty of square brain. However, this is China's first mine camera and also the first explosion-proof camera. It has a milestone significance and won the Science and Technology Award of the Ministry of Coal at that time. A few years later, explosion-proof mining explosion-proof fiber optic cameras were born. Many companies have also started using explosion-proof structures to make mining explosion-proof cameras. Mine explosion-proof fiber optic camera also has a milestone significance. At present, more than 90% of mining explosion-proof cameras manufactured by domestic manufacturers almost completely copy its appearance and internal structure. Since then, Yuhua has launched a gas explosion-proof factory explosion-proof camera protective cover.

On the other hand, after the reform and opening up, China began to introduce large-scale foreign advanced petrochemical equipment. Imported explosion-proof cameras should also come to China as industrial instrumentation equipment during this period. The explosion-proof cameras and explosion-proof heads that first entered Chinese people's horizons seem to be products of VICON Inc., which are well-made and beautiful, and their performance is very good (smooth rotation, adjustable limits, and long-term stable operation). Until now, it is not outdated, and it is very popular with domestic industrial enterprises, especially in the petrochemical industry. It's only good that the imported products are good, but the price really makes people feel shy in the pockets at that time, or they have to rely on localization.

Also in the late 1980s and early 1990s, TV application developers at Nantong Television Factory began to copy the V8540H explosion-proof camera housings and V380PTX explosion-proof heads of the United States. The appearance is roughly the same. Although there is a large gap between the manufacturing process and performance parameters, after all, it has made up for the domestic gap and won the Ministry of Mechanical and Electronic Technology Achievement Award. Unfortunately, in October 1996, the 10,000-person state-owned key enterprise of the company became a TV production and assembly base of Changhong Electronics in Jiangsu after the bankruptcy reform of the state-owned key enterprise. In essence, the application of TV development capability is completely absent. Regarding the bankruptcy of the plant, it was said that the fire damage was too high on May 11, 1992. Some people said that it was an inevitable problem with the state-owned enterprise system. Others said that it was because of poor management that the capital was insolvent. In any case, although Nantong City has always turned the bankruptcy of this plant into an important page and successful experience in the history of reform and opening up, the factory, as one of the pioneers of explosion-proof cameras in China, has fallen to the ground and has only existed in history since then. . Some sales and technical personnel left their respective companies to develop and continue to manufacture the two products until now, but their basic performance parameters and appearance have not changed significantly.

The birth of explosion-proof integrated camera in China

In 2008, the explosion-proof camera industry in China was a very lively year. Many manufacturers have launched their own integrated explosion-proof cameras, and all said that the emergence of integration is to overcome the shortcomings of threading, and will be the inevitable trend of future industry development. But where was China's explosion-proof integrated camera born? What is the origin of the cause? How is the development process?

Seven to eight years ago, there were two types of connection for explosion-proof monitoring equipment in China: one was through explosion-proof stuffing boxes, and the other was through explosion-proof flexible tubes to protect the connecting cables. Explosion-proof flexible tubes, also known as explosion-proof hoses, have always dominated the installation of explosion-proof cameras for more than a decade in the country.

The specific connection is shown in Fig. 2. The explosion-proof camera enclosure and the explosion-proof decoder control box are connected by an explosion-proof flexible pipe, and the explosion-proof gimbal is also connected between the explosion-proof flexible pipe and the explosion-proof decoder control box. Finally, the explosion-proof decoder The control box is also connected to the metal threading tube through an explosion-proof flexible tube and the trunk cable is connected. This connection is really quite troublesome.

Then when was China's explosion-proof integrated camera born? In 2002 or seven years ago, a Sinopec predecessor mentioned in the technical exchanges with the explosion-proof industry that the Nordic countries had manufactured an explosion-proof camera with an integrated style. The rotating part had no external cables and was very convenient to use. I hope that we can do it domestically. At the end of the year, domestic explosion-proof integrated cameras were produced and soon used in a project of Lanzhou Petrochemical and received favorable comments.

Is there no external cable in the rotating part to solve the problem? Some people say that there are many hidden dangers in threading, and some people say that it is to prevent the cable from cracking due to too cold winter days. In fact, these are all unknown, and it is not clear why they did so. There is no inevitable connection between multiple threading and exposure and safety hazards, otherwise the explosion-proof standard does not need to write connection requirements; and cable cracking is essentially a quality problem caused by poor cable skin. In fact, the starting point for integration is very simple. It is for ease of installation, and at the same time, many wiring connection problems can be considered.

The reader can refer to the first explosion-proof integrated camera in China (see Figure 3). The design concept is still very clear. It is nothing more than a symptomatic remedy that satisfies the technical requirements for the pantograph rotating part without external cables. In essence, it is a combination of a camera explosion-proof protective cover and explosion-proof head, both of which are classic models that are largely imitated by many companies. It is a golden partner and has stable and reliable performance. After recombination, the protective cover no longer reserves a separate outlet hole. The camera outlet line enters the interior of the PTZ and eventually comes out from the bottom of the PTZ, together with the external explosion-proof decoder controller.


The second step is to replace the explosion-proof shield without wiper with the explosion-proof camera shield with wiper, and to use more internal wipers to control the wiper control line. Other structures remain unchanged and the environmental adaptability is expanded. This model is called the explosion-proof integrated camera. . It must also be connected to an external explosion-proof decoder to work, and the explosion-proof decoding controller is actually composed of a large explosion-proof cabinet and decoder board and power board (Figure 4), which is quite heavy.

At the beginning of 2005, new explosion-proof integrated cameras were launched to achieve a "quality" improvement. There is no dead angle in all angles of rotation, support for continuously variable speed, 128 preset positions, with automatic heating and spray cleaning device, surface-treated stainless steel polishing, performance has basically reached the level of similar products in the Nordic countries, in fact, is entered The first echelon of international similar products. In the middle of the year, China's first explosion-proof ball machine was launched, and its structure was more compact and lighter. At the end of the year, these two products participated in the Beijing International Security Exhibition and received great attention from foreign counterparts. However, the opportunity for the development of the explosion-proof integrated camera in China will have to wait for another two years. In 2007, the United States PELCO's EXSITE explosion-proof integrated camera market (see Figure 5), and then appeared at the China show, causing a great stir. After all, it is a leader in the security industry. Also in 2007, the first explosion-proof integrated camera with integrated infrared-assisted lighting in China was quietly launched, but it did not receive much attention. More than a year later, influenced by PELCO's products, domestic manufacturers began to launch their own explosion-proof integrated cameras.

Simply put, explosion-proof integrated cameras have developed to today, whether it is the market reaction or the technical structure, they have already ended the exploration period of a confused period and entered a relatively mature development period. Shenzhen Rongfang completed the automatic tracking performance test of the integrated explosion-proof camera at the beginning of the year. For example, everyone can find that all manufacturers have begun to develop to higher performance requirements, which means that the development of explosion-proof cameras in China has started a new one. In the historical stage, this is higher intelligence, higher environmental adaptability, and stronger on-site practical functionality.

Conclusion

The development of explosion-proof camera manufacturers in China has become an important part of China's security manufacturing industry. Of course, there are still some older generations in the history of the industry that we need to remember. For example, Zhuang teacher at North China University of Technology, although we have already withdrawn from the industry, we cannot forget that he was one of the earliest designers of infrared light for monitoring in China. The earliest manufacture of explosion-proof infrared lamps and explosion-proof infrared cameras. However, it is particularly regrettable that the first to introduce an explosion-proof high-speed dome camera at the end of 2007, one in Beijing, Zhejiang, is a traditional sense of the instrument automation manufacturers, not security companies, many manufacturers in the industry did not even I have heard of this. This may explain the proliferation of security product technology, but it also shows that our vision is not open enough and the work is not enough. On the other hand, although there are many types of products, there is still a gap between similar products and foreign brands in terms of quality. Therefore, the development of explosion-proof cameras in China also requires the joint efforts of various manufacturers in the industry in order to achieve greater progress.