Every gram and every watt on a UAV costs flight time. Thermal payload designers therefore need cores that deliver usable infrared imagery within a strict size, weight, and power (SWaP) envelope. Our uncooled LWIR cores start at 23 g and ≤1 W, allowing multirotor and fixed-wing platforms to carry genuine thermal capability alongside visible cameras, GNSS, and datalinks — without redesigning the airframe.
Interface flexibility is equally important for gimbal integration. The cores provide CVBS analog output for legacy FPV-style links, USB-UVC for plug-and-play digital video, and BT.656 or Ethernet options for custom onboard processing pipelines — so the same core family serves everything from racing-drone add-ons to industrial inspection gimbals.
For inspection missions, radiometric cores convert each pixel into a calibrated temperature reading, enabling hotspot detection on power lines, solar farms, and building envelopes directly from the air. When autonomous operation is required, the NEXUS LV0619B adds on-board neural processing for target detection and tracking — with no ground-station round-trip in the loop.
Typical Deployments
- Security & patrol multirotors: 384-class analog-output cores for real-time FPV thermal overwatch
- Industrial inspection drones: radiometric 640 cores with temperature measurement for power-line, PV, and pipeline surveys
- Mapping & observation platforms: 1280-class HD cores for wide-area detail from higher altitudes
- AI tracking gimbals: EO/IR dual-sensor payloads with on-board detection, classification, and target tracking
Module Selection Guide
| Mission profile | Module | Key figures |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level patrol & FPV thermal | SPECTRA L04U (384×288) | 30 g, ≤0.68 W, CVBS output |
| Radiometric inspection | SPECTRA L06C (640×512) | ≤23 g, ≤1 W, −20–650 °C ranging |
| HD mapping & long-range observation | SPECTRA L12A (1280×1024) | ≤80 g core, ≤3 W, customizable I/O |
| AI detection & tracking payload | NEXUS LV0619B | ≤140 g, EO/IR dual-sensor, on-board NPU |