Thales (www.thales.co.za) is a wholly owned South African company, established in 1987, and with its headquarters in Lonehill, Johannesburg.
It must be stressed that Thales has nothing to do with the French company of the same name which is being investigated for having allegedly paid bribes to receive the lucrative contact to install the combat suite on this country's new corvettes.
Thales has specialised in the field of video processing and data communication with the SANDF being a major customer. In the past the company has focused on the needs of the defence force and it is now transferring this technology into the private security and image processing industry where it already has a strong presence. Capabilities of Thales which are considered core competencies include system engineering, high speed digital design, image processing, embedded software design, digital signal processing, high-level software design, data communication and general RF communication. Its major clients include the SA Reserve Bank, Telkom, casinos, municipalities and the SANDF. Thales works in close cooperation with other local companies in the defence industry, including ADS, Reunert, Kentron and Eloptro.
Thales makes no secret about its defence force work and its latest success was the development of a weapons analysis system, using specialised image processing and analysis technology, equipment and software for the SA Navy. This system allows the Navy to test and record the accuracy of its radar-tracking equipment using a special camera mounted on the barrel of the main gun. The ballistic systems are disengaged and the target is tracked until the barrel points directly at it. The process is analysed by video to ensure that the gun is at dead centre and if not, appropriate adjustments are made. The video system is also used for land targets where the shell bursts are recorded to determine fuse proximity, while for targets at sea the splash of the shell entry into the water is recorded. The system computes errors and the required adjustments are made to ensure pinpoint accuracy. The company was also responsible for the design, manufacture and supply of the video subsystems and data link controls for the combat suite in the new corvettes.
In terms of standard products, the AEGIS-Video Management System provides a centralised video management suite aimed specifically at security requirements. The system allows for immediate observation of any video signal, provides for full camera control and complete management of video alarms.
The Argus surveillance system is primarily designed for large security systems requiring high recording rates, high-quality imaging and long-term archiving. It is ideally suited to be used in manned surveillance applications in casinos, shopping centres, urban crime control, cash handling operations, airports and prisons. Both live and event-driven (eg alarm-triggered) events can be recorded.
The Bronte multichannel digital video recording system is designed to provide low-cost digital recording for surveillance systems with many cameras (up to 144). 25 pictures per second are stored for every camera and the system is substantially lower in cost compared to other digital solutions. The Bronte is used in casinos and the realtime review capability allows operators to immediately review any event within three hours of occurrence. The storage capacity provided can be for seven or 30 days.
The Elrond Video Alert System is designed to ensure a high degree of motion detection even under adverse conditions. Motion detection of course, allows 24 hour surveillance without operator fatigue. For permanent storage, a recording device, activated when the alarm is triggered, can be connected. The Elrond is targeted as a security system for small enterprises such as shops in petrol stations.
The latest product released is a highly automated, new-generation CCTV surveillance system known as Sinon. This is capable of extracting the number plate data, colour and type of vehicle at the entry point to a parkade. These details are stored on the parking ticket. Entry and exit events are linked so that a person who tries to leave without any record of entry is immediately suspect. At entry-level, the Sinon system provides 16 cameras, covering four double-lane entry and exit points. It can be expanded to cover 50 (or more) entry and exit lanes.
Video transmission products are geared to satisfy the growing need for video communication in the military area. Three products are offered by Thales, these being Daedelus, Mercurious and TacVid. Daedelus offers a secure video transmission link, offering secure transmission using Broadband Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum, is high power (10 W), together with low volume and weight so that it can be used for UAV applications. Daedelus uses MPEG-2 encoding to ensure high quality images.
At the other end of the spectrum is the TacVid, which is a small video capture and recording system. The system uses innovative voice annotation, was designed to be compact, and can be used as a man-portable device or for airborne applications.
For recording, Thales offer both the Bronte and the TacRec, while for control, there is the Argo and the Quad - a special feature of the latter being that it is capable of displaying four video images simultaneously on a single monitor at no frame loss.
In terms of specialised functions, the Lynceus is a high-powered image-processing module capable of executing image manipulation in realtime. Functions include image enhancement, reduction of heat shimmer distortion, realtime object tracking and enhancement of imagery from night-vision devices.
The LCS (link control system) is a standalone platform for naval applications. It provides three main functions:
* Allows an operator to set up and monitor a tactical data communication network.
* Provides a facility to send and receive free format text messages.
* Acts as a router to allow terminals to access the tactical data communication network.
Thales has a large team of engineers with many years of experience in their fields of expertise and as such they can offer technical services in the fields of data communication, including data network simulations, command and control systems. Also, because of general video skills, the company can offer a variety of system design capabilities and special product design and manufacture. In the defence area, Thales uses other military manufacturers to manufacture its products.
Note: Since writing this article, Thales Advanced Engineering, which is often confused with the large French Group Thales (of arms bid fame) decided to change its name to Protoclea, trading as Protoclea Advanced Image Engineering (www.protoclea.com) The company is also repositioning itself. In the past it supplied complete solutions, now it will supply the products individually, as well as offer the total solution.
More recently it was announced in October 2006 that Saab Grintek had acquired the communications division of Thales for an undisclosed amount. Upon completion of the deal the acquired interest in Thales will form part of Saab Grintek's communications division.
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version