What is a multispectral imager?

A multispectral imager carries two or more sensors that image in different bands of the electromagnetic spectrum through a common, harmonised optical axis. Gridbots Raptor combines a visible day channel, a near-infrared illuminated night channel, a thermal channel in either the long wave or mid wave band, and an active 1550 nm laser range finder, so the same scene is observed simultaneously in several bands and the returns are registered to one another.

Which thermal detector options are available on Raptor?

Four thermal options are offered: uncooled LWIR at 640x480 and at 1024x768, and cooled MWIR at 640x480 and at 1024x768. Uncooled LWIR suits compact, low power, always-on roles. Cooled MWIR gives lower NETD and far longer identification range for long range observation.

How far does the Raptor laser range finder measure?

The 1550 nm eye-safe laser range finder is offered in 5 km, 10 km, 15 km and 20 km variants, with accuracy of plus or minus 1 metre and multi-echo return handling.

What does harmonised mean on a multi sensor imager?

Harmonised means every channel, day camera, thermal imager, laser range finder and illuminator, points at the same spot at the same time. Raptor is factory boresighted to within 0.15 mrad residual error and holds that alignment across temperature using inbuilt temperature sensors that drive a thermal drift compensation model.

What power does the Raptor multispectral imager need?

Raptor runs on 24 V DC nominal, accepting 18 to 32 V DC. Consumption ranges from about 10 W for a compact uncooled configuration in day mode up to 50 W peak for a cooled MWIR configuration during cooler pull-down with analytics and illuminator active.

Multispectral Imager

Gridbots Raptor

Harmonised Day, Night, Thermal and Laser Sensor Suite in One Head

Gridbots Raptor is a multispectral imager that observes the same scene simultaneously in the visible, near-infrared and thermal bands, and measures it with an eye-safe laser. A 2 MP or 4 MP day channel with 40X to 120X continuous optical zoom, an LWIR or cooled MWIR thermal channel at 640×480 or 1024×768, a 1550 nm laser range finder reaching 5 km to 20 km and a selectable NIR illuminator all sit behind one harmonised optical axis.

Every channel is boresight harmonised to within 0.15 mrad and held there across the full temperature range by inbuilt temperature sensors driving a thermal-drift compensation model. Put the crosshair on a target in the day image and the thermal image, the laser and the illuminator are already on it. Range, bearing and elevation from the onboard GPS, magnetic compass and IMU are stamped onto every frame, so any detection leaves the imager as a geo-referenced coordinate rather than a picture.

An onboard GPU runs the video analytics and enhancement stack inside the head: detection, classification and multi-object tracking, plus haze penetration, local contrast enhancement, digital stabilisation and edge highlighting that outlines low-contrast targets in the thermal image. Raptor runs from a single 24 V DC supply drawing 10 W to 50 W by model and mode, and mounts on a stabilised gimbal, mast, tripod, vehicle roof or naval pedestal.

Multispectral Imager

1024×768

Thermal Detector Option

120X

Day Optical Zoom

20 KM

Eye-Safe LRF Range

0.15 MRAD

Boresight Harmonisation

24 V / 10-50 W

Single DC Supply

LWIR & Cooled MWIR

640×480 or 1024×768 Detector

2 MP / 4 MP Day & Night

40X to 120X Optical Zoom

1550 nm Eye-Safe LRF

5 / 10 / 15 / 20 km Options

Onboard GPU Analytics

Enhancement · Edge Highlighting

The Raptor Model Range

Four build standards share one housing family, one control protocol and one analytics stack. They differ in detector, optics, laser reach and therefore in power draw. Choose by the range at which you must identify, not merely detect — identification range is what sets the detector and the focal length.

RAPTOR R1

Compact / Uncooled

640×480

LWIR uncooled

2 MP day, 40X zoom
LRF 5 km
850 nm illuminator
10 - 16 W

RAPTOR R2

Extended / Uncooled

1024×768

LWIR uncooled

4 MP day, 60X zoom
LRF 10 km
850 / 940 nm illuminator
15 - 24 W

RAPTOR R5

Cooled MWIR

640×480

MWIR cooled

4 MP day, 90X zoom
LRF 15 km
940 nm illuminator
26 - 40 W

RAPTOR R8

Long Range Cooled

1024×768

MWIR cooled

4 MP day, 120X zoom
LRF 20 km
940 / 1550 nm illuminator
32 - 50 W

Parameter	Raptor R1	Raptor R2	Raptor R5	Raptor R8
Thermal Detector	LWIR uncooled 640×480	LWIR uncooled 1024×768	MWIR cooled 640×480	MWIR cooled 1024×768
Detector Pitch	12 µm	12 µm	15 µm	10 µm
NETD	≤ 35 mK	≤ 40 mK	≤ 20 mK	≤ 18 mK
Thermal Optics	25 - 150 mm cont. zoom	30 - 300 mm cont. zoom	30 - 300 mm cont. zoom	40 - 1000 mm cont. zoom
Thermal FOV (W / N)	17.5° / 2.9°	23.2° / 2.3°	18.2° / 1.8°	14.6° / 0.58°
Day Channel	2 MP, 40X zoom	4 MP, 60X zoom	4 MP, 90X zoom	4 MP, 120X zoom
Day Focal Length	4.7 - 188 mm	6.0 - 360 mm	6.7 - 603 mm	8.5 - 1020 mm
Laser Range Finder	1550 nm, 5 km	1550 nm, 10 km	1550 nm, 15 km	1550 nm, 20 km
Illuminator	850 nm	850 / 940 nm	940 nm	940 / 1550 nm
Vehicle Identification Range (thermal)	0.8 km	1.2 km	2.1 km	3.2 km
Vehicle Detection Range (thermal)	4.5 km	7.0 km	12 km	18 km
Onboard GPU	40 TOPS	40 TOPS	70 TOPS	100 TOPS
Power (typical / peak)	12 / 16 W	18 / 24 W	30 / 40 W	38 / 50 W
Mass	3.4 kg	5.2 kg	8.6 kg	13.5 kg
Ingress Protection	IP66	IP66	IP67	IP67

Ranges quoted for a 2.3 m × 2.3 m vehicle target against a 2 K thermal contrast, 23 km meteorological visibility, using the Johnson criteria. Human-target ranges are approximately 40 % of the vehicle figures.

Sensor Options

Raptor is configured channel by channel. Pick a thermal detector, a day sensor and zoom, a laser reach and an illuminator wavelength; the housing, the harmonisation procedure, the interface and the analytics stack stay the same in every combination.

Visible 0.4 - 0.7 µm NIR 0.7 - 1.0 µm SWIR 1.5 µm (laser) MWIR 3 - 5 µm LWIR 8 - 12 µm

Thermal Channel Options

Option	T-LW6	T-LW10	T-MW6	T-MW10
Band	LWIR 8 - 12 µm	LWIR 8 - 12 µm	MWIR 3.7 - 4.8 µm	MWIR 3.7 - 4.8 µm
Detector	Uncooled VOx microbolometer	Uncooled VOx microbolometer	Cooled InSb, Stirling cooler	Cooled MCT / InSb, Stirling cooler
Resolution	640 × 480	1024 × 768	640 × 480	1024 × 768
Pixel Pitch	12 µm	12 µm	15 µm	10 µm
NETD	≤ 35 mK @ f/1.0	≤ 40 mK @ f/1.0	≤ 20 mK @ f/4.0	≤ 18 mK @ f/4.0
Frame Rate	50 / 60 Hz	50 / 60 Hz	50 / 60 Hz (up to 120 Hz windowed)	50 / 60 Hz (up to 120 Hz windowed)
Optics	25 - 150 mm continuous	30 - 300 mm continuous	30 - 300 mm continuous	40 - 1000 mm continuous
Cool-down Time	Not applicable	Not applicable	< 6 min to operating temperature	< 7 min to operating temperature
Non-Uniformity Correction	Shutter + scene-based	Shutter + scene-based	Multi-point + scene-based	Multi-point + scene-based
Best Suited To	Perimeter, mast, compact UAV	Border post, vehicle sight	Long-range coastal, naval	Strategic long-range observation

Day / Night Channel Options

Option	D-40	D-60	D-90	D-120
Sensor	2 MP CMOS, 1/2.8"	4 MP CMOS, 1/1.8"	4 MP CMOS, 1/1.8"	4 MP CMOS, 1/1.8"
Optical Zoom	40X	60X	90X	120X
Focal Length	4.7 - 188 mm	6.0 - 360 mm	6.7 - 603 mm	8.5 - 1020 mm
Horizontal FOV	57.6° - 1.50°	52.0° - 0.90°	60.0° - 0.66°	52.0° - 0.42°
Minimum Illumination (colour)	0.002 lux	0.001 lux	0.001 lux	0.0007 lux
Minimum Illumination (mono + IR)	0.0002 lux	0.0001 lux	0.0001 lux	0.00005 lux
Day / Night Switching	Mechanical IR-cut filter, auto	Mechanical IR-cut filter, auto	Mechanical IR-cut filter, auto	Mechanical IR-cut filter, auto
Stabilisation	Optical + electronic	Optical + electronic	Optical + electronic	Optical + electronic
Defog / Haze	GPU, real time	GPU, real time	GPU, real time	GPU, real time

Laser Range Finder Options

Parameter	Value
Wavelength	1550 nm, eye-safe Class 1M
Source	Er:glass / erbium fibre laser
Range Options	5 km / 10 km / 15 km / 20 km
Minimum Range	20 m
Accuracy	± 1 m
Beam Divergence	0.3 mrad
Repetition Rate	1 - 10 Hz, single or continuous
Multi-Target Logic	First / last / strongest, up to 3 echoes
Range Gating	Programmable, rejects foreground clutter
Output	Range, target geo-coordinate, slope distance

Illuminator Options

Parameter	Value
Wavelength Options	850 nm semi-covert / 940 nm covert / 1550 nm SWIR
Source	Laser diode array with diffuser
Beam Angle	3° to 30°, motorised, zoom-slaved
Effective Range	1500 m (850 nm) / 1000 m (940 nm)
Control	Auto with day-channel gain, or manual
Power Draw	4 - 8 W
Duty Cycle	Continuous
Safety	Eye-safe at 1 m stand-off; interlocked
Zoom Slaving	Beam narrows as day channel zooms in
Housing	Integral to head, harmonised with day axis

Navigation, Attitude and Inbuilt Temperature Sensing

Sub-System	Specification	Function in the Imager
GNSS Receiver	Multi-constellation GPS / GLONASS / Galileo / NavIC, 1.5 m CEP, 2.5 m with SBAS	Own position, target geo-coordinate computation, time stamping
Magnetic Compass	3-axis magnetometer, 0.5° heading accuracy after calibration, hard and soft iron compensated	True bearing to target, north referencing
IMU	10-DOF, 3-axis gyro, accelerometer and magnetometer with barometric altitude, 0.1° tilt accuracy	Elevation angle, motion compensation, electronic stabilisation
Temperature Sensor - FPA	Digital sensor at focal plane / cold finger, ± 0.2 °C	NUC scheduling, cooler health, detector gain correction
Temperature Sensor - Lens Barrel	Two sensors, front and rear group, ± 0.2 °C	Focus drift compensation, athermal correction curve
Temperature Sensor - Boresight Frame	Sensor on the optical bench, ± 0.1 °C	Drives the thermal harmonisation compensation model
Temperature Sensor - LRF Cavity	Sensor at laser head, ± 0.5 °C	Fire-rate limiting, wavelength stability, over-temperature inhibit
Temperature Sensor - GPU / Electronics	On-die and board sensors	Analytics throttling, fan or TEC control, health reporting
Temperature Sensor - Ambient / Window	External ambient probe plus window sensor	Window de-fog and de-ice heater control, atmospheric range correction

All temperature channels are streamed in the health telemetry packet alongside video, so a remote console sees detector, optics and processor temperatures live.

All Sensors Harmonised

Harmonisation is the difference between a box of sensors and a multispectral imager. Each channel is aligned on an optical bench against a collimated target at infinity, and the residual offsets are stored as a per-channel correction map. The boresight frame temperature sensor indexes that map, so as the head warms from −32 °C to +60 °C the corrections move with it and the crosshairs stay coincident.

Line Diagram — Boresight Harmonisation of All Channels

Line Diagram — Sensor and Signal Chain

Onboard GPU Video Analytics

Processing happens inside the head, before the video leaves it. That matters on a link-limited mast or vehicle: the operator receives an enhanced, annotated stream and a short target report instead of raw frames that need a workstation at the other end. If the link drops, detection and tracking carry on locally and the event log is retained for replay.

Person, vehicle, boat and small-drone detection with classification

Multi-object tracking with automatic re-acquisition after occlusion

Edge highlighting - outlines low-contrast thermal targets against clutter

Video enhancement - local contrast, DRC, adaptive histogram, noise reduction

Haze, fog and rain penetration on the day channel

Day and thermal image fusion with adjustable blend

Electronic stabilisation using the onboard IMU

Auto-track that slaves the LRF and reports live target coordinates

Intrusion lines, zones, loitering and abandoned-object rules

Super-resolution and digital zoom beyond the optical limit

Analytics Function	What It Does	Measured Effect
Edge Highlighting	Extracts and overlays object outlines in the thermal image, adjustable strength	Detection of low-contrast targets improves by 28 % in cluttered scenes
Local Contrast Enhancement	Adaptive histogram equalisation per tile, thermal and day	Recognition range extended by 12 - 18 %
Haze Penetration	Physics-based dehaze on the day channel	Usable day range extended by up to 35 % at 8 km visibility
Noise Reduction	Temporal and spatial filter, motion-aware	Bit-rate reduced by 30 - 40 % at equal quality
Electronic Stabilisation	IMU-driven frame registration	Residual image jitter reduced to under 0.3 pixel RMS
Detection and Classification	CNN inference on fused day and thermal streams	30 - 60 FPS at 1080p by model
Auto-Track and LRF Slave	Tracker output drives laser firing and geo-solve	Target coordinate refreshed at up to 10 Hz
Multi-Band Fusion	Weighted merge of thermal and visible with edge preservation	Single stream, no operator switching between channels

Figures are internal test results against the Gridbots reference clip set. Scene content, atmospheric conditions and target contrast will change the result.

Performance Data

The charts below give the numbers that decide a configuration: how far each thermal option detects, recognises and identifies; how the field of view collapses as the day channel zooms; where each laser option reaches; and what the head draws from its 24 V supply in each mode.

Range Performance (Vehicle Target)	R1 · LWIR 640	R2 · LWIR 1024	R5 · MWIR 640	R8 · MWIR 1024
Thermal Detection	4.5 km	7.0 km	12.0 km	18.0 km
Thermal Recognition	1.5 km	2.4 km	4.2 km	6.5 km
Thermal Identification	0.8 km	1.2 km	2.1 km	3.2 km
Day Channel Detection	10 km	14 km	20 km	25 km
Day Channel Identification	2.0 km	3.0 km	4.5 km	6.0 km
Human Detection (thermal)	1.8 km	2.8 km	4.8 km	7.2 km
Human Identification (thermal)	0.32 km	0.48 km	0.84 km	1.28 km
Laser Ranging Reach	5 km	10 km	15 km	20 km

Detection, Recognition, Identification by Thermal Option (km)

Laser Range Finder Options (km)

Day Channel — Horizontal Field of View Across the Zoom Range

Logarithmic vertical scale. At 120X the horizontal field of view narrows to 0.42°, roughly 15 m of scene width at 2 km.

Power Draw by Sub-System at 24 V DC (W)

Stacked. Total ranges from about 10 W to 50 W depending on model and active sub-systems.

Relative Spectral Response by Channel

Logarithmic wavelength axis, 0.4 µm to 12 µm.

Analytics Throughput and Enhancement Gain

Capability Profile Across the Range

Specifications

Model Number	GB-RAPTOR (R1 / R2 / R5 / R8)
Type	Multispectral Imager / Harmonised EO-IR Multi Sensor Payload
Thermal Channel	LWIR uncooled 640×480 or 1024×768; MWIR cooled 640×480 or 1024×768
Thermal Sensitivity	≤ 35 mK uncooled; ≤ 18 mK cooled
Day / Night Channel	2 MP or 4 MP CMOS, 40X / 60X / 90X / 120X continuous optical zoom
Low Light	0.0007 lux colour; 0.00005 lux monochrome with illuminator
Laser Range Finder	1550 nm eye-safe, 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 km, ± 1 m, multi-echo
Illuminator	850 nm / 940 nm / 1550 nm, 3° to 30° motorised beam, zoom-slaved
Harmonisation	All channels boresight harmonised, residual < 0.15 mrad, temperature compensated
Navigation	Multi-constellation GNSS, 3-axis magnetic compass, 10-DOF IMU
Inbuilt Temperature Sensing	FPA, lens barrel × 2, optical bench, LRF cavity, GPU, ambient, window
Onboard Processing	GPU module, 40 to 100 TOPS by model
Video Analytics	Detection, classification, tracking, fusion, geo-solve, rule engine
Video Enhancement	Edge highlighting, local contrast, dehaze, noise reduction, super-resolution, electronic stabilisation
Video Output	H.264 / H.265 RTSP, GigE Vision, ONVIF Profile S, 3G-SDI, HDMI
Data Interface	Gigabit Ethernet, RS-422 / RS-485, CAN, discrete I/O
Control Protocol	Gridbots open payload protocol, Pelco-D, ONVIF; SDK for integrators
Input Power	24 V DC nominal (18 - 32 V DC), reverse polarity and surge protected
Power Consumption	10 W to 50 W by model and mode
Operating Temperature	−32 °C to +60 °C
Storage Temperature	−40 °C to +71 °C
Humidity	Up to 95 % RH, non-condensing; dry-nitrogen purged
Ingress Protection	IP66 (R1 / R2), IP67 (R5 / R8)
Window Heater	Automatic de-fog and de-ice, ambient-sensor controlled
Environmental	Designed to MIL-STD-810; EMI/EMC to MIL-STD-461
Mass	3.4 kg to 13.5 kg by model
Mounting	Stabilised gimbal, telescopic mast, tripod, vehicle roof, naval pedestal
Built-In Test	Power-on and continuous BIT with health telemetry

Drawings

General arrangement of the Raptor R8 head. Dimensions in millimetres. R1, R2 and R5 share the layout at reduced scale; certified drawings and a 3D STEP model are released with the data sheet.

Front Elevation — Aperture Layout

Side Elevation — Depth and Mounting

Base Plate — Mounting Interface

Field of View — Day vs Thermal Coverage

Raptor: Multispectral Imager for Surveillance, Border and Naval Observation

The Gridbots Raptor is a harmonised multispectral imager for roles where a single band is not enough. Its thermal channel is offered as a 640×480 or 1024×768 uncooled LWIR detector for compact, low-power, always-on watch, or as a 640×480 or 1024×768 cooled MWIR detector when identification range matters more than power budget. The day/night channel runs a 2 MP or 4 MP sensor behind 40X to 120X continuous optical zoom, supported by an 850 nm, 940 nm or 1550 nm illuminator whose beam narrows with the zoom. An eye-safe 1550 nm laser range finder reaching 5 km to 20 km turns any pixel into a coordinate, using the onboard GPS, magnetic compass and IMU for the geo-solve. Inbuilt temperature sensors at the focal plane, lens barrel, optical bench, laser cavity and processor keep the boresight harmonisation true across the −32 °C to +60 °C envelope. An onboard GPU delivers video analytics, video enhancement and edge highlighting at the sensor, and the whole head runs from a single 24 V DC supply at 10 W to 50 W — making Raptor a straightforward multi sensor payload for border surveillance, coastal and naval observation, critical infrastructure protection, vehicle-mounted sighting, counter-drone watch and airborne survey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
What is a multispectral imager?	A sensor head that images the same scene in several spectral bands through a harmonised optical axis. Raptor covers visible, near-infrared, thermal LWIR or MWIR, and adds an active 1550 nm laser channel for ranging.
Which thermal option should I choose?	Uncooled LWIR at 640×480 or 1024×768 for compact, low-power, continuous watch. Cooled MWIR at 640×480 or 1024×768 when you need identification beyond 2 km and can allow the power and cool-down time.
How far does the laser range finder measure?	1550 nm eye-safe, offered at 5 km, 10 km, 15 km and 20 km, with ± 1 m accuracy and multi-echo handling for wires and foliage.
What does "all sensors harmonised" mean?	Every channel and the laser point at the same spot within 0.15 mrad, and the alignment is held across temperature by the inbuilt bench temperature sensor and its correction map.
What power supply does Raptor need?	A single 24 V DC feed, accepting 18 to 32 V DC, drawing 10 W to 50 W depending on model, cooler state, illuminator and analytics load.
Does the analytics run on the imager or on a server?	On the imager. The GPU module inside the head performs detection, tracking, enhancement and encoding, so the head can operate on a narrow link or stand alone.
What is edge highlighting for?	It outlines object boundaries in the thermal image so low-contrast targets separate from background clutter, which measurably improves operator detection in difficult scenes.
Can Raptor mount on a stabilised gimbal?	Yes. Raptor is designed as a payload for the Gridbots Falcon stabilised platform and integrates on third-party gimbals, masts, tripods, vehicle roofs and naval pedestals.

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Gridbots Raptor

Harmonised Day, Night, Thermal and Laser Sensor Suite in One Head

The Raptor Model Range

Sensor Options

All Sensors Harmonised

Onboard GPU Video Analytics

Performance Data

Specifications

Gallery

Drawings

Raptor: Multispectral Imager for Surveillance, Border and Naval Observation

Frequently Asked Questions